Late at the Museum: The Middle East - Culture & Revolution

LATE at the Museum: smart talk, great music.

With protests spreading from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya, Finlay Macdonald and guest panellists will discuss the notion of a “Twitter Revolution”. Are these new cultural tools providing the message or the means, and is it still the revolution of the ages: old versus the new, rich versus the poor?

Smart talk:
The panel features political lecturer Dr Nigel Parsons and Cairo-born sociology researcher Ahmed Tarek Bahgat Abaza, with moderator Finlay Macdonald.

At the height of the Egyptian protests against Mubarak’s rule, the Project on Information Technology and Political Islam director Philip N. Howard said: “Mobile phone networks and digital networks are what savvy students and civil society leaders use to spread their message.” At the first LATE of 2011, our panellists discuss the role of the new cultural communication tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, in a revolution. Although many commentators have mocked the “exaggerated influence” of social media, the internet has been recognised as an extremely efficient way for protesters to send both political and logistical messages.

Great music:
Also a speaker for this LATE event, Abaza will stage an electronic music and video tribute to Africa and the Arab World. His musical influences include Autechre, Laurie Anderson, Jean Michel Jarre and Philip Glass.

Also on the night will be a floor talk in the Ancient Worlds gallery on the preservation of artefacts during times of social unrest.

Members ticket special: 2-for-1 (plus booking fee). Limited door sales available. Entrance via Southern Atrium.

Event listed by Auckland Museum

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