So it was a hell of a time out there in Sharm El-Sheik this past week, and I had a blast. The BBC World Debate will be airing this Saturday 24th, at 0710 GMT and will be repeated on Saturday 24th at 0710 GMT, and repeated the same day at 1510 GMT and 1910 GMT, as well as on Sunday 25th May at 0010, 0710, 1510 and 1910 GMT. So be sure to check that out. I should note, for those who do watch it and feel there’s something we missed saying, it should be known that there was a laundry list of things some of us on the panel wanted to say but didn’t get a chance to due to the dynamics and setup of the show, so take that in to consideration.
What was the highlight for me?
Three members of our group sat right up there on the world stage in the closing session, and Amira Abdel-Aziz from Egypt sat right next to the Duke of York, who sat right beside the Prime Minister of Egypt. Professor Schwab asked her to respond to her Prime Minister, and right there, in front of Hosni Mubarak’s wife, Jamal Mubarak and his wife in the front row, and of course the Prime Minister of Egypt, this young and spry Egyptian girl, who looks, walks and talks like an Egyptian, demanded from her Prime Minister a 17 year plan of which the people could hold the government accountable for every year. It was a stunning moment of courage and truly inspirational beyond what words can describe and I will never, ever forget it. I think Amira really clicked the “refresh” button in my head and that single moment has given me a renewed sense of hope in what we as a generation in this region, are striving to achieve on so many levels, and despite the inherent obstacles that stand in our way.
So this post is dedicated to her and all the other participants in our delegation that have inspired me in unimaginable ways.
Great moment; but she actually want them to stay for another 17 years? 😐
the Egyptian people don’t want them to stay 17 days 😀
Amira definately put a nice finishing touch on our journey – I will never, ever forget those moments. (Or the Duke of York’s expression, lol) I also thoroughly enjoyed Maher correcting Gowing and questioning the validity of Blair’s comment (“The Israel-Palestinian issue will be resolved when there is unity within Palestine”) as well as your comment on the irony of the entire debate. Hooray for the youth.
I was looking through the video clip we took right before I left, and I couldn’t help but burst out in a series of laughter. WEF is over, leave poor Moamer alone. After all, with his four wives, you never know how many offspring he’ll have, so we might want to stay on his good side! lol.
Btw, there’s a nice big, empty box with an X in your last photo :'(
Congrats, what a great opportunity. MashAllah.
You mean sunday the 25th, right?
I’ll look forward to watching!
Sounds interesting.. i’ll check it out, inshalla!
Amira was and is an inspiration to many people who interact with her. I akm proud to say that I know Amira and she is one the reasons that I am working in the development field. She is such a simple and down to earth person that hates to show off with anything. I truly love her and she deserves all the best because she is one of the reasons that Me and Many others have hope for a better future for Egypt because of Her!