On April 1, 2021, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) hosted “Ten Years On: Organizing in Diaspora and Exile,” a virtual discussion with Mazen Darwish (Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression), Asma Khalifa (Khalifa Ihler Institute), Afrah Nasser (Human Rights Watch), and Mina Thabet (Egyptian Human Rights Defender), moderated by Samia Errazzouki (PhD Student).
In the decade since the MENA region’s 2010-2011 protests, diaspora and exiled communities have increasingly mobilized to bring about change in support of movements on-the-ground. Through a moderated discussion, the panelists explored how the space to organize abroad has evolved over the years; the opportunities, challenges, and risks brought about by mobilizing in diaspora or exile; and the ways in which this work complements and interacts with efforts in the region. Looking to stories from Syrian, Libyan, Yemeni, and Egyptian advocates, organizations, and communities, the conversation addressed how those in the diaspora have leveraged their positioning, connectivity, and tools to take on new and evolving roles and to identify unique spaces for impact.
This event was hosted as part of TIMEP’s Ten Years On, a project intended to create a platform for unique discourse among those who have organized, are organizing, and will organize in the MENA region. Learn more here: https://timep.org/ten-years-on-organizing-in-the-mena-region/.
View the event here: