Tahrir Square
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The Egyptian Revolution five years on
Ghosts of the uprising
25 January 2011 saw the start of the revolution in Egypt that led to the collapse of the Mubarak dictatorship. Today, the Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez-Eldin sees another regime in power staging an absurd drama of fear and oppression
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Gentrification in Egypt
Urban counter-revolution in Cairo
The "Reclaiming Downtown" campaign launched by the Egyptian government is no ordinary measure designed to advance the gentrification of the Cairo city centre. It is instead a politically motivated drive against any form of opposition and civilian autonomy. The "backyard of the revolution" is to be refurbished and its revolutionary history wiped out. By Sofian Philip Naceur
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Sexual assaults at Cologne′s main station
#KoelnHbf – An attack on my freedom
The sex attacks at Cologne's main railway terminal are intolerable, regardless of where the perpetrators come from. An outcry is essential (#aufschrei). It is not acceptable that women in Germany become a target. Commentary by Sarah Judith Hofmann
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Mona Eltahawy: "Why do you hate us so?"
The Middle East needs a sexual revolution
As long as there is no true revolution, women in Islamic countries will remain second-class citizens, believes the controversial Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy. Claudia Kramatschek introduces her recent book
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Interview with the Egyptian choreographer Adham Hafez
The disappearance of the kiss
One of the highlights of Berlin's recent Return to Sender theatre festival was a performance of the futuristic piece "2065 BC" by the internationally renowned Egyptian choreographer Adham Hafez. Astrid Kaminski spoke to him about national identities and the arts scene in Cairo
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Interview with filmmaker Arash T. Riahi
"Non-violent revolutions are not a hippie fantasy"
With "Everyday Rebellion", Iranian-born filmmakers Arash and Arman T. Riahi have created a multimedia project that celebrates civil disobedience and connects peaceful forms of protest in Islamic countries and around the globe. Nahid Fallahi spoke to Arash T. Riahi about the film
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Fourth anniversary of Egypt's January Revolution
Graveyard silence replaces revolutionary euphoria
On the first anniversary of Egypt's January revolution, there was a huge festival on Cairo's central Tahrir Square. On the fourth anniversary, demonstrations were banned and the square blocked off by the army. By Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo
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Research project into "spaces of participation"
Hubs of political protest
From Casablanca to Manama, from Cairo to Istanbul: coffee shops, youth clubs mosques and public areas all play an important role in modern protest movements. A research project at the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin is now taking a closer look at such spaces of resistance and hope. By Jannis Hagmann
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Protests in Egypt
"Down with all Mubaraks!"
A court decision to drop all charges against Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak in connection with the deaths of more than 800 demonstrators prompted protests and riots in Cairo and other cities in Egypt. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo's Tahrir Square
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Book review: "Cairo. Open City" by Florian Ebner and Constanze Wicke
The power of images
The illustrated book "Cairo. Open City. New Testimonies from an Ongoing Revolution" by Florian Ebner and Constanze Wicke casts a critical eye over the media portrayal of the Egyptian revolution. Shohreh Karimian reviews the publication
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Tahrir and Taksim – Part II
Soundtrack of two revolutions
Tahrir and Taksim: two squares, one new culture of protest? In the second part of this two-part report, Amin Farzanefar looks at the how street art, music and film became essential parts of the new protest culture
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Tahrir and Taksim – Part I
A new culture of protest
In 2011 and 2013, two major cities in the Islamic world were rocked by popular unrest. The extended demonstrations seemed to usher in a new culture of protest. In this two-part report, Amin Farzanefar looks at how the art and music scenes changed in Cairo and Istanbul as a result of these protests