[OSList] Development of Open Space in Egypt

[Artur Silva]

Thanks,
Claudia, and congratulations for your marvelous report on the even more
marvelous experience you and some friends are doing in Egypt, that resonates so
well with the Egyptian revolution and what is happening in the whole Arabic
region.


With
care


Artur

 


________________________________
From: Dr. Claudia Gross <info at claudiagross.com>
To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 4:50 PM
Subject: [OSList] Development of Open Space in Egypt


Dear All!

My name is Claudia and I am writing you from Cairo/Egypt.
Harrison has mentioned my name in May after the OSLEX in Sardinia, the cradle of the 5th Principle.

Since it's Ramadan, the Holy Month, life is quieter and 
I finally have found the time to write you some lines about the development of Open Space in Egypt.

Actually it all has started 2,5 years ago when the director of the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, a German political foundation present here in Cairo, has asked me if I could imagine to facilitate an Open Space in Egypt. Of course I could! Then it took another 2 years until we had a meeting in November 2010, planning the supposedly 1st Open Space in Egypt for March 2011. On Jan. 25th the demonstrations on Midan Tahrir started and suddenly everything moved that seemed to be clear and stable. 

I will never forget the picture of the Midan Square filled with millions of people, demonstrating peacefully and expressing their wish for democracy and a better life. Fascinating time that gave birth to many great initiatives and movements in Egypt and the whole Arab region. While I am writing you this email, the Arab Spring is just about to close another page and open a new chapter: Gaddafi's era is about to end. Two nights ago, people were celebrating on one of the main streets here in Cairo (and supposedly in front of the Embassy), waving the flags of the new Libya. Goosebumps!

After the revolution in Egypt ended on Feb. 11th, we started sitting together again and came back to our original plan of organizing the Open Space - could there be any better time for it? The title was born soon "Egypt at the Crossroads" and from March 31 until April 2, 30 young activists (Egyptians and Germans) came together for the maybe 1st Open Space in Egypt. It was a time of amazingly fruitful discussions and the participants highly appreciated the format that matched so beautifully with their new freedom, their wish to express themselves and their aspirations. Some commented that the Open Space reminded them of the atmosphere on Midan Tahrir. After having had doubts during the demonstrations if there was an international agenda behind it, they highly appreciated the OS Technology that hasn't an agenda by definition and consequently cannot have a hidden agenda. What a relief!

In May and June, I facilitated two more Open Spaces in Egypt, this time funded by the German International Cooperation (GIZ, formerly know as GTZ). The 2nd OS with 30 participants on "New women for new Egypt" and a 3rd OS with 80 participants with the title "Egypt at work!?" All three OS were organized by the Egyptian Youth Federation which has a facebook page on which you can see the pictures of these events. After over 130 people got infected by the Open Space virus, many new projects were identified and some of them are already realized.

The most prominent amongst them is the 4th Open Space in Egypt called "Unity in Diversity" to foster the inter-faith dialogue. This OS was defined as a project in the 2nd OS and the aim was to organize the 1st Arabic speaking OS in Egypt. A group of participants of the three former OS had organized the funding, the logistics,the design of the welcome poster and the invitations. While at the beginning, they hoped to find 25 participants, they succeeded in attracting 40 participants, women and man, coming from 17 Egyptian governorates (of 28), discussing the last days before Ramadan about their perspectives and ideas on religion and the peaceful social interaction of the Egyptian community. The facilitator of this event was also a participant of the 2nd OS. I contributed by coaching him where needed and requested and supporting him in the set-up of the venue, a Bedouin-like tent in an eco-lodge in Wadi Natrun, a place where a couple of Coptic monasteries
 are in the direct neighborhood. Historical place. By chance when checking in and deciding with whom to share the room, a Salafi and a Copt decided to stay in the same room, having no idea that real religious opposites were about to meet and get to know each other ("Whatever happens..."). As social psychologists would put it: "Proximity creates sympathy". I wish we could create more events like this, bringing more people together to build bridges and create something new based on voluntarism and the collective wisdom (in contrast to the force and power of a few and their limited horizon).

Just one day later the 2nd Arabic OS for an Egyptian NGO in the Egyptian deltawas facilitated as well by a participant of the first three OS. The title of this event was "Activate the concept of volunteering" and 21 participants joined the discussions.

In the aftermath of these five OS and the time between and after them, former OS participants e.g.
-  did a clip with interviews of the participants of the 1st OS,
-  created closed facebook groups to keep in touch and actively use this medium to exchange information and ideas,
-  continued working on their projects,
-  brainstormed online on new, more local pictures for the OS principles to design new posters,
-  translated some of the material (and were happy to use the Arabic version of Lisa Heft's glossary as translated by Carol Daniel Kasbari - thanks a lot for your support!),
-  wrote two articles on the 1st and 4th OS in German (and currently translate them to English and Arabic),
-  met twice in an OS Learning Exchange in Cairo,
-  organized an OS Iftar (the meal to break the fasting at sundown during Ramadan) and one more will be held in a couple of days
-  started to develop the website "Open Space Egypt" that just was launched by Eslam (www.openspaceegypt.com)
-  and the related facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Space-Egypt/137259493032174 ,
-  plan to organize one or more Train-of-Trainers respectively Train-the-Facilitators with participants from the whole region,
-  and supposedly many more things I haven't heard about...

Since the GIZ took the chance to write two books about the Open Space events I have facilitated (which are not published yet), they had professional photographers with them. They were able to publish their pictures on the facebook group of the Egyptian Youth Federation and a video clip on YouTube (which is still password protected, the second will follow soon). I hope we will manage to show them all to all of you on the Open Space Egypt website too.

As you can see, things are moving here in Egypt and the whole Arab region,
and Open Space and its participants play a huge role in it.
Countless people are bringing in their talents, passion and take responsibility for their future.

We are all looking forward to more developments to happen after Ramadan and Eid - insha'allah.

Sunny greetings from Cairo!

Claudia

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