Seminar: The “Arab Spring” and its impacts on Sub Saharan Africa

What happened in Egypt in January 25th, 2011 is by no means a spontaneous popular uprising, inspired by the spirit of the jasmine revolution in Tunisia, which toppled the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The Egyptian youth, particularly in urban areas, carried the torch to demand freedom and dignity for all Egyptians, and to get rid of tyranny, from which they had been suffering for over three decades. This spirit of revolution spread quickly to the masses of various social strata and classes, and became the winds of change that moved the society. It was like wildfire.
The outcomes of this Arab Spring that took place in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya remain unpredictable, however there is a strong debate among scholars and policy makers about the impacts and repercussions of North Africa uprisings. Could we see a spill-over of this wave from the north to sub-Saharan Africa ? We have seen some political activism and demonstrations inspired by these events in Tunisia and Egypt, such as the ‘walk to work’ protests in Uganda and demonstrations in many other places in the continent.