Celebration commemorates Egyptian revolution

Students who entered the Claudia Cohen Hall Terrace Room Saturday night were greeted by the sounds of Arabic music, the savory scents of falafel and the sight of red, white and black Egyptian flags draped across the walls.

The festivities were hosted by the Penn Arab Student Society in honor of the Jan. 25 Egyptian Revolution. The evening consisted of witnesses’ accounts of the revolution, a speech from Swarthmore Arabic professor Brahim El Guabli and a musical performance from the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble.

To kick off the event, College junior Marwa Ibrahim read a personal account from Penn 2008 alumna Dina Hassan, who participated in the Cairo protests. The account detailed how protestors fought through tear gas bombs and bad odds to gain their freedom.

“It felt as though the elation of 80 million people was tangible in the air,” she wrote of the celebration in Tahrir Square in Cairo. “I, for one, had restored my faith and gained my freedom in 18 days.”

Guabli also offered his own reflections on the revolution.

“A new Arab world is being made from this revolution that’s built on democracy and human rights,” Guabli said.

Guabli also praised the peaceful protests of Egypt and explained how through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the movement has had a global impact. “We’ve presented one of the best models of peaceful revolution to the world,” he said.

After Guabli’s speech, the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble performed a series of songs that got the audience clapping and chanting along. Some even waved Egyptian flags to the beat.

Chris Fortunato, one of the ensemble’s singers and a Swarthmore freshman, felt that the Egyptian Revolution is an event that deserves to be celebrated. “We’ve seen people rise up to take initiative over their own choices and their own country,” he said. “It’s a really significant, symbolic event in modern history.”

For College sophomore Emily Goshey, the events in Egypt also hold a place close to her heart. “I was in Egypt last summer for study abroad,” she said. “The Egypt Revolution means everything to me.”

Ibrahim was pleased with the event, which attracted a crowd of about 50. “I’m happy with the turnout and the diverse group that showed up tonight. There was such a lively, enthusiastic atmosphere,” Ibrahim said.

“I felt we needed this event to express ourselves on campus. It shows that even though we’re at Penn, we’re not so far from the events back home.”

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