Egypt Burning
The story of five days in January when the people of Egypt broke through a barrier of fear and rose in revolt.
This film tells the story of five days in January 2011 when the people of Egypt broke through a barrier of fear they had known for a generation and rose in revolt against their president.
Anger had long been brewing in Egypt – strikes, unemployment and sectarian tension were on the rise.
Small networks of activists had been agitating against Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic rule for years. But it was only when another Arab country, Tunisia, rose up against its tyrant that the Egyptian activists attracted mass support.
People took to the streets across Egypt demanding political freedoms, an end to state corruption and a better quality of life for the impoverished population.
Egypt Burning captures those critical moments as history unfolded through interviews with Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground. Their coverage of this popular uprising made them the target of a state campaign to get Al Jazeera off the air.
Egypt Burning airs from Saturday, February 5, 2011.