As technology and politics become increasingly intertwined, citizens throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are using new media tools to organize and make their voices heard as they demand reform. Examples of citizen movements in Tunisia and Egypt mobilized through Facebook and Twitter demonstrate the power and vulnerabilities of these communication tools. Panelists will explore the role new and social media has played in the dissemination of information and in supporting offline mobilization across the region.
Panelists are:
- Houeida Anouar, Tunisian digital activist,
- Golnaz Esfandiari, senior correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, editor of the Persian Letters blog, and
- Raed Jarrar, Iraqi-American blogger and political advocate based in Washington
- Moderated by: Chris Spence, chief technology officer, NDI
Monday, Feb. 7
12-2 p.m.
National Democratic Institute
2030 M St., NW, 5th Floor
Washington, D.C.
RSVP
Please register for the event at http://www.ndi.org/events_rsvp
Direct questions to Hana Elhattab at helhattab(at)ndi(dot)org
A light lunch will be provided.
NDI provides technical assistance to democracy and civic institutions in more than 70 countries, providing support for political parties, legislatures, civic groups, other organizations and individuals. For more than 15 years, the Institute has supported partners in the sustainable and innovative integration of technology into democracy assistance programs, including the Aswat portal, an unrestricted virtual community that supports civil society activists and democratic reformers in the MENA region share best practices, voice their opinions and access multilingual resources.
