I came across this talk and the room was half empty. Then I understood, for at a conference like SXSW on technology and innovation, the topic seemed to be completely out of our interest. And indeed, this turned out to be a surprise without bits and bytes, distant and different.

At the front was Eltahawy in a blouse that says “Arab Soul”, and she began in a thick English accent, as she told us at the start that she had been sexually assaulted in Egypt, when she had her bones broken and attacked in the midst of very difficult situations.

Meanwhile, she had on the screen an image of Samira Ibrahim and faces of dozens of other women, with whom she marched in Cairo with the idea of Optimism with Consequences. He developed Samira’s story as an example of a feisty and optimistic woman in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. It is a story unknown in our region, yet an inspiring example of dignity, freedom and rebellion.

If you are interested in knowing a story of optimism in a process where everything seems to be against you, here you have 23 minutes with a video summary of an extraordinary struggle.

At the end we did not finish the presentation. Samira’s story is one more struggle, in the framework of a remote Egypt to which we dedicate half an hour today. Brave and admirable, we left to follow the innovation of the environment in this unimaginable SXSW.