My Story

I was 15 when the revolution erupted in January 2011, a high school student just coming into political consciousness as the streets around me cracked open with possibilities for otherwise futures.

The Coup

In July 2013, the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, overthrew Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was Egypt’s first democratically elected president.

The Rabaa Massacre

On Aug. 14, 2013, security forces stormed Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo where supporters of Morsi had entrenched themselves in a sprawling sit-in demanding his reinstatement.

The Bridge

On Jan. 28, 2011, the 'Friday of Rage' featured clashes atop Qasr El-Nil bridge between protesters and police.

The Eagle Family

Egypt’s political order has remained under military rule since 1952, forming the Eagle Family that sanctifies military authority over civilian life.

The Massacre

Security forces killed at least 1000 protesters at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo on Aug. 14, 2013, marking one of modern Egyptian history’s deadliest massacres.

The Ghosts

Egypt’s prisons hold over 60,000 political prisoners, thousands of whom have spent more than a decade behind bars for a passing protest.

The Bridge Rupture

On the bridge, protesters surged forward again after police pushed them back, creating a rupture that caused the police to flee.

The Eagle Family's Fear

The Eagle Family, Egypt’s military and security apparatus, views the 2011 revolution as sacrilege that profaned their untouchable status.

The Prisoner's Prayer

A prisoner would yell: 'Lift this suffering off us, us, us, us, us, us, O God!' from the opening in his cell door.

“Lift this suffering off us, us, us, us, us, us, O God!”

The Counter-Haunting

To summon the tender ghosts of revolution and do justice to the ghosts of state massacres requires unghosting the 'us, us, us' banished behind bars.

The Bridge Rupture

On Jan. 28, 2011, protesters surged forward after police pushed them back, creating a rupture that caused the police to flee.

The 2011 Revolution

The 2011 revolution was an unthinkable event that contradicted the ruling order’s conception of the relationship between civilians and eagles.

The 2013 Coup

In July 2013, Gen. el-Sisi staged a coup and took over Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi won the 2012 elections.

The Ghosts of Egypt

Egypt’s political prisoners, over 60,000 in total, remain imprisoned after the 2011 revolution despite the military's crackdown on dissent.