New dawn for ancient civilization
Egypt is known for ancient civilizations but forget the past – following the recent revolution people are looking forwards to a new Egypt.
On January 25th anti-government protesters took to the streets across the country. President Hosni Mubarak stepped down after almost 30 years in office on February 11th.
Since then people have been celebrating their new found freedom.
Working in partnership with the British Council, BBC World Class are in the capital, Cairo, to find out about the part young Egyptians played in the revolution.
It’s an exhilarating time to be here.
The air is charged with the excitement of life free from the oppression of the Mubarak regime and memories of taking part in the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square are fresh in people’s minds.
We spent two days in a Cairo school where we found teachers and students eager to tell us their dramatic stories.
It is remarkable that so many of the pupils and teachers we met took part in the protests in Tahrir Square - the focus of the protests in Cairo - for some or all of the 18 days until Mubarak stepped down.
Some pupils camped in the square with their families and were shielded from rocks and stones thrown by pro-government forces by their older brother and sisters.
A teacher showed us the scar on his forehead from being hit by Mubarak’s forces’ rubber bullets.
One primary pupil told us that she watched the demonstrations from her flat overlooking the square but hid with her family in the front room when looters entered the building.
During the demonstrations students also met up with their teachers at the square to sing protest songs and wave home-made banners calling for a change to the status quo.
Mina, aged nine, told us that when she heard Mubarak stepped down she was so happy that she danced all day with her mum and grandma.
Students told us that during the protests they felt proud to be Egyptian and are looking forward to a future where the nation are able to speak their minds and take part in the democratic process.
The school itself is festooned with the Egyptian flag and even the trees have been painted in the flag's colours - red, white and black.
Posters celebrating the revolution are at every turn reminding students to “not forget our martyrs” and that they should live the values of the protests including honesty and co-operation in school.
We feel incredibly privileged to be here at the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s history, to hear young people’s stories and share their excitement about growing up in the new Egypt. Watch out for more stories from Egypt on the World Class website soon.
Also coming up on the World Class website – special interview with the Egyptian under secretary of state for education and young activists who helped organise the protests.
