Aswat Community Connects Activists in the Middle East and North Africa

The Arab Spring uprisings have underscored the tremendous impact that social media can have on advancing democracy. In recent months, activists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have used the Internet to rally the public and organize widespread demonstrations that have toppled two longstanding autocratic leaders and presented a significant challenge to several more. The lines between blogger and activist blurred as bloggers led protest movements and activists took to the Internet to spread their messages.

But the use of the Internet for political organizing is not a new idea. In 2005, recognizing social media's potential, NDI launched Aswat, an online community requested by activists and reformers from throughout the MENA region who were seeking to make governments more responsive, transparent and effective in delivering results that matter in people’s lives. Aswat, which means “voices” in Arabic, is available in Arabic, English, Farsi and French.

Through Aswat, users can create private and public groups that encourage collaboration, networking and dialogue. An interactive calendar highlights important human rights events, and there is an extensive library of resources in all of Aswat’s languages on such topics as activism, political parties and governance.

Aswat programs have trained hundreds of activists on the use of social and new media. For one member, Bassem Samir of Egypt, the connections he made both online and in person at an Aswat training last December in Rabat, Morocco, helped him get advice and moral support during the Egyptian revolution. After that session, activists and trainers formed a group on the site to continue trading advice and experiences, a connection they maintained even after the Egyptian government cut the Internet and group members had to continue their conversations using landlines.

The rise of social media has also allowed citizens in authoritarian regimes to challenge state censorship by putting their stories online. To help citizen reporters learn tenets of accuracy and objectivity, NDI trained members of the Aswat community on professional standards of journalism.

A July workshop focused on introducing citizen journalists to ethical and professional standards of traditional media, something they haven’t always adhered to. Participants discussed challenges faced by citizen journalists during the Egyptian and Tunisians revolutions and what they could have done differently as the revolution was unfolding. Sessions also addressed basic journalistic writing, ethics and fact-checking, what makes a story have lasting impact, and how citizen journalists and professional journalists can interact and help each other. Local reporters, anchors, videographers and producers provided individual consultations with citizen journalists. At the end of the workshop, the participants developed a code of ethics for citizen journalists to be posted on Aswat and other social networking sites.

Since its founding, Aswat has emphasized its role as a space for members to debate freely, organize effectively and mobilize quickly. But in light of the recent transformative politics, the site is now focused as well on equipping activists and reformers with skills and tools to help them adjust to the new political situation emerging in the region. Aswat now includes a wealth of information on post-revolution experiences and democratic transitions.

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Published July 28, 2011