Interviewer:
Guest:
Date:
Place:
University:
Hassan Labib
Yasmeen Haidara
March, 31 st
2011
The American University in Cairo, AUC Library
The American University in Cairo

Hassan Labib
Date March, 31 st 2011
Yasmeen Haidara Interview
Hassan:
Today, I’m interviewing Yasmeen Haidara a psychology and mass communication double major junior , to find out more about her experience during the January 25 th revolution.
Hi Yasmeen, good morning
Yasmeen: Good morning Hassan
Hassan: I need to ask you, where were you on January 25 th
Yasmeen: Ahh...unfortunately on January 25 th
I wasn’t in Egypt. I was abroad and that did not give me a chance to participate or ahh...or like have an actual like insight to (pause) what’s happening here in Egypt. I used to follow the news like on Al-Jazeera and on other media sources. Amm...so that was it, i wasn’t actually here to see what’s happening or actually have a hand in/ on the 25 th revolution.
Hassan: So where were you?
Yasmeen: I was in Saudi Arabia
Hassan: Tab, okay. (Pause)
How did you feel when first heard about it, about the 25 th revolution, and about the students going, with people in general all youth going and participating to destroy the regime?
Yasmeen: Wee to be honest, when i first heard about “The Revolution” or the the like the protest in Tahrir and all of that. I wasn’t I didn’t think it would be any difference from all the protests that have been going for the past 30 years or or the 19 years I’ve lived Amm...(pause) in Mubarak’s time. Frankly speaking I thought it would be just another like protest or people go to the street and then they are sent back home and then it ends there and it just goes on. I didn’t think it would be any difference or.. it was it was the actual pattern every time people go and then the next thing you know everything is quieting down and nothing has happened. So i thought it would be just another like failure of an attempt (laughter) you know.
Hassan: Yeah so okay just to make everything clear. When did you come back to Egypt?
Yasmeen: I came back on the 28 th
of January. Like the actual like anger day or whatever they called it. You know, that Friday were everyone was like really determined to do something about what happened to people who went down on the 25 th ; were everyone who was attacked and got hurt and stuff, so i came back to Egypt like right when the protest was suppose to start. So i couldn’t even go back home near Tahrir.
I couldn’t even so that was another day were i really wanted to know what is happening but I had to follow everything on the news. I had to follow everything on

the TV and on other media sources.
Hassan: So like the 28 th
of January; how did you react towards the police abandonment on that day because like at six pm the police started to disappear from the streets
Yasmeen: Yeah, I I was actually following all this happening on the news and the only reaction i could report about that was a literal shock and disappointment. I it was actually quit amusing. I wouldn’t actually believe that the cops actually disappeared and the streets are left for everyone for the protests those who were not protesting to make the Tahrir people seem like the evil people who are trying to take Mubarak and he is not responding. So it was it was quit disappointing because so streets were left and there was no supervision over what is happening and people started like braking into stores and steeling. And people were reporting and people were panicking on TV; you hear them, they call channels and they say like we need some help here the police are not answering or no one is here to help and people are attacking us and are breaking into our houses and steeling our things. And there was really amusing story, there was this woman from Nasir City I think and she called the police station and someone actually answered the telephone, and they are like maybe you should you should like contact the armed forces because we heard they are coming to rescue you, maybe you guys should call them and they would help you out and it was like a challenge. The police were were suppose to be there for the people and they were challenging them over the phone they were like show us what you would do without us you know.
Hassan: Okay, so talking about the army when I was watching Al-Jazeera the first army was shown at seven thirty or eight pm, so how did you react to the army forces taking over Egypt?
Yasmeen: Okay I was scared.
Hassan: Why is that?
Yasmeen: Because I I grew up I never thought of the armed forced on our side. I grow up/ I didn’t grow up in Egypt that was the thing. And i know everyone thought the armed forces are trusted and stuff but when your country is at a point where the police is not there any longer and you have to like turn to like higher positions like higher you know what like they rescue you from your very own government that’s you know what scary. Like it’s really exotic it’s wired. The armed forces are not suppose to be like attacking the people and they are not suppose to be like helping the government like bring the people down and stuff. It was wired because that is what we heard that Mubarak is turning to the armed forces because their saying if you guys are not respecting and behaving in a better way when the police tried to stop you, (khalas) we we will find something that would like have a better effect and that maybe the armed forces. So you know what i mean i didn’t feel safe. I actually felt like things are going in a vary bad direction what the hell is going on you know.

Hassan: So when did you start to feel safe?
Yasmeen: I don’t feel safe.
Hassan:
So let’s go back to the revolution. I need to ask, you participated in the
Yasmeen: I did yeah
Hassan: Yeah, so when did you start going into the streets and participation with all the youth and all the Egyptian whether different in gender, class, religion?
Yasmeen: Awww. Well I started going to Tahrir the week following (ye3ny) the 28 th
the Friday
I actually waited an entire week like till the Friday afterwards and I decided to go down on Sunday afterwards. I can’t remember the exact date to be honest and I’m not really good at math (laughter) so it was two Sundays after the 28 th
.
Hassan: So why did you decide to participate? And why didn’t you participate earlier?
Yasmeen: Okay why didn’t I participate earlier? It was because like my parents obviously didn’t think it was going to be any difference than before and Mubarak was still holding up and they didn’t think it was safe. How I actually managed to convinced them that I should go? They were really really impressed by the people who go to the streets and stuff. So I like why are you being hepocrats if you guys are so proud of the people on TV who are in Tahrir sq. Oh you should go on and do this stuff why the hell are you keeping your children safe at home if you think that’s the right thing to do. We are not any better than the people in the streets you know what I mean.
Hassan: Yeah
Yasmeen: That why we decided we have to take action you know go and help out those people we are so impressed while you’re keeping us home and safe. It doesn’t work that way, so that how my sisters and I used to go and I I kept going every day until he left.
Hassan: So let me ask you this: the last like the last speech from former president Hosni
Mubarak was made I think on Thursday, and everyone felt that he is still in power.
How did Tahrir sq. The people there react to that?
Yasmeen: We were so angry because everyone thought he was going to leave on Thursday.
Before this Thursday he actually left, on Thursday he came back and everyone like literally be talking to people you don’t know and everyone is so exited. And we like
Oh My Gog, is this really the last day. We were so exited spirits were up, people were singing it was people were very happy they are waiting for freedom after 30 years and he’s up back again. And he’s like no I’m not leaving and I think I’d be staying for 6 other months. People were so angry they like why hasn’t been enough

you know. So like you probably saw it on TV, every single person in Tahrir had their shoes up in the air, it was so funny like the men all the men had their shoes up in the air it was so funny. It was so sad the people were driven to this extent it was funny you know what I mean when you see something so bad you can’t believe its happening.
Hassan: Plus in the Arab region the shoes is a big insult.
Yasmeen: Exactly exactly they were it was on TV and everyone had their shoes up in the air.
Hassan: So when ex-vice president Omar Soliman came out and gave the speech. How did you react and where were you at that time?
Yasmeen: I was at home
Hassan: Home!
Yasmeen: I like on that Friday, I was so disappointed about what happened on Thursday. I was really losing hope and didn’t go down on Friday morning and it was at six pm I think. Was it six or eight?
Hassan: I think it was eight
Yasmeen: It was eight, yeah so like literally we got dressed and went to Tahrir as soon as the speech came out and like my mother, my mother actually like got ready and came with us. It was so like it was different. Wasn’t something (ya3ny) looking back when I think of 25 th
of January I couldn’t have even imagined that 11 th
of February would even be like a big day of History.
Hassan: So right now after the revolution kind of ended; people are still going to protest every Friday to like fight for the rest of the regime and to be imprisoned and all of that but where do you see Egypt is going to?
Yasmeen: I see Egypt in a transition and I don’t know how long it is going to take. But right now I don’t think anything is happening I don’t think things are changing much.
Ammm...I think I think this has to happen you don’t expect Egypt to suddenly become better like overnight and everything suddenly becomes perfect. It doesn’t work that way. So I know we will be experiencing a transitional period were things are just becoming a bit more stable in Mubarak’s time. So U hues it needs time hopefully. I’m really optimistic and I know things will get better so we actually became like a country that is able to set its rights back we are no longer silent we actually trying to take action. So that gives me hope.
Hassan: Thank you
Yasmeen: Thank you Hassan

Hassan: This is Hassan Labib, For AUC.