Mit dem Dokumentarfilm “Voices after Revolution” (Stimmen nach der Revolution) von Gisela Baumgratz, Alex Gangl und Nicolas Rolke fand am 25. Juni 2014 im Zille-Haus in Berlin-Moabit der vorläufige Abschluss der Arabischen Film- und Diskussionsreihe von 14km statt. Thema des Films war die politischen Lage in Tunesien unmittelbar nach den Umbrüchen 2011. Auf dem anschließenden Podiumsgespräch gab Amina Gharbi vom Verein zur Förderung der Demokratie in Tunesien den Impuls zu einer lebhaften Publikumsdiskussion. Der Film “Voices after Revolution” porträtiert die nach dem Sturz der Diktatur und den ersten freien Wahlen in Tunesien entfachten politischen Debatten aus der Sicht von tunesischen Menschenrechtsaktivist/innen. Zu Beginn thematisiert der Film die im Rahmen des Verfassungsgebungsprozesses entfachten Streitfragen, wie die Verankerung der Scharia in der Verfassung oder die Rolle der Frau in der tunesischen Gesellschaft. Das Ringen um den Erhalt der Frauenrechte aus dem Jahr 1956, die von islamistischen Kräften am liebsten durch religiöse Bevormundung ersetzt worden wäre, wird als Beispiel angeführt. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch das Problem der während Ben Alis Herrschaft im Gefängnis radikalisierten und nun gewaltbereiten Salafisten angesprochen. Die für den Film interviewten Aktivist/innen kritisieren die Ziele und Methoden der islamistisch geprägten Regierungspartei Ennahda (2012), die die Wahl mit Propaganda, unrealistischen Versprechungen, der Instrumentalisierung von Religion und mit der nicht eingehaltenen Zusage, die Freiheitsrechte erhalten zu wollen, gewonnen habe. Kurz angerissen werden dabei Themen wie die Verhinderung der Vergangenheitsbewältigung von Anhängern des geflohenen Ex-Präsidenten Ben Ali und die Grundfrage, ob der Islam Lösungen für die ökonomischen Herausforderungen des Landes biete. Insgesamt wurde das Bild eines Landes gezeichnet, dessen politische Öffentlichkeit von einer kaum zu versöhnenden Gegenüberstellung von islamistisch und liberal orientierten Kräften geprägt ist. Im Anschluss erzählte die in Deutschland geborene, in Tunesien aufgewachsene und seit längerer Zeit wieder in Deutschland lebende Amina Gharbi beim Podiumsgespräch, wie sie die Umbrüche in Tunesien und die daraus resultierenden Debatten wahrnahm. Außerdem stellte sie die Tätigkeiten des 2011 gegründeten Vereins zur Förderung der Demokratie in Tunesien vor, der sich unter anderem mit der Frage der Vergangenheitsbewältigung beschäftigt. Einen festen Platz auf der diesjährigen Agenda des Vereins hätten die anstehenden Wahlen in Tunesien. Abschließend stellte sie ihren Eindruck zur Debatte, dass die jungen Tunesier/innen, die ursprünglich die Revolution entfacht hatten, mittlerweile erschöpft wirken. Zumindest auf die im Publikum anwesenden Tunesier/innen traf das nicht zu. Vielmehr begann eine angeregte und sehr sachliche Diskussion über den Film, bei der fast alle Teilnehmer/innen die überzeichnete Gegenüberstellung von “guten Liberalen“ und “bösen Islamisten“ kritisierten, da sie der komplexen Meinungslandschaft Tunesiens nicht gerecht werde. Der Film gebe den islamisch geprägten Parteien keine Möglichkeit, ihre Sicht der Dinge darzulegen. Selbst wenn es einem schwer falle, müsse man als Tunesier/in akzeptieren, dass ein Teil der tunesischen Gesellschaft islamistische Positionen beziehe. Auf absehbare Zeit werde dieser Teil politisch präsent bleiben und dürfe deshalb bei einer ehrlichen Auseinandersetzung um die Zukunft Tunesiens nicht ausgeschlossen werden, ohne dass die Fehler der Ben-Ali-Zeit wiederholt würden. Außerdem gehöre die Religion nicht nur den Islamisten, sondern auch den anderen politischen Lagern. Der politische Islam sei ein Teil Tunesiens. Angemerkt wurde zudem, dass nicht der Islamismus das größte Problem Tunesiens sei, sondern die Frage nach der Identität. Tunesien mit seiner dreitausendjährigen Geschichte befände sich in einem Aushandlungsprozess um seine Identität. Die Menschen des Landes müssten als Berber, als Araber, als Muslime, als Tunesier, als Mann, als Frau, usw. bestimmen, was sie eigentlich sein wollen. In den letzten Jahrhunderten war dies von Kolonialmächten sowie – im Anschluss daran – unter zwei Diktaturen “von oben” vorgegeben worden. Seit der Revolution sei zum ersten Mal seit Langem auch der tunesischen Zivilgesellschaft die Möglichkeit gegeben, sich an dieser grundlegenden Debatte beteiligen zu können. Organisiert und moderiert wurde die Veranstaltung von Andreas Fricke (14km e.V.). Fotografie durch Joe Kaldas, Text Steffen Benzler (14km e.V.). Bei der Organisation halfen Mai Micklisch, Shaza Nady und Anja Gebel (alle 14km e.V.), sowie das Team des Zille-Hauses. Das Restaurant Karthago in Charlottenburg sponsorte tunesische Leckereien. Der Jugendbereich des Zille-Hauses wird getragen vom Evangelischen Klubheim. Wir bedanken uns bei allen Gästen für ihr Kommen! Weitere Informationen zur Lage in Tunesien finden Sie hier: Bertelsmann-Stiftung SWP Blog von Zeineb Ben Othman In regelmäßigen Abständen zeigen wir Filme, die sich mit verschiedenen arabischen Ländern beschäftigen und diskutieren anschließend mit Gästen aus Moabit sowie mit Länder-Expert/innen über die Filme und die aktuelle soziale und politische Situation im jeweiligen Land. Das Projekt wird im Rahmen des Quartiersmanagements Moabit-Ost aus Mitteln des Programms Soziale Stadt (EU, Bund und Land Berlin) gefördert.

“14km e.V.” and the “DAFG – German-Arab Friendship Association e.V.” cordially invite you to a symposium on “Displacement // Migration // Development – Facets of Migration between North Africa and Europe”, 11/12 July 2014, Friedrichstr. 185 (House E, 7th Floor), 10117 Berlin  The topic migration in the Euro-Mediterranean is directly linked to the political transformations in North Africa and the Middle East which have an increasing public interest in Germany. Also in North Africa, which has become an important transit region on the way to Europe, migration and transit migration are being problematised. 14km and the DAFG would like to shed light on the manifold migration backgrounds in the countries of origin and the migration situation there, put a focus on the social networks between the African and the European continent that are created by migration, and discuss their inherent potential. The two-day symposium is conceived in a participatory way and provides a low-threshold entry to the topic; it is directed to anyone interested in gaining a differentiated perspective on the issues or already engaged in some of them. The participants will have the opportunity to discuss, share ideas, present their own projects, network and find partners for new initiatives. Further information, conditions of participation, and soon the detailed programme can be found on our site: http://14km.org/?p=2651   The symposium is financially supported by funds from the Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit des Landes Berlin (Agency for Development Cooperation of the Federal State of Berlin). 14km Flyer Fachtagung Migration Download for Distribution! Photo credits: “Estrecho de Gibraltar” CC-by-Gaspar Serrano-NC-ND-2.0

“Workshop: Building an NGO” on Monday, June 30th 2014 at 7:30pm, DAFG head office, Friedrichstr. 185 (Kontorhaus, House E, 7th Floor, Berlin) We cordially invite you to participate in the workshop "Building an NGO" at the 2nd meeting of the Arab-German "Jour Fixe" for Young Academics organised by the German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG). Dr. Anja Gebel and Helena Burgrova of 14km e.V. will share their knowledge about how to build an NGO. Both speakers are committed to the non-profit NGO since its early days, having defined its strategy, built up organisational structures, and promoted the construction of an international network to help realise co-operations and equal partnerships between North Africa/the Middle East and Europe. They have also shaped the development of the NGO's main areas of work, such as the International Volunteer Programme that encourages the exchange between Europe and North Africa/the Middle East, and or the monthly Arab Film and Discussion Series. The workshop will give insights in defining an organisation's purpose and structure, project development and event organisation, volunteer recruitment, and PR work. But most importantly, we want to take time to brainstorm, share experiences, and to work on concrete NGO ideas together with the participants of the Jour Fixe. We would be happy to meet you at the event and have you share your thoughts and ideas with us. 14km's work is mainly based on voluntary work and new faces are always welcome! The Jour Fixe is open for English-speaking students of all disciplines and universities. The event will take place in English. It starts at 19:30 and ends with a joint "Iftar" (Muslim fast-breaking dinner after sunset during Ramadan). For registration please send an e-mail to DAFG e.V.: David Kordon Desk Officer Culture, Education and Science E-Mail: david.kordon@dafg.eu Phone: +49 (0)30 2064 94 13 Fax: +49 (0)30 2064 88 89 WorkshopFlyer download and share! Facebook-Group Report about the workshop

"As I was looking for an internship in the field of intercultural cooperation last year, I saw the call for applications at the office of 14km e.V. in Berlin. I was directly interested in the projects of this young NGO and decided to apply. After my application in Berlin was accepted, Anja Gebel, the PR & Program manager, proposed me to apply for another internship in one of the partner organisations in the MENA region, since I had time for it. After this amazing experience in Lebanon, I started my internship at 14km in Berlin in the middle of April. Of course it was an asset for me to have been in Lebanon before starting my internship with 14km, as one of my first tasks in Berlin was to search for new partner organisations in Lebanon. It is easier to work in cooperation with the MENA region when you already have been there and acquired certain knowledge of the social and political situation. Since the beginning of my internship in Berlin, I was agreeably surprised to see that I could help in many different areas. I didn't expect to be involved in so many different and interesting projects and events. Indeed, I helped in the organisation of the first 14km network party, the Arabic film evening about Lebanon, the event on “The State of the media in Egypt”, the organisation of a study trip of young Libyans to Berlin and at last the symposium about migration and development. I was glad to see that I could help in different ways: I searched for experts for the migration symposium; I looked for, chose and contacted new potential partner organisations for the volunteer program; I wrote a report on the networking party; I translated some articles for the website; I updated the program for the study trip of the Libyans; I searched for hostels and conference rooms; I sent our call for interns to French universities; I created invitations for the event “The state of the media in Egypt”; I sent invitations to our contacts for two different events; and of course I helped during the events 14km held when I was there. During this internship, I learnt a lot in terms of public relations, communication, and editing content. I really appreciated the diversity of my tasks (research, translation, PR, update of the website, etc). In doing an internship with a small NGO, I wanted to learn more about the way it works and develops projects, the way to manage such a structure, how it functions. I could say that I discovered all those things during my internship. Since I really appreciated my time in Lebanon and wished I could have stayed there longer, it was also an opportunity for me to “stay in touch” with this country and with the MENA region and to continue the cooperation. As for my relation with the staff, I could say that the team of 14km is young, dynamic and professional. As the team is growing fast, we also spoke with Anja about the way 14km could (re)organise itself in the future, which was also relevant for me. The volunteers helping 14km are very motivated, committed and have a lot of good ideas for future projects. In conclusion, I really enjoyed my internship at 14km for a lot of reasons: I could assist to interesting events, develop my skills in a lot of fields, know the German actors of the Europe-MENA relations and cooperation, which made my internship at 14km a successful experience. As I already completed an internship in a bigger public structure, I could say that I appreciated more the work in a small NGO: we feel more useful, we have more responsibilities, we have the opportunity to carry out more tasks. One thing is certain: I will keep a very positive impression of my time by 14km, regarding all I learnt and did. I really want to thank Anja Gebel, who is doing an amazing work, for her patience, her trust and for all the opportunities she gave me. She took the time for each project to explain me the whole background and that she assigned me a lot of diverse tasks. I wish I could continue to help 14km in one way or another because this NGO really deserves all the best for all the work the team accomplishes!"   The published reports by interns/volunteers on their internships facilitated by 14km e.V. do not necessarily reflect the opinion of 14km e.V. or its partners.   Photo credits: Berlin_Björn Giesenbauer_flickr_cc-by-nc-sa-2.0

“Voices After Revolution” on Wednesday, June 25th 2014 at 6:00pm, Zille-Haus, Rathenower Straße 17, Berlin Moabit We cordially invite you to our film and discussion evening on Tunisia, which will take place on June 25th at 6:00 pm in the context of our Arab Film and Discussion Series. We will be screening the film „Voices After Revolution“ by Gisela Baumgratz, Alex Gangl and Nicolas Rolke (2013; 67 min; French, English, Arabic, German – with German subtitles). In the film, Tunisian activists describe vividly their experiences in 2012, after the fall of the dictatorship and the first free elections. The process of democratization and the goals of the revolution obviously need a lot of continuous commitment. Therefore they go on to fight for human and civil rights, better economic and social conditions and the separation of religion and state. The film will be followed by an open conversation and audience discussion in presence of an expert and further guests on the situation in Tunisia 2010-2012 and current developments, as well as on the repercussions on Tunisian migrants in Moabit and Berlin. Attendance is free, donations are welcome. The event will take place at Zille-Haus, Berlin Moabit, Rathenower Str. 17, 10559 Berlin. Please use the fliers to get to the youth club in which the event takes place. You can see here where the Zille-Haus is located. In regular intervals we screen films which deal with different Arab countries and subsequently discuss the films and the current social and political situation in the respective countries with guests from Berlin Moabit as well as with country experts, always aiming to make links to North-South relationships. أمسيةالفيلمالعربي وجلسة حوارحول تونس 25 /ماي/2014، 6:00 مساءً في التزيلي هاوس شارع راتنوفر 17، 10559 موابيت برلين   ستقوم مؤسسة 14كم بعرض الفيلم الوثائقي "أصوات ما بعد الثورة" للمخرجين غيزيلا باومغراتز، وأليكس غانغل، ونيكولاس رولكه (67،2013 دقيقة، اللغة العربية والألمانية والفرنسية والإنجليزية مع ترجمة باللغة الألمانية). في الفيلم، يصف نشطاء تونس بوضوح تجاربهم في عام 2012، بعد سقوط الدكتاتورية وإجراء أول انتخابات حرة. سيعقب الفيلم نقاش مفتوح حول الوضع في تونس في ذلك الوقت من الثورة،فضلا عن تداعيات ذلك على المهاجرين التونسين في موابيت وبرلين. الحضورمجاني، والتبرعاتمرحببها. TunesiaFlyer download and share! Facebook-Event Xing-Event The project receives financial support in the context of the quarter management Moabit Ost through funds from the Programme Social City (EU, Federal Government, and Federal State of Berlin). German Introduction (Gisela Baumgratz, June 2014) Th film "Voices After Revolution" is offered by the film makers around Gisela Baumgratz-Gangl -  University of Applied Siences Fulda. We thank Simone Döbbelin, Middle East and North Africa Department at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, for providing the film copy.

"As I was interested in doing an internship in the MENA-Region, 14km proposed me at the beginning of January 2014 to work with MARCH in Beirut, an NGO which fights against censorship and encourages freedom of expression in Lebanon. I directly went to their website to see their activities and the team: they are young, dynamic, have a lot of cultural and political projects. The work seemed very interesting and, even if I was a little bit afraid of the political situation in this region (civil war in Syria, Hezbollah bomb attacks, affronts in Tripoli, etc.), I agreed to go there. After I spoke with Stephanie, the very kind Youth and Artists Networker at MARCH, about the details I booked my flight tickets.    Picture on the left: The team Then I arrived in Lebanon and I spent more than one month in Beirut. MARCH has one office near the city-centre of Beirut, in a very pretty old traditional neighbourhood, just next to Saint-Joseph University. I was surprised to see that the office is a new, clean and big place. MARCH is sharing this big space with another organisation, but it doesn't represent any inconvenience.  Picture on the right: The office When I spoke to Stephanie on Skype before going to Lebanon, she told me that I would be integrated in a project which aims to create a theatre play with members and representatives of different religious communities. In fact, this project was not yet launching as I was in Beirut, so I worked on another main project of MARCH, the virtual museum of censorship. This untypical museum is actually a website which registers all that has been censored in Lebanon since the 1940's. This can be books, movies and TV-shows as well as music, theatre plays, press articles, radio shows, events or works of art. I was charged to reorganize and to update the data on the website. I looked for artists, theatre pieces, CD, movies, etc. which are or have been censored in Lebanon but which were not on the website and then I added them to the data base. To fulfil those updating und reorganization tasks I also wrote biographies, add information about some data for the website, corrected mistakes, called and interviewed directors of bookstores, interviewed persons in charge of movies' and music's command in Virgin, read reports on censorship and press articles about cultural life in Lebanon. My main task was to research whether the information on the website was still true, i.e. if that book or that movie is still censored or not anymore, and why, by whom, etc. I found this research task sometimes too repetitive, but at the end I realized that I learnt quite a lot about the censorship mechanisms and the political system in Lebanon. It helped me to better understand the geo-political situation in this area and the relationships between Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, the situation of the refugees, the religious conflicts, etc. I also discovered new books, movies or music that I didn't know before and finally it allowed me to discover the work in a small Lebanese association. I only worked with Lebanese people, who were speaking English, French and Arabic, often in the same sentence. I mostly worked with Linda, a volunteer at MARCH since one year, and Stephanie, the youth and artists networker. I was sometimes alone in the office because the two girls are still studying at the university. We didn't do things together out of the office but they were very nice with me. With MARCH, I also took part in a demonstration against the violence against women on March 8, 2014, the women's day. They created a campaign for this demonstration which was referring to the scandal of Jackie Chamoun, a Lebanese skier who posed naked for a calendar. The motto of MARCH campaign on this occasion was: “What shocks you more?” and was a real success. Pictures on the right: The demonstration on March 8th, 2014 and a BBC press article on the MARCH campaign Two weeks after that demonstration, we shot a video for an association that fights for women's rights. We were asked to represent MARCH as an NGO that fights for the freedom of expression, which includes the freedom of women. Picture on the left: MARCH team during the shooting of the campaign video (Sarah from Marcalea, Linda, Stephanie and me) Linda from MARCH found me an accommodation. I found it expensive for what I got (I didn't have neither hot water nor internet every day), but the accommodations in Beirut are expensive anyway. However, it was a good location (Sodeco Square), near Saint-Joseph University, the French embassy and especially near MARCH office. Picture on the right: A street in Beirut, Achrafieh We can often read in tour guides that Lebanese people are hospitable and very kind; I must say that it is true. As I said above, they often speak Arabic, English and French - especially in the Christian communities. It is not hard to meet and speak with Lebanese people even if we don't speak Arabic. However, it is more convenient to speak at least a few words of Arabic for the everyday life. It is possible to take Arabic courses in Beirut, a lot of organisations or institutes are offering classes. Picture on the left: Raouché, la grotte aux Pigeons, Beirut  Picture on the right: Beit Mery, Lebanon I only have one regret: I wish I could have stayed more than one month because Lebanon is such a fascinating country. It is really worth visiting it. Since it is a small country, it is possible to travel in buses, in service (a van or a taxi shared with other people) or in taxi. Public transports don't really exist. To travel in Lebanon is not expensive but could be difficult, because everything is spontaneous, nothing is clearly defined. But this also means that everything is possible. I also went to Jordan, which is also worth it, it's very easy to go there and it is not very expensive. Unfortunately, it might be the only neighbouring country we could visit when we are in Lebanon: of course we can't really go to Syria and it is forbidden to re-enter the Lebanese territory if we have been in Israel... Picture on the left: Wadi Rum, Jordan The political situation in Lebanon is still very tense (there are for example 1 million Syrian refugees in April 2014, which represents 25% of the population) and there are some places where it is difficult to go alone as a European tourist, and furthermore as a European female tourist, such as Baalbeck, the boarder with Syria or the Beqaa valley, but it is still safer in the touristic places and in the other parts of the country. Picture on the right: A building destroyed during the Civil War (on the former “Green Line”, demarcation line separating the Christian and the Muslim factions)   Picture in the middle: Rafic Hariri mosque, Beirut Lebanon has a lot of Roman and Phoenician ruins and monuments but they are not very well preserved and just a few policies of conservation of the patrimony exist, so I think we have to enjoy the present time to go to Lebanon before the cultural heritage is replaced by modern constructions or worse, before the war bursts again. We can still see some scraps of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) on some monuments, neither the population nor the government have the money to restore those buildings. Near those falling houses, brand new buildings are built, mostly for rich business men from the Gulf States. Picture on the right: Sea Castle, Sidon, Lebanon                       Picture on the left: Byblos Castle (12th century), Byblos   Lebanon is the country of great contrasts and Beirut is a city which is evolving every day. Those are also the reasons why I really loved my experience in Lebanon and why I warmly thank 14km to have given me the opportunity to go there."   The published reports by interns/volunteers on their internships facilitated by 14km e.V. do not necessarily reflect the opinion of 14km e.V. or its partners.

Möchtest du StreetArt-Techniken wie Schablonentechnik (Stencil) und Graffiti ausprobieren? Und dabei etwas über die Revolutionen in Ägypten und Tunesien erfahren, in denen Graffiti eine große Rolle spielte? Möchtest du lernen, wie man mit Graffiti die Gesellschaft verändern kann?   Dann bist du herzlich eingeladen! Was? StreetArt Workshop mit Infos zu arabischen Protestbewegungen Für wen? Jugendliche von 13 - 19 Jahren Wann? Am Wochenende 28./29. Juni (jeweils 12:00 bis 19 Uhr) Wo? Jugendclub Feuerwache (Friedrichshain) Du entwirfst deine eigene StreetArt, arbeitest zwei Tage lang mit anderen Jugendlichen und Profis zusammen und du lernst etwas über StreetArt als politisches Instrument. Abends grillen wir und tagsüber gibt es Snacks und Getränke. Preis? kostenlos! Wenn du dabeisein möchtest, melde dich bitte bald beim Jugendclub Feuerwache unter 030 / 293 479 440   - wir freuen uns auf Dich! flyer herunterladen und verteilen! StreetArt Facebook-Event   14 Kilometer e.V. veranstaltet diesen interkulturellen StreetArt-Workshop in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Jugendclub Feuerwache in Berlin-Friedrichshain und dem El-Takeiba Center for Artistic and Cultural Development in Ägypten. Weitere Partner sind Pjotr Obuchoff als StreetArtist und der KULT. Verein für Jugendkultur e.V., der das Yaam in Friedrichshain betreibt. Das Projekt wird im Rahmen des lokalen Aktionsplans Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg gefördert. Dies ist ein Projekt des Lokalen Aktionsplans Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

Are you interested in doing an internship in Tunisia? Our Tunisian partner organisation "Arab Institute for Democracy" is urgently looking for volunteers for an internship from July. The organisation is based in Tunis, and here you find the Website  and the Facebook page of this young and still small organisation. It works in the areas of democracy promotion, human rights, local governance, and political consensus. In the following you find the call for applications. If you are interested, please get in touch with us (14km) at info@14km.org, and we will send you further documents. Please note that the internship is unpaid. In the case of a successful application, we will take a facilitation fee of 40 Euros.   Hello, we (Wafa and Emna from Arab Institute for Democracy) are looking for a volunteer to join our team! Here are the details: Period of time: 1 to 3 months (between July 2014 – February 2015) Tasks and duties Write and edit press release Help organize workshops and conferences Prepare correspondence as needed Help prepare bulk mailings Proofreading of brochure and website posts Other duties as assigned Preferable experience: Marketing Building strategic partnership Fundraising Study background: Political science, human rights, sociology, law school, other relevant areas Qualifications: Outstanding writing skills in English, and French if possible Basic knowledge of computer and data entry Basic knowledge of nonprofit organization policy Profile: Pleasant manner, patience, problem-solving ability, dependability and positive attitude Good at working within a team Support: Training for this position will be provided. In addition, the program manager and the program coordinator will be available for questions and assistance. Introduction to the culture, the country and the traditions Any help and advices needed about places to visit, safety etc. Age Requirement: Above 18 Time commitment: At least 4 days a week (from 4 to 6 hours a day) Flexibility of days and hours of working is required.  

In the context of the EU project “Civil Initiatives Libya” 14km is currently organising a study trip for ten young Libyans to Berlin. The trip will take place from 14 to 21 September, 2014 under the topic "Promoting the civic and political engagement of youth".  The visitors will meet different youth organisations and other interesting initiatives and institutions from the area of youth work in Berlin. There will be a lot of time for mutual exchange on civil and political engagement of young people in Germany and Libya. Moreover, the programme includes a German-Libyan BarCamp in which concrete projects can be developed jointly with the Libyan youth and strategies and methods for youth participation and engagement can be discussed. Interested Libyan youth can currently apply with CIL for the participation in the study trip. Ideally, applicants are between 18 and 30 years old and already active in a civil society organisation in the country. More information on the study trip as well as the application forms are available from http://cil.org.ly/en/libya-the-eu/study-tours/ The Libya Herald has already published a short article on the study trip.  

Shortly before the elections in Egypt, on May 21 Egyptian media experts discussed the state of the media in Egypt. The event was organised by 14km and Reporters Without Borders and took place at the  Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (ZK/U) . First, the panel participants outlined the Egyptian media landscape and gave information on the working conditions of journalists in Egypt. A first conclusion was that the number of the imprisoned, harassed and murdered journalist in the country has reached a record, while fact-based journalism is still rare. A reason for hope is, however, the burgeoning citizen journalism.   Mohamed Selim Khalil, Egyptian journalist, lecturer at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster and media analyst with research focus on political communication in the Arab world criticised the lack of basic journalistic ethics in Egypt : "The media system always adapts itself to the winners." According to him, in Egypt there is only one narrative, and it is controlled by the state. The media are not independent but closely linked with the Ministry of Information. Thus, in this politically turbulent time, the media are also in a chaotic state. The Egyptian journalist and former vice-director of the Egyptian state-owned TV station Nile-TV Shahira Amin, who quit her job during the protests in 2011 to join the demonstrators and to protest against the state-controlled reporting on the revolution, told the audience that until now she is being ignored by some of her colleagues or is even treated with hostility because she is being seen as a traitress. She noted that journalists in Egypt are hardly trained in journalistic techniques, instead they learn how to follow the official line of the authorities. Currently this line is defined by the military, "censorship is back". Christoph Dreyer, press officer and Middle East expert at Reporters Without Borders, explained this with the fact that the freedom of press, which is recognised in the new Egyptian Constitution, is not being implemented; permanent exceptions are justified by the necessity of fighting terrorism. Large parts of the political landscape are censored, and there is no public discourse about the political events in the country. Also Farid Farid, media coordinator for Middle East and North Africa at  Transparency International, saw no practical effects of the civil rights and liberties defined in the Constitution. He criticised the journalistic practices of the corrupt state media which even fabricate and exaggerate artificial news, thereby distracting from the really important issues. Following the first panel discussion, various independent blogs and bloggers from Egypt were introduced in a brief overview, to discuss the meaning of citizen journalism for critical reporting in Egypt. Regarding this development, all panelists saw reason to hope for an improvement of the situation, as an alternative reporting through social media and open media platforms is now becoming more and more possible. The Egyptians acquired a liking for this new-discovered freedom, said Shahira Amin, and also Farid Farid saw in the new blogs a symbol of hope. However, Christoph Dreyer critically noted that the online social media in Egypt are used only by a minority of people and that still numerous censorship options exist. A question from the audience inquired into who really stands behind the censorship in Egypt. The answer was that censorship needs to be regarded as a mix of several measures. The major media institutions in Egypt are state media, which set the agenda, or media outlets influenced by the state media, who stay loyal to the businessmen from the Mubarak era. In addition, there is a self-censorship of the journalists who do not want to lose their jobs and who therefore adapt to the state narrative. At the same time, critical journalists are always in danger of being accused by prosecutors as terrorists or being attacked on the street by mobs. In the face of the recent turbulent political developments in Egypt, more and more people desire peace, order and security and many of them hope to get this from the presidential candidate Al-Sisi. For Mohamed Selim Khalil this hope lies elsewhere. Asked by the audience whether one could even speak about a revolution, given that everything remained the same concerning the ruling elites, he replied: "We do not need a revolution, we need media, real media. » --- The event was presented by Frédérique Lang (14km). Other contributors from 14km included Anja Gebel, Helena Burgrova, Eugenie Rooke, Elisa Totino, Andreas Fricke and Steffen Benzlers, and Christoph Dreyer from Reporters Without Borders.