From the Arab Spring’s prehistory

Last night, inspired by insomnia and – maybe – by archeology, someone ‘liked’ a comment I posted on a friend’s Facebook status dating from the Arab Spring’s prehistory. The status, posted on the 12th of January 2011, reads: “Rumours of a possible coup in Tunisia - can we possibly hope???!?!?!” And my comment came as a succinct, sarcastic and then, maybe a bit condescending “you're dreaming!”

I tried to remember my state of mind during these prehistoric times of early 2011… It is true that I was not dreaming anymore, and I was wrong! It is true that I had lost all hopes for the Arab people, and I was wrong! As I am writing these lines, I am watching Hosni Mubarak’s historical trial live on Al Jazeera. That’s how wrong I was! We should never stop dreaming!

Thank you my dear friend for dreaming, then as now. Today, all my dreams, my craziest dreams, are about Syria…