The woman who wants to be Egypt's first female president

     Amidst the turmoil in Egypt, there remains at a least a few encouraging signs, a prime one being the visibility of a female candidate for the presidency.
      Bothaina Kamel, a former TV and radio host, recalls vividly the Mubarak regime's incessant assertions that February's uprisings were the product of a "foreign agenda." Highly critical of the construction, Kamel now operates under the slogan Egypt is My Agenda,  and cites among her chief objectives combating corruption and bringing a voice to marginalized ethnic groups nationwide. Says Kamel, "I promise by the election I will be the most informed of the candidates about the Egyptian people. I know the demands of the Bedouin, the people of Upper Egypt, the Coptic Christians, the workers and different groups from all parts of the country."
     With respect to the former objective, she can cite among her accomplishments the creation in 2005 of Shayfeen - "We Are Watching You" - a movement that contested the largely fraudulent elections taking place that year, and yesterday reiterated her demand for the creation of an independent body to monitor and fight corruption in Egypt.
    In terms of what scores points with me personally, Kamel shares my criticism of the perception that Egypt's revolution ended with Mubarak's ouster. "I know that we have just started a revolution," she says. "We haven't made a revolution yet. There's a lot more to do."
    And lest there be any doubt as to her cognizance of the gendered dimensions of her campaign, Kamel tells the Guardian, "By putting myself forward I am making this democratic right – the right of a woman to be president – a concrete reality, and that alters expectations."
    Her past projects include the radio show "The Egypt We Don't Know." Says Kamel, speaking of her experiences there, "I traveled all over the country collecting various songs, community traditions, local ideas about the Nile or the desert . . . On reflection, I think it was the most important program I've ever been involved in."
    Someone to keep an eye on.