{"id":10207,"date":"2021-04-08T00:02:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T03:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=10207"},"modified":"2021-04-08T09:59:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T12:59:57","slug":"what-remains-of-the-arab-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2021\/04\/08\/what-remains-of-the-arab-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"What remains of the Arab spring?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Many Canadian and international media have covered and are still covering the 10th <\/sup>anniversary of the wave of the so-called \u201cArab spring\u201d that swept over Arab countries, one after the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started in Tunisia with a man and his vegetable\ncart. He set himself on fire to denounce misery, the direct consequence of dictatorship\nin his country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Tunisia, the protests, and the aspiration for democracy, spread to other countries like Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, the dream of freedom did not materialize in\ndemocratization or in better economies. Many people are still struggling to\nsurvive poverty or to find jobs to secure a future. The covid-19 crisis is an\nadditional economic nightmare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tragically, chaos and devastating civil wars broke out here and there, like in Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Human suffering and tragic refugee stories, both within and outside of one\u2019s own country and continent, became daily routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, in some countries like Syria, the choice became between living under a dictatorship OR under Islamism (the latter is a political ideology; it is not the broader beautiful Muslim religion also called Islam). Which of the two evils is less of an evil, in this catch 22 double tragedy? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other countries interfered, fuelled, or benefited from wars. Some managed to run businesses out of the misery of other human beings. And yet, of course, others found ways to be generous, to help, and to become better human beings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is left from the Arab spring? Or did the\nsummer follow the spring or not yet\u2014even after 10 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we say that a newer Arab spring tried\nto see the light, more recently (October, 2019) in Lebanon and Irak?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would be the fate of all these so-called\nArab revolts or springs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many questions. So many unknowns. Perhaps taboos\nhave been broken and perhaps hope can renew itself in this or in the future\nspring season(s)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope is surely in the younger generations of Arabs, not only aspiring for but also demanding a just world: an end to dictatorships, oligarchy, discrimination, and sectarianism (or tribalism)! Not only dreaming of a new cultural renaissance (or another “Nahda<\/em>“!), but also slowly contributing to it in business, science, industry, literature, music, and all forms of arts, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude this post on a musical note that describes the tragedy of the “Arab spring<\/em>\u201d, here is a song by Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji, preceded by its powerful English lyrics. Bambi has goose bumps every time she listens to it\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arab Spring song <\/em>(<\/strong>taken from: shorturl.at\/dgpM7<\/a>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

” What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grief coming out from me is a\nscream from my worried heart<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those falling people are\ninnocent, who is responsible?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We dreamt of a thriving spring, which fragrance would spread over people<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this spring turned out confusing, blossomed with blood of children and people<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started with a vegetables cart, then it turned into a revolution in the field<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They made our revolution a red one which kills in the name of <\/em>religions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big states entered into us with\ntheir political interests<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep flew away from our nights\nbecause of our unprotected houses<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They brought those barbarian Mongols from remote places<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their hearts are filled with indisputable and recalcitrant barbarity and ideology<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roar of their voices flew,\nthey told them : “you are combatants,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arab world is your trench. Do not set apart a colour or a religion”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The folks decided their fates,\ntheir rights to live freely<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, alas! Revolution took them\nback to slavery<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grief coming out from me is a\nscream from my worried heart<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those falling people are\ninnocent, who is responsible?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aim of the revolution is progression, not regression<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dread the lengthening of this revolution turns us into a masquerade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want a green spring which announces a new summer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They turned us into a red spring, they strafed us with weapons and iron<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer’s shining sun rises behind spring<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After summer, autumn hears the\nthunder of the winter’s cloud<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus that rain will come tomorrow\nand wash our red lands<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The revolution of life comes back\nwith the human scream<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They called us “Arab\nSpring”, this autumn blossomed into chaos<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The West prevented the Arab folk\nfrom becoming free through a white revolution<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dread for this Arab folk for whom others are planning revolutions <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Arabs remain ignorant as a\nchild leading in kindergarten<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grief coming out from me is a\nscream from my worried heart<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spring am I singing, what spring shall I talk about?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those falling people are innocent, who is responsible?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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