logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2021
50m 30s

The Arab Spring of 2011

Bbc World Service
About this episode
In the early months of 2011 a wave of social unrest swept across the Arab world as people protested against repressive and authoritarian regimes, economic stagnation, unemployment and corruption. It began with reaction to the self-immolation of a young market trader in Tunisia, but soon became an outpouring of resentment after generations of fear. On The His ... Show More
Up next
Jul 5
Dancing in the Street and Ai Weiwei
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes including the story behind Mick Jagger and David Bowie's duet for Live Aid in 1985 and the Chinese artist who was jailed for his art inspired by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. He speaks to music journalist ... Show More
50m 53s
Jun 28
Robert Kennedy's funeral train and the opening of the Medellin Metro
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service, all related to trains and journeys which have helped to shape our world.Our guest Nicky Gardner, travel writer and co-author of Europe by Rail: the Definitive Guide, discusses t ... Show More
50m 58s
Jun 21
Jaws and the Charleston church shooting
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.This programme includes outdated and offensive language.It’s 50 years since the original Jaws film was released in cinemas across America. The movie premiered on 20 June 1975. Ou ... Show More
51m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
Libya's Arab uprising
In the early months of 2011 demonstrators took to the streets across the Arab world in what became known as the Arab spring. In February, protests in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi soon turned into an armed revolt seeking to overthrow the dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. S ... Show More
14 m
Mar 2021
The women of Egypt's Arab Spring
In 2011 Egyptians took to the streets calling for the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, whose regime had been in power for nearly 30 years. Their uprising was part of a wave of pro-democracy protests in the Arab world aimed at ending autocratic rule. Women were at the forefro ... Show More
10m 50s
Jan 2021
Syria in the Arab Spring
Protests erupted across the Arab world in 2011, people wanted change, an end to tyranny and dictatorship. But in Syria the unrest, and its put down by the authorities, led to civil war, years of violence and the survival of the Assad regime. One eye witness to events was Rami Jar ... Show More
9m 2s
Dec 2021
A Symphony of Resistance (2021)
The Arab Spring erupted eleven years ago when a wave of "pro-democracy" protests spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the world as regimes fell in some countries, and civil war began in others. This week, we remember ... Show More
57m 8s
Dec 2020
Dreams of a Revolution: The Arab Spring, Ten Years On (Part 1: Tunisia and Libya)
Tune in for a special episode of The New Arab Voice, which revisits the widespread pro-democracy movement that drastically changed the face of the Middle East and North Africa. 10 years ago today, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire out of pure desperation, ... Show More
31m 59s
Jan 2021
Egypt's Facebook Girl
A wave of popular anti-government uprisings swept through the Arab world in the early months of 2011. Many of the activists who took to the streets were inspired by social media posts. Israa Abd el Fattah was one of the first Egyptian activists to use social media. In April 2008 ... Show More
8m 54s
Jan 2021
Yemen's 2011 uprising
Inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt young Yemenis took to the streets in January 2011. Ishraq al-Maqtari was a lawyer and women's rights activist from the southwestern city of Taiz. She took her two young daughters on the first demonstration in her home town. She has been spe ... Show More
8m 57s
Dec 2020
Dreams of a Revolution: The Arab Spring, Ten Years On (Part 2: Egypt, Yemen, Syria)
Tune in for a special episode of The New Arab Voice, which revisits the widespread pro-democracy movement that drastically changed the face of the Middle East and North Africa. 10 years ago today, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire out of pure desperation, ... Show More
57m 31s
Jan 2021
The anthem of the Arab Spring
In December 2010, anti-government protests broke out in Tunisia after a young fruit-seller called Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight outside a government office in the south of the country. At one of the huge rallies in Tunis, a young singer called Emel Mathlouthi sang a song c ... Show More
9m 11s
May 2021
A Symphony of Resistance
The Arab Spring erupted ten years ago when a wave of "pro-democracy" protests spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the world as regimes fell in some countries, and civil war began in others. This week, we remember th ... Show More
56m 30s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami