After heading back to Beijing I was looking forward to a little relaxation as the hours we put in where long and had some challenges that seemed to make some days last for a week. How wrong I was. Sometime between 11 pm and 1 am on the 24th/25th, of February I received an email asking me to call Vancouver, also know as “the desk”. There are some other names used, but I won’t bore you with our adolescent attempts at humour that give other names for what amounts to our parents in a work environment.
So Saturday found me “packing light” for what was to be a three or four day trip to Bahrain. (Packing light was a little bit of mistake on my part, but when you are trying to get in on a tourist visa, a $85,000 of TV gear makes you a little conspicuous, however I do what I’m told most days.)
Why Bahrain? Why not? It is easy to get into, has some of its people demanding their human rights and an end to the long rule of a minority over a majority. Makes sense to me. Ok maybe not easy to get to. I flew overnight in a very small seat Air China middle seat from Beijing to Deli. Where I spent four hours trying to get a boarding pass for the trip to Bahrain. Eventually made the flight, once again crammed into the middle and arrived along with Tom Popyk in Bahrain, happy that that fourteen hour adventure was over and ready to work. Ok, I was exhausted and ready for a shower.
Tom and I spent two days around Bahrain’s now well known Pearl Roundabout. It became the focal point of the protesters. Many were eager to show us the bullet holes in lampposts and creators in the concrete. I hunt; I’ve seen bullet holes, those we not just rubber bullets. There was the usual festive atmosphere at Pearl Roundabout; volunteers handing out food and drink, medical aid for those that need it, even a protesters media centre. Protestors are getting pretty media savvy these days.
The protests that started in Tunisia with the self-immolation of a fruit seller have sparked (sorry about the pun, I couldn’t pass on it) a movement that has spread all over North Africa and the Middle East. Off the top of my head: Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, and Iran just to name a few. People wanting their human rights a chance at a future. All simple, fundamental rights that you and I have. (Although the voter turn out in Canada is shamefully low and those that don’t vote should be fined and spend a couple of days with someone from a country where they don’t have a right to vote.)
Where was I? Right Bahrain. So on the Tuesday we head for Cairo where we try and avoid having our gear seized. (They may have booted Mubarik, but aren’t foreign media friendly at customs just yet.) At this point we are trying to figure out whether to go to Tunis, or the Egyptian side. You saw the humanitarian crisis from the Tunisian side. Egypt was similar. Eventually a crew went to Malta then to Tunisia after Tom and I headed for the Libya Egyptian border.
We crossed illegally in to Libya as Qaddafi labeled us as Al Qaida collaborators. Funny, I didn’t see anything in the way of Al Qaida the entire time I was in Libya. What I saw were people who were looking for their freedom. Freedom from a tyrant. freedom to choose, freedom to make there own opportunities, to have a chance to marry, to raise a family, to find a job.
It started well. The rebels had taken control of several cities and were euphoric in their achievements. But the Col. wasn’t going to give up that easy. As he pushed back and the situation changed it was clear to me at least that without the help of the outside world, it wouldn’t end well.
My question is this. If the Arab world resents the Western worlds intervention, why is it that the Arab League isn’t leading this? I understand the West’s caution, as you don’t want to come to a party unless you are invited. I think the Arab League needs to take a front and centre roll in this if they want to be taken seriously and not just written off as an organization that will give a stern lecture but take no action. (Sounds like the UN.) (Actually I think this also applies to China. Want to be considered a world super power. Act like one. Ignore the foreign press. Let them do their jobs. Very few listen to us anyways. And quit suppressing your people too! But I digress China is for another time.)
Once we decide that we couldn’t move the story forward much without some serious safety concerns (CBC and us were moving as a group going in and out of Libya,) we moved back to Cairo. We left under the cover of darkness. Fitting as we all felt that we were abandoning a story, and the people.
I find in interesting that Bahrain has removed the Pearl from the Pearl Roundabout. I watched it from the hotel. I guess they think that removing a symbol will remove the will of the people. Reports say there are over 40 dead in Bahrain, and it took the House of Saud to roll in and get things under control by killing unarmed protests.
The people I have met over the last 7 going on 8 weeks have left an impression on me.. They want the same things, not material things, the same chance that other 10% or less of the world has. They are willing to die for it. Would we have that resolve if the rolls were reversed? Nice of the UN to finally act on Libya, at least there is a chance now.
My apology as this has rambled on to long and in many directions. I leave you with a photo of a dog that I took in Egypt on the way back to Cairo. Other than seeing my friends safely out of Libya, the few calls home its one of the few things to make me smile in the last few weeks.
