The People Want Maspero in the Square
We are a group of journalists who work in the Maspero Building. We have waited a long time—since the rise of the glorious revolution and the changes it brought about—for these changes to affect us as well and we dreamt of a different screen… we dreamt of creating a free media that expresses the hopes and aspirations of the Egyptian people, a media that reveals all the problems of society and its concerns and carries us to a different future… we dreamt of the possibility for a significant recovery was the focus of attention for many… However, we dreamt even more: the possibility of giving opportunities to true artists—and more than them—and true innovators who are returned to normal, without fear or directives which prevent them from getting across their message…. Yet, the scene today is truly sad, for everyone feels alienated from this media… A media that marches on at the same pace, with the same fear of clashing with the leadership… A media that marches the same line… A media that discusses the revolution but does not explore the concerns and dreams of its revolutionaries… A media that propagandizes for the leaders and influences safety, and at night this incapacitated media sits back to watch the media of the private channels, which is expert, posing questions and being critical, while our media is totally powerless…
No, this is not the media we want for ourselves!
Our media must be revolutionary, powerful, and courageous—with the bravery of the revolution and its martyrs. It must be bold enough to bring up the problems of our victorious people. It must express their opinion and not leave the people further and further behind.
Maspero has become the qibla of the oppressed, those thinking that it was the place entrusted with delivering their voices to public opinion. We—the sons of Maspero—feel embarrassed, helpless, and disappointed because we were not able to do what they expected of us. What is there to do?
The solution is that Maspero go to the people and not the other way around, but how can that be done while the building is in handcuffs… how can a slave help free revolutionaries?
We are a group of “independent journalists” demanding the independence of Maspero from authority of any type so that we will be able to express the sentiment and ambitions of the Egyptian people, the true owners of Maspero.
Once the media is free, it will be possible for us, at that point, to say that our revolution has achieved its goals.
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Acquired 8 July 2011
Translated by Thomas Levi Thompson
Translation reviewed by Elias Saba
