The so-called Arab Spring has spawned a revolutionary wave across the Arab world - with protests and uprisings from Algeria to Saudi Arabia. Egypt, Tunisia and Libya have seen the biggest upheavals, but the Arab Spring has impacted on 17 countries.
Since 18 December 2010, there have been revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt; a civil war in Libya; civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen; major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman, as well as on the borders of Israel, and minor protests in Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara. All the protests have involved shared techniques of civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes, demonstrations, marches and rallies - and the creative use of social media.
Al Jazeera has led the way with its coverage of the Arab Spring, gaining a much wider global audience as many people turned away from Western news outlets.
Guest speaker: New Zealand journalist Yasmine Ryan writes for Al Jazeera English Online, where she focuses on North Africa, France and digital activism. She has spent much of the year in Tunisia covering the uprising and its aftermath, and will be returning to cover what Tunisians hope will be their first free and democratic election in October.
Yasmine will talk about her experience of the Arab Spring as a journalist and offer some insights into the political turmoil.
Organisers: Global Peace and Justice Auckland (GPJA), in conjunction with the Pacific Media Centre
When: Monday, 19 September 2011
Time: 7.30-9.00pm
Where: Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland