Written by: Emily Pan Moro, Churchill Club Volunteer

He does not want you to think he is a hero.  A little less than a year ago, he did not even want you to know his name and identity.  Yet Wael Ghonim, who was head of marketing at Google, Middle East & North Africa, has been a catalyst for change, utilizing one of today’s most widely used social media tools—Facebook—to bring on a revolution in Egypt.  Born in Egypt, Ghonim, who attended Cairo University and later on American University in Cairo for his MBA, shared his inside story of how he came to lead the Egyptian uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011.  Laura Sydell, NPR Correspondent, guided the conversation while the activist’s story captivated guests’ attention.

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Accidental Revolutionary

Frustrated with the turmoil developing in Egypt and with how the regime was “violating human rights,” Ghonim assumed the identity of Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian diplomat who became the key opposition leader against then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  Ghonim created ElBaradei’s official Facebook page and used the page as a springboard to promote democratic reform.

Soon after Ghonim saw a photo of a young middleclass Egyptian, Khaled Said, who police had beaten and killed.  He decided to put the spotlight on the police and expose their brutality.  He created another Facebook page titled “We Are All Khaled Said” anonymously, frequently making video posts and updates, quoting from news sources.  The page eventually became a center for protest planning and communication.  

During the interview, Ghonim emphasized to the audience that there was no real strategy or plan to his actions; it was coincidental he became one of the leaders of this “leaderless movement.”  The Facebook page he created for Khaled Said is apolitical, just like Ghonim himself, and followers responded positively to the page because of its mainstream purpose and content.  Ghonim focused on organizing based on what the people wanted to do and looked forward to reader feedback.  “Red lines” for the revolution came naturally from the people’s input.  “Every revolution is a people revolution” Ghonim states. 

January 25, 2011

On January 13^th, Ghonim saw the strength of the people’s power when Tunisia’s dictatorship fell.  This sparked Ghonim to start discussing if Egyptians should follow suit and plan its own revolution.  On January 25, 2011 and working with a trusted group of people, Ghonim gathered activists and protesters to mobilize people on the ground, starting from the poorest neighborhoods to gain critical mass and leading to Tahrir Square.

The following day, authorities detained Ghonim and questioned him on his role in the protests.  During this time, Google started a large campaign to determine the activist’s whereabouts.  The campaign notified hospitals, police stations, and other organizations that their employee was missing and urged these institutions to protect him.  He was released on Feb. 7 after 12 days of arrest. 

A Humble and Mature Leader

Ghonim spoke modestly on stage as he recounted his experiences from the past year and shared his thoughts of Egypt’s social climate going forward.  In self-reflection, Ghonim realized he has become more patient as a result of organizing the protests, acknowledging that results take time.  When an audience member asked how he would respond to critics, Ghonim answered with the reply “I agree with them,” stating that his intention was never to become famous and he takes the bad with the good.  Given the choice a year ago, he would have remained anonymous. 

Ghonim believes Egypt’s revolution is still unfinished.   Going forward, he will fight against dictatorship and be the first to support causes that he believes in whole-heartedly using any tools that are available (“in a good way”) to communicate with people.  However, as much as he supports social media in promoting a cause, he firmly states:

“The first spark of a revolution is still within the power of the people, not in the power of social media.  Revolution starts on the streets, not online.  The people will bring change through collaboration and visions will mature in the next several years.”

Wael Ghonim is currently on sabbatical from his role at Google to start his own NGO supporting education and technology in Egypt.  His first book, Revolution 2.0 was released in January 2012.