Egypt Young Revolutionaries

Cairo, Egypt

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2011

The year 2011 will be remembered as the year of the first revolution in Egypt: first because, unlike during the 1952’s revolution, commanded by the army general Nasser, it has been driven by the youth of the country. Egypt’s gigantic security system, built with repression and torture over 30 years of regime, crumbled under the protests of the largest portion of the population, represented by people under 30 years of age.

After years of intense activism through the new channels of communication such as twitter and facebook these strong groups were able to organise themselves in the main Tahrir square, a place that since that day, the 25th of January, has represented a symbol of freedom and will for the whole Arab world. No one could have imagined the results of those days of protests. Their strength was built by their union.

This project is composed by a series of portraits of some of the young representatives of this revolution, together with few of the places that were presumably used by the police during those days of clashes for violence and torture against them. Many of the subjects portrayed are members of the new political parties preparing for the upcoming parliament elections, the first free elections the country has ever seen. Each one of them has been asked to be photographed in some place in the city of Cairo that symbolizes his/her desire for change and progress in Egypt.

Ramy Sabry, pharmacist, leader of the Union for the Renewal of Youth, the party of socialist ideals that separated from the old party Tagamoa. Ramy is here portrayed in the streets of El Fagala district, poor streets of the city where Ramy walks everyday from his office to home and that he would like to see changing. The Union for the Renewal of Youth, his party, is involved in the popular committees for the defense of the revolution. The committees are spontaneous groups of people who argue In the streets of many districts of the city about corruption and “baltagheia” (groups of vandals often armed with axes or knives informally hired by the army to create terror in the streets).

Khalid Tallima, 27, has been taken part of the revolution until the first days of the protest, sleeping many nights in Tahrir Square. He is the spokesman of the youth movement inside the socialist party Al-Tagamoa, the historical party against the regime, defender of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Khalid is here portrayed inside the party seat to express his desire for a complete renewal of the party through changes like the replacement of the party’s leader, Sayed Refat, often criticized for his friendship with the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Ahmed El Sandabasy, 22, born in Cairo, has been taken part of the revolution until the first days of the protest, when he was arrested and released some hours later. He is a member of the new socialist movement, the Union for the Renewal of Youth. Here he’s portrayed inside the ancient Babeluk market, in the Sayeda Zeinab central district of the city. This market is a place of heart for Ahmed. HIs desire for the future is to see it restructured.

The Babeluk Market, in the Sayeda Zeinab district, a central district in Cairo. The ancient market has been built by French entrepreneurs at the beginning of the twentieth century, now it is nearly abandoned and into decay. it is said that, during the days of revolution, it was used by the police as a place of torture and detention of the protesters.

An internal view of the Prince Said Halim Pasha Palace, built at the end of the nineteenth century, belonged to the Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, Muhammad Ali Pasha’s grandson. The palace is now abandoned. It is tought that, during the days of the revolution, it was used by the police as a place where to bring protesters to be tortured and detained.

Ziad Al Alimi, closed collaborator of Muhammad Al Baradei, attorney for human rights and member of Revolution Youth Coalition, has been taken part of the revolution until the first days, and with other members of Revolution Youth Coalition he has negotiated the final agreement between the demonstrators and the military junta. Here is portrayed in Tahrir Square to express his desire for change of the state of justice of the Nation, rewriting all the Constitution of the Republic of Egypt.

An external view of the Prince Said Halim Pasha Palace, built at the end of the nineteenth century, belonged to the Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, Muhammad Ali Pasha's grandson. The palace is now abandoned. It is thought that, during the days of the revolution, it was used by the police as a place where to bring protesters to be tortured and detained.

Fatma El Sayed, 21, is an English teacher and member of the socialist party Tagamoa. Here she’s portrayed in the Cairo University campus. By choosing the University as a place to be photographed she wants to express her though toward the need to change the Egyptian plan of education, often obstructed by nepotism and corruption.

Mohamed Awad, 25, political activist for more than ten years, has been one of the more active members of the Kifaya movement (one of the first protest movements, born on 2004, against the autocratic Mubarak’s regime). Today Mohamed is the representative of the political movement of socialist ideals “Liberty and Justice”. Here he is portrayed in El Matarya suburban district, where he was born. He is standing in front of the future home of the agricultural factory Agrium, so called “ the factory of death” for the many deaths it provocked with his fertylizers. Mohamed’s desire is of the project of the factory enlargement is the first change that Mohammed wish for his country.

Mohammed Abdel Aziz, 22, spokesman of the political laical movement ‘Kifaya’, started in 2004. ‘Kifaya’ means “That’s enough!” and it’s one of the first movements against the autocratic regime commanded by Mubarak. Mohammed is here portrayed inside the Sayeda Zeinab police station, burnt by protesters during the days of revolution, to express the persistent opposition against whatever future forms of government made of nepotism, corruption and torture, a practice often used by police against anti-regime dissidents.

The Sayeda Zeinab police station, one of the police stations that were burnt by demonstrators during the days of the revolution in sign of protest against tortures often inflicted by the police to the anti-regime dissidents during the Mubarak’s era.

Prince Said Halim Pasha Palace, Cairo centre.

Mohammed El Qassas, young member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Involved in the political office of the organization and among the creators of the Liberty and Justice Party. The organization of the Muslim Brothers, obstructed by the regime over the years with persecutions and arrests of its members, has been one of the most active movements of the revolution. Mohammed is portrayed during the prayer in a mosque in the city centre, next to Tahrir Square, to express his wish that the new life of the nation, through the guide of his Muslim party, would follow the rules of Islam.

An internal view of the Prince Said Halim Pasha Palace, built at the end of the nineteenth century, belonged to the Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, Muhammad Ali Pasha’s grandson. The palace is now abandoned. It is tought that, during the days of the revolution, it was used by the police as a place where to bring protesters to be tortured and detained.

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