Building up Democracy?

The new Minister of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi in a reunion with Egyptian theater artists at the Supreme Council for Culture

Today, the new Minster of Culture, Emad Abu Ghazi met a group of about 200 artists in the Supreme Council for Culture in order to listen to their wishes and needs for the future development of the Egyptian stage. The actors, directors, playwrights and other personnel involved in drama activities, eagerly voiced their suggestions and questions. The minister stood in front of the sometimes loud and struggling crowd, took notes and replied to the audience.
Even though, the euphoria of directly addressing the minister and the desire of many people to be talking at the same time sometimes seemed to lead the common approach to chaos, the audience always managed to calm themselves down. Everybody was completely aware of the importance of the moment. The wish for cooperation was held up high explicitly. The perceptive and so easily approachable minister with his audience who brought forward a torrent of ideas, demands and projects set up an atmosphere of constructive and plainly democratic dialogue. 

Tahrir Square on the 10th of March, guarded by the army and the police

Will this spirit of freedom be strong enough to conquer back the public space which for the moment is “over-protected” by tanks and armed soldiers? Will it succeed in holding back the mist of fear which is sneaking out of some deep cellars which are still guarded by the secrete services? Will it fill the air with tolerance and make the Christian and Muslim fundamentalists’ violent agendas vain?