Today, the cities of Sana’a, Beirut, Cairo, Tunis, Benghazi, Tangier, Ramallah and Amman wake up to see huge pictures of women’s faces, covering buildings and addressing messages to passers-by in the streets below.
Today, the cities of Sana’a, Beirut, Cairo, Tunis, Benghazi, Tangier, Ramallah and Amman wake up to see huge pictures of women’s faces, covering buildings and addressing messages to passers-by in the streets below.
Yemen, Sana’a
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car je n’hésiterai pas à demander mes droits" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I will not hesitate to demand my rights"
Lebanon, Beirut
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car il n’y a aucune raison pour que je ne puisse pas donner ma nationalité à mes enfants." - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because there is no reason why I shouldn’t pass my nationality to my children"
Egypt, Cairo
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car elles sont le cœur même des révolutions" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because they are the womb of revolutions"
Tunisia, Tunis
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car je suis la révolution et non l’indécence" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I am revolutionnary, not indecent"
Libya, Benghazi
"Nous sommes avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car, tout comme nous avons fait parti de la révolution, nous reconstruirons l’Etat" - "We are with the uprising of women in the Arab world because just as we were part of the revolution, we will be part of building the State"
Palestine, Ramallah
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car je suis palestinienne, j’ai lutté, je lutte et je continuerai de lutter pour obtenir l’égalité et la liberté" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I am palestiniain, I struggled, struggle, and will continue to struggle until equality and freedom are achieved"
Jordan, Amman
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car je suis jordanienne et ma nationalité est un droit pour mes enfants" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I am Jordanian and my nationality is a right for my children"
Morocco, Tangier
"Je suis avec le soulèvement des femmes du monde arabe car je ne resterai pas silencieuse face au harcèlement sexuel dont je suis victime tous les jours dans la rue" - "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I won’t stay silent in the face of the sexual harassment that I experience everyday in the streets"
The photos, appearing simultaneously in 8 cities, state that there is no shame in being a women, say no to sexual harassment and no to “virginity tests”, cry out for women’s right to give their nationality to their spouse and children and affirm that women will participate in building their countries, just as they participated in revolutions. They call for women and men to work together for freedom and equality. They say a resounding YES to the uprising of women in the Arab world.
This is a citizen action launched by The Uprising of Women in the Arab World movement, led by independent activists and joined by NGOs Almara’ Kadiyyat Watan (Jordan), Filastiniyat (Palestine), New Woman Foundation (Egypt), with the support of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).
According to the organisers, “These photos are a message to denounce the injustice facing women in our region, to celebrate the uprising of women demanding their rights and defending their freedoms and to emphasize that the Arab revolutions that were led in the name of dignity, justice and freedom, cannot achieve their goals if women are ignored or excluded”.
Background on the Uprising of Women in the Arab World movement
The Uprising of Women in the Arab World movement was launched by several activists on facebook in October 2011. On its first anniversary, it launched a photo campaign entitled "I am with the uprising of women in the Arab world because...", a slogan that more than a thousand women and men from all over the world completed with their chosen words. (Click here to view the full album of the initial campaign)
The giant photo initiative is the second to be led by the movement outside the electronic world. On 12 February 2013, the movement called for a Global Protest Against Sexual Terrorism Practised on Egyptian Women Protesters. Huge numbers of activists across the globe responded and organized simultaneous protests in more than 35 cities worldwide.
