Tales from Tahrir

Need proof that Canada’s diplomatic presence expands beyond DFAIT? Consider the Egyptian revolution. The Canadian government may have been only mildly present as the country underwent massive change, but at least one Canadian was having impact. New Brunswick native Lyse Doucet, special correspondent for the BBC, was one of the first professional journalists to arrive in Cairo. When internet service shut down in the capital, Doucet provided one of the few channels out. Reporting on conversations in Tahrir square and in the Twittersphere, she gave her international audience a glimpse of the magnitude – and the novel form –  of the transformation going on around her. 

Now Doucet reflects on the Egyptian revolution: Was it a Facebook revolution? Does social media have a role to play in the next stage of the revolution, namely governance? Where was ideology in the revolution? 

Photo Courtesy Reuters.