None of us were here to live through America’s Revolutionary War that secured our own democracy; but revolutions have succeeded and failed in our lifetimes. Come to ALOUD on Tuesday, October 21, to hear from two courageous writer-activists—one from Poland, the other from Egypt—who have lived through the triumph and heartbreak of their countries’ struggles for freedom.

Adam Michnik, one of Poland’s most influential public intellectuals, perhaps one of the most influential journalists in the world—and a key player in Poland’s transition from Communism to democracy—will be joined by Yasmine El Rashidi, visiting Los Angeles from Cairo, where she writes about the aftermath of the electrifying events in Tahrir Square that brought down a president and raised so many hopes for a democratic Egypt.

Michnik and El Rashidi both speak truth to power. They’ve both written extensively about their on-the-ground participation in the revolutions that swept their respective countries—Poland and Egypt—decades apart.  Michnik, imprisoned during martial law in Poland, wrote in his Letters from Prison, “…you score a victory not when you win power but when you remain faithful to yourself.” El Rashidi, in her poignant essay, “The Revolution Is Not Yet Over,” wrote, “It seems that the battle for Egypt will be one not just for power and against despotic leaders and corruption, but about values, principles, and even a more basic vision of what kind of day-to-day life the people want.”

What does a veteran of one revolution that succeeded have to say to someone who’s lived through one that failed, or has yet to be resolved? (or—a revolution, as pointed out by one resident of Cairo, “in the circular sense of the word. You go back to where you started.”) NPR’s former diplomatic correspondent, Mike Shuster, who’s reported from Tehran to Islamabad, Berlin to Moscow, will moderate what should be a lively discussion between our two guests.

This program is co-presented with the Consulate General of Poland. Learn more about Fomenting Democracy: From Poland’s Solidarity to Egypt’s Tahrir Square and make your free reservation.

“… my relationship with this city, with a culture, with my home, has forever been changed, and my memory of the 18 days, the revolution, are mere fragments of a larger journey and a search that I now wait to complete.” -Yasmine El Rashidi, “Cairo City in Waiting”

“In Poland, not a single window was broken, and the dictatorship was overthrown by the ballot. Poland was the first communist state to gain the capacity to decide about its own fate. That freedom brought anxiety and insecurity.” -Adam Michnik, The Trouble with History: Morality, Revolution, and Counterrevolution

–Posted by Louise Steinman
–Main image: Tahrir Square, November 2011. Credit: Hossam el Hamalawy