Actor Mahmoud Hemida was a guest on CBC in 2011 and spoke about his vision of the situation at the time, his vision for the future, and his support for youth.

Hemida: We are Egyptian people, the first of mankind. We are from the gems of pride and patience. We are the real loyalists, if the Nile deals with us condescendingly, then we are accustomed to thirst. Maybe our mistake in long time was an act of divine mercy and affection. We find it hard to let our children be away from us and we never thought that homes are built on sweat and blood. Written by Fouad Haddad

Hemida: On the bloody Sunday at Maspero, we saw blood, and we had a breakthrough, but I still think that there was a lot of blood to be shed, in order to have an awakening and we still need to shed more blood to build homes.

Hemida: No change has happened so far.

Hemida: At the time, I said, I do not want a fifty year old to interject, I want the young to talk, make mistakes, so what. Why restrain them from living. We can be their guide but we should stay silent and hear them out so that their vision can be heard.

Hemida: The vision defines wants and how we can achieve them. So, I say everyone who’s over sixty should remain silent. Because they had their time already, but those who are 21 years old haven’t. Remember that the commander of the armies appointed by the Prophet was only 19 years old.