Paula Froelich

latimes:

After revolution in Egypt, women’s taste of equality fades: Women were at the vanguard in the protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak. But long-held sexism has reasserted itself at the hands of the military and the Islamists.

Bothaina Kamel is a novelty and a provocation in a single breath. The only woman running for Egypt’s presidency, she travels without an entourage, wears a bracelet that says “Make poverty history,” can outlast the most exasperating heckler in the crowd, and has no chance of winning.

“I want to create culture shock. Yes, a woman is running for president,” says Kamel, a television presenter and ex-wife of a former cultural minister. “Some people have come up to me and asked, ‘Is it even legal for a woman to run?’ I hope to set a trend, to open a door. A girl sent me a Twitter: ‘You have given us a chance to dream.’”

Photo: Bothaina Kamel, a candidate for Egyptian president, campaigns in Cairo last summer. Credit: Filippo Baciocchi / Rex Features

(Source: Los Angeles Times)