Revolution in three "easy" steps

Right, so for a while now I have been sharing some videos prepared by the School of Authentic Journalism and NarcoNewsTV. And here is their new piece of art, with Ivan Marovic, one of the founders of Otpor Movement talk about three "easy" steps in bringing down a dictator based on Otpor's experience. Enjoy!

The School of Authentic Journalism

Perhaps the highlight of my year so far has been my time spent at the School of Authentic Journalism (SAJ or J-school). Imagine a group of fascinating people from pretty much around the world coming together to learn, work, teach, share and experience during a 10 day intense educational voyage to the world of authentic journalism. Yea, I know, kind of hard to imagine.

This year, the school was held in Mexico, which made the whole experience even more special. For me the time spent there turned into a great opportunity to talk to some of the most interesting and inspirational people from various corners of the world.

The school runs on funds raised throughout the year. You can support the cause by contributing here and read more on the school and Narco News here.   

Some of this year's speakers included people like Ivan Marovic- founder of Serbian Otpor movement that brought down Milosevic; Oscar Olivera- one of the main protestors during Bolivia's water privatization and many more. Click here to see other speakers.

Above all, what makes this school unique experience is its approach to the field of journalism. This year split in three different workshop groups- investigative and online journalism, viral video/audio group the school hosted 40 scholars and about 40 professors. But its not your usual school, here at the school of authentic journalism scholars and professors learn from each other during workshops, free time, and plenary sessions. You shouldn't be surprised if at some point someone would like to interview you either for their paper, project or idea. Its a chance to pass on your message and hear many others speak about a number of different issues. 

I am actually several months late in writing this post but I wanted to take this opportunity and share another great production of that school (to see some of the other creations you can visit here, here, here and here). Among its professors, Andrew Stelzer, an award winning radio producer and news reporter based in Oakland, CA. Working as a producer with the National Radio Project Adrew was one of my highlight individuals to meet at the school. He interviewed me and many others for his Radio Project "Making Contact" and so here it is: "Tales and Tools of Revolution: From Serbia to Egypt" with interviews from Ivan Marovic (Serbia/Otpor); Namees Arnous (Egypt/Journalist); and me (in case, you can't open it here please visit this site to listen to the full program):

Note: During the time of the interview, I knew I would have difficulties coming back to Azerbaijan after the whole March 11th Facebook saga. But I do hope, to travel to Azerbaijan soon, safe and sound.

'Egypt: how we did it, when media would not' (Part 2)

Back in May I shared with you a video prepared by NarcoNews' Al Giordano and Greg Berger on Egypt's revolution in the making. Today, I present you the second part of these series- "The Other Revolution in Egypt: an interview with Mohammed Abbas of the Muslim Brotherhood".

[...] The regime placed that [hatred] in us. It planted in us hatred of each other. It planted in us the idea that we don't like each other so that it could control us...

'Barrel of Laughs'

Ivan Marovic talks about Otpor- Serbian movement that brought down Milosevic in 2000- and about 'dilemma action' used widely by the movement. 

Prepared by the authentic journalists at the School of Authentic Journalists is a great insight into movements and tactics in just two minutes.

Azerbaijan's own dictatorial rule

I was reading this article today on New York Times by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith, and thought I share some quotes that fit Azerbaijani leadership so perfectly. 

The article starts with the following introduction:

Despotic rulers stay in power by rewarding a small group of loyal supporters, often composed of key military officers, senior civil servants, and family members or clansmen

However the author of this piece argues that even this small group of supporters only does so because of the rewards expected for al their work done while suppressing opposition, silencing anyone who would go against the regime and therefore maintain their own version of stability and tranquility.  

As long as their cronies are assured of reliable access to lavish benefits, protest will be severely suppressed. 

Of course, some of the success stories of toppling a dictator portrayed in this article, do not fit Azerbaijan's scenario, nevertheless, there are some interesting facts worth noting and who knows, perhaps keeping in mind for future references... 

'Egypt: how we did it, when media would not'

We all knew what was happening there. Some of us were following the story in the news, some on social networks, others were covering the news on the spot. The #jan25 was born there. And what was a building struggle for years became a number one priority for 18 days on the agenda of the international media. Yes, it was the Egyptian Revolution.

In March, exactly one month after the revolution, Al Giordano and Greg Berger went to Egypt in search of what to become a series of videos/ stories featuring some of the key people behind the #jan25- a manual on how civil resistance was built to win. Why? Well, simply because they wanted to know how it was done but more importantly they wanted to show the world how it was done, what was it like and in what circumstances it was happening.

Today, Narco News TV proudly presents its first video in the series of a documentary on Egyptian Revolution.

Future of Egyptian politics

Wanted to share this video with you:

The revolutionary chants on the streets of Egypt have resonated around the world, but with a popular uprising without a clear direction and an unpopular leader refusing to concede, Egypt's future hangs in the balance. Riz Khan talks to Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek about the power of popular dissent, the limits of peaceful protest and the future of Egyptian politics.