Tahrir in Toronto
A Town Hall from CBC Radio One 99.1 FM
NOTE: CBC Radio One will broadcast a one-hour version of our Town Hall across Canada.
Tune in Wednesday March 30th at 2:00 p.m. ET.
How did a vegetable vendor in Tunisia, by setting himself on fire, spark a revolution across the middle east and northern Africa? What's next for Egypt, Libya and other countries as they attempt to move from dictatorship to democracy? What role should expatriates and other nations play as these complex conflicts emerge?
Series: Waging Nonviolence
Ramin Jahanbegloo is one of several guests Mary Wiens will speak to this week about the role of nonviolence in the Arab revolutions.
(Dwight Friesen/CBC)
In an attempt to understand the revolutions and what they mean for Toronto, CBC Radio One 99.1 FM hosted Tahrir (Liberation) in Toronto: Tracking a Revolution.
We also brought you Mary Wiens' series on advocates of nonviolence. They believe their methods are more effective than armed struggle to defeat a dictator.
Above is an audio slideshow of highlights from our discussion.
Our entire town hall is available in three audio segments:
Part One
Our panelists talk about a personal moment that represents the change that has swept the region, and discuss the fighting in Libya. Listen 
(runs 45:02)
Part Two
Apart from Libya,what can we expect to happen next? How will the outcome of these revolutions change the status of women in the region? Listen (runs 33:04)
Part Three
There are people from every country in the middle-east and north Africa represented here in Toronto and the GTA. What can they do to help? Listen (runs 12:34)
Find out more about our panelists, and tell us your own thoughts on the changes in the region.
The Call for Change Sweeps a Region
From the vast deserts of Northern Africa to the island of Coromos (visible just above Mozambique on the Google map below), people are calling for changes from their governments.
Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, Somalia, Libya, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Djibouti and Comoros are involved.
Related Features
Audio Slideshow
- Ramin Jahanbegloo
- A proponent of nonviolence speaks about his prison term in Iran. Watch the slideshow (runs 6:22, requires Flash)
Interviews
- Six Months Later
- Matt Galloway spoke to U of T professor Mohammad Fadel about the changes in Egypt and the region, six months after the uprisings in Cairo began. Listen (runs 6:35)
- Waging Nonviolence
- Some say that non-violence is the most effective way to take down a dictator. Mary Wiens introduces her new series. Listen (runs 7:40)
- Waging Nonviolence - Metta Spencer and Srdja Popovic
- Mary Wiens interviews Metta Spencer, Professor Emeritus at U of T, and Srdja Popovic, a leader in OTPOR. Listen (runs 7:40)
- Waging Nonviolence - Gene Sharp
- Mary Wiens interviews Gene Sharp, author of From Dictatorship to Democracy. Listen (runs 6:44)
- Waging Nonviolence - Harvey Skinner
- Mary Wiens interviews Harvey Skinner, head of the Canada International Scientific Exchange Program. Listen (runs 6:02)
- Waging Nonviolence - Ali Abu Awwad
- More from Harvey Skinner and Ali Abu Awwad, of the Palestinian Movement for Non-Violent Resistance Listen (runs 6:02)
- Waging Nonviolence - Caroline Chikoore
- Mary Wiens interviews Caroline Chikoore, who worked for womens' rights in Zimbabwe. Listen (runs 8:28)
- "No Going Back"
- Abdalla Ruken is a Libyan-Canadian who is supporting the National Council, a group whose mission is to topple Moammar Gadhafi.Listen (runs 5:52)
- Young Revolutionaries
- Three young women describe how developments have strengthened ties to their countries of origin. Listen (runs 13:28)
- "All Necessary Means"
- Matt Galloway spoke about the situation in Libya with Paul Heinbecker, the former Canadian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Listen (runs 6:42)
- "Preventable Disaster"
- Matt Galloway spoke with Mahmoud Darrat. He is a Canadian-Libyan doctor from Hamilton who recently returned from Libya. Listen (runs 6:42)
- Libya Struggling
- Matt Galloway spoke with Doctor Omar Bengezi and his daughter Khaola. Dr. Bengezi returned to Libya to help treat those injured in the demonstrations. Listen (runs 8:20)
- Dundas Square Protest
- Matt Galloway spoke with Ahmed Sadre. His father was working in Libya when civil unrest broke out. Listen (runs 6:45)
- Protests Continue
- Matt Galloway spoke with Amal Abuzgaya with Anwar Hashim about the ongoing protests. Listen (runs 8:03)
Further Reading
- From Dictatorship to Democracy
- A free how-to guide on waging nonviolent regime change by Dr. Gene Sharp. Contains twenty-three case accounts of how nonviolent struggle has been used in the twentieth century. Download Book [905KB .pdf]