"I'm glad that they accept me"

Buthaina Kamel is a busy woman. Just a few minutes before she’s supposed to appear on a TV show, she arrives at the reception of the network company where we’ve arranged to meet. Behind her trails a tail of journalists and photographers and before she has to disappear into the studio she sits down to host an improvised press conference.

- Our revolution is not finished, she says before any of us have had a chance to ask any questions.
- Still nothing has changed, she continues and elaborates on the military council governing the country since February, when Mubarak was forced to step down.
- We don’t trust them. They belong to the same regime as Mubarak.

Buthania KamelA candidate for the activists
We’re a couple of hundred metres away from the Tahrir square, where only a few days ago demonstrators died from tear gas and rubber bullets. Buthaina Kamel is also couching from inhaling to much tear gas and on her t-shirt are the words of the revolution printed: ”The military council must go”. She sees herself as a presidential candidate for the activists and devotes all her time to the revolution.

- We have a declared state of emergency and 16 000 people are awaiting trials in military courts. So the military is supposed to decide if the death shootings in the Tahrir square should be investigated, when they themselves were the perpetrators. Of course that will never happen. And the military council has yet to prove that they have any other intentions than to just remain in power, she says.

Famous radio host
Buthaina Kamel became famous through her own radio show where she was an outspoken host who allowed Egyptians to discuss subjects that were deemed taboo, like sex and abuse. The show only run for a few years before it was forced off the air, though it was said to give Egyptians a bad reputation.

Buthaina Kamel then transferred to TV and became one of the country’s most well known news anchors. But after the scandalous presidential election in 2005, she decided to leave journalism to become a political activist. Since then she’s been active in several different movements critical to the regime, and has publicly questioned the corruption and lack of legal security and freedom of speach for the people.

- I have to be a candidate, it’s more important than ever, she says and nods in the direction of the Tahrir square. Especially when religious and extremist parties are trying to take over the revolution. I have to stand on the opposite side of that.
- Also I want there to be a female candidate running and if you demand your rights, you yourself have do your part.

Scarce campaign funds
It’s been difficult for Buthania to get her campaign funded. As a female candidate she has few supporters and no party has reached out to her, to hear if she wants to be their candidate. And in contrast to for example the former IAEA president, Mohamed El Baradei, she doesn’t have a hord of young volunteers lining up to do campaign work for her.

The Muslim Brotherhood has clearly, on religious grounds, stated that a female president is unthinkable. Other sees her campaign as a way for Egypt to improve its reputation. But Buthania doesn’t want to speak of her role, or her experience as a female politician.

- I’m proud of the courage women showed during the revolution. We have proved to the ones who believe that we should stay at home, that we want something else and that they are wrong. Noone else is going to fight for our rights, we have to do it ourselves.

Long history of male leaders
The women who demonstrated during the revolution gained a new level of confidence, and the young women from rural areas who participated in the actions, went back home looking at themselves and their rights in a new light, Buthania says.

With a long history of ”strong” men ruling the country, it’s evident that the next president also will be a man. In fact the Egyptian constitution states that the president has to be married to ”an Egyptian woman”, not just ”an Egyptian”.

Before the interview I ask a group of men in a café what they think of the idea of a woman being president.
- Of course we could have a female president, they say, puffing on their water pipes and raising their eyebrows at each other, as if to say ”sure, everything’s possible”.
- But he has to be the best candidate, one of them says and the others nod in agreement.
- He has to be strong, the man continues and raises a clenched fist.

Glad to be accepted
But Buthania Kamel doesn’t think that being a women has rendered her any special opposition.
-Yes, we’re living in a traditional country, she says, fully aware of people’s expectations.

She doesn’t want to hazard a guess on her chances, but she’s certain that she won’t be elected.
- I’m happy that people accept me as a candidate, that they’re not shocked that there’s a woman running for president. They don’t have to vote for me. I’m glad that they don’t oppose or ignore me.

Maria Jansson
Freelance journalist