Athanasiadis said he aimed to offer students an inside look at the recent revolution which led to the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek through a timeline of photographs. Athanasiadis displayed images of subjects ranging from the overcrowded Cairo Airport to streets lined with military vehicles.
Although many accounts of the past week in Egypt include peaceful demonstrations involving "people holding hands out of solidarity," Athanasiadis photographed various examples of the violence that continues to plague the nation, he said.
Displaying a photograph of the bridge across the Nile River lined with Mubarak loyalists attempting to enter Tahrir Square, Athanasiadis recounted the attempts of various individuals to calm the crowd by explaining that they were peaceful protestors. After Mubarak loyalists broke through into Tahrir Square, however, they began to violently attack the demonstrators by throwing stones at them, Athanasiadis said.
"The sky was full of stones, rocks flying," he said.
Protestors often gave Athanasiadis the middle finger and made other threatening gestures as he took photographs during the peaceful protests, he said.
"The atmosphere had gone very negative against foreign journalists," Athanasiadis said.
Many Egyptians believe that journalists have provoked and sustained the violent uprisings by publicizing the protests, according to Athanasiadis.
Athanasiadis said he noticed an "anti-Western current from demonstrators" throughout his stay in Egypt, and showed audience members photographs of demonstrators holding up signs that read, "USA We Hate Your Hypocrisy."
In considering the future relationship between the United States and Egypt, the United States government should continue its "policy of trying to smooth transitions that result in more freedom for people," Athanasiadis said.
Along with gaining additional human rights, Egyptian revolutionaries also aim to draw attention to their struggling economic situation through their protests, according to Athanasiadis.
"An economy that is growing only 7 percent will be not really viable," he said.
As Athanasiais presented a photograph of the Facebook logo that had been graffitied onto an outdoor wall in Europe, he said the social networking website helped mobilize the revolution by offering a "nonphysical environment" in which individuals could discuss and congregate.
Following his lecture, Athanasiais fielded questions regarding unity that has developed between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, as well as the differences between the recent Egyptian uprising and past violence in Iran.
Athanasiadis studied Arabic and modern Middle Eastern studies at Oxford University, studied at the Tehran School of International Studies and served as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, according to a College press release. Athanasiadis has written for numerous publications, including the International Herald Tribune, the Financial Times, the Christian Science Monitor and The Guardian.
Athanasiadis' presentation, sponsored by the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, took place in Filene Auditorium.
