028 - In the Mirror: What Went Wrong with the Arab Spring?

At the Oslo Freedom Forum last year, 7 activists from the Arab region found ourselves in a room together. This is the discussion which followed - on identity, exile, activism, trauma and healing, whether the Arab Spring failed, and different visions of what the future holds. It was nuanced and surprisingly self-critical, but there was no cynicism or defeatism in the room - just the maturity of taking the long term view, as we recalibrate for the future. Mentioned in this episode: Asma's OFF speech https://oslofreedomforum.com/talks/what-happened-to-libyas-revolution Wael Ghonim's OFF speech https://oslofreedomforum.com/talks/the-future-of-egypt Ahmed's blog on what the OFF means to us https://www.patreon.com/posts/27117847 Remember, listener support is our main source of backing and it means far more to us than any institutional grant ever could, because it enables us to stay independent as activists and unbeholden to anything but our principles. Make your pledge: www.patreon.com/kawaakibi