Interviews with Namees Arnous

What makes the generations, the new generation of youths in Egypt, the youth, the Egyptian youth believe in democracy because we had an Internet. It’s a very effective tool. We have social media. We’ve connected to others. It’s very effective.

As I have an idea, maybe I’m well-educated and I believe in democracy and freedom, and to talk with people through social media behind these screens, but we talk with each other, we discuss about we must have a very good life. Maybe we haven’t an independent media. We haven’t freedom of expression in traditional media, like TVs, newspaper and radios – we haven’t. But we have an Internet, that the tools of the regime can’t control it. But we as youth destroys the image of we can’t change.

And we control the Internet, and no one can take it from us because we connect to each other. And what make the revolutions just invitation on Facebook and Twitter and the people who gathering in the demonstrations and the marches in the streets, they just – they never know each other before. And in the streets, they never know each other. Maybe someone beside me in the demonstration, I talk with them on Twitter and Facebook and we discuss about tactics in the demonstration and the marches. But while we are in the march in the street, I don’t know that the guy I talked to is Twitter. So new media and the Internet and social media affect a lot. With generation believe in freedom and generation believe in change, it makes revolution.

Namees Arnous is a well-known television reporter and civil society activist in Egypt. During the Egyptian Revolution, Namees was asked to spread inaccurate stories by El Mehwar Television, her employer. When Namees used social media to publicize the channel’s stance against the Revolution, she was characterized as being a foreign agent and receiving money from foreign governments. She resigned from El Mehwar.

Namees then founded a new media production company which includes television, radio and social media outlets. She aims to promote human rights and democratic principles by training individuals in new media. She is currently working on a project to produce a new television program aimed at Egyptian women, focusing on issues of concern to them.

Namees has worked on a number of civil society campaigns. These include the Change Your Life Campaign, which aims to encourage women to be independent and the Be Free Campaign, which addresses young Muslim women extremists.

She worked on a civic journalism campaign to cover youth participation in elections in their respective regions. The campaign was broadcast on her NGO’s radio station and website.

Namees was among the inaugural group of the George W. Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program in 2012, a leadership program designed to empower and equip women to catalyze change.

Namees has her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a focus on Television and Radio.