Bechir Omran: “The coming weeks will be the start of a new century for our country!”

Bechir Omran is a Tunisian resident in Amman (Jordan) and he is currently holding the position of Head of Business Development at Kharabeesh. He did contribute in bringing Kharabeesh spirit to the Maghreb together with the founders of the organization. He started as an intiative back in 2010 with a small collectif of talents. Now, in 2011 Kharabeesh is present in Maghreb through its operations office in Tunis aiming to reach Web Arab internet users across the region with its large variaty of content speaking to different elements composing our society. Bechir as the rest of Kharabeesh team belive on the power of online media and the importance of empowering Arab presence across the web.

Please sum up the beginnings of Kharabeesh* from the time before the revolution and give us an idea of the situation today…

Bechir Omran: In 2010, when it all began for Kharabeesh in the Tunisian market, it was pretty tough. We had on-line censorship in Tunisia; any kind of news was controlled by the Tunisian authorities; there were always red lines that you shouldn’t exceed; we couldn’t even express what was happening in the country. With the problems that young people and Tunisian society were going through, it was very hard. We tried to express ourselves without overstepping the line, but it was very limiting. There was no creativity, especially on line. Limited internet meant there was no content specifically for Tunisians. Censorship left no room for self-expression, for sharing ideas and opinions on what was happening in our country. Since then, we’ve had the Arab spring, which began in Tunisia. That was a time just before the stirrings of the Arab spring, which encouraged everyone to express themselves.

Now, when you surf on internet, you find lots of creativity, lots of people throughout the region who express themselves, whether through creative work, or through cartoons which express the country’s news; who use whatever they produce to provide a sarcastic take on the news, politics, political parties and their trends, government strategy, etc. None of that was accessible several months before.

The difference now is that Tunisians, and more generally young people throughout the Arab world, have the courage and feel a responsibility to express themselves, to share their opinions. They are trying to develop their creativity and express themselves on line.

Can you give a brief definition of what democracy means to you…

Bechir Omran: Democracy, to me, is the democracy that the Tunisians are seeking. The democracy to be respected as a human being. The democracy where our laws are observed, where our responsibilities are well defined and where everyone knows his limits in a properly developed society, one where everyone has equal opportunities. So I’m sure this is a period of transition and the coming weeks will be the start of a new century for our country. Inch’allah!

Interview: Sabine Lange

All interview from the series about Arab Cinema

 

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Kharabeesh is becoming an entertaining online publishing platform for creative talents across the region aiming to empower creative talents communities  and their content destinated for Arabs via Online Media. With over 10millions playback monthly on YouTube only, more than 250k fans on its Facebook network Kharabeesh variant content attract Web users and satisfy their needs for local content speaking its local dialect and culture.
Kharabeesh growing network involve today a large and fastly increasing number of talents from across the region varying from creative music, stand up comedy, Constructive Sketchs and short movies, caricatures, modest religious programs, etc.

 

Kharabeesh video : Diaryde ZABA (You can choose Englsch subtitles by clicking on CC). Its’ the first video in relation with teh Arab Spring publshed on Kharabeesh.

 

 

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