After #MadaONE, we embark on year two

On June 21, Mada Masr celebrated a year of its existence. This is, in and of itself, a measure of success for an independent media outlet during a time when reporting has become a precarious process, and economic difficulties turned a media investment into an extremely challenging endeavor.

In June 2013, we launched madamasr.com to create a home for a group of journalists and editors and the kind of progressive media practice they have developed over the years. At a time when Egyptian media is dominated by state-owned institutions and big business enterprises, Mada Masr sets out to forge a way for a different kind of journalism and create a truly independent media company.

In our first year, we kept covering and reflecting despite the volatile landscape media is now operating in, offering quality in-depth and nuanced news coverage, analysis and opinion that constantly challenges and presents all sides of the story.  Our coverage reaches out to both English and Arabic readers, in Egypt and abroad.

Beyond informing audiences about a complex political condition, often distorted or overly simplified by mainstream media, we have been constantly concerned with engaging our readers, countering flat narratives, finding different ways of telling stories and going to areas and subjects that are otherwise ignored.

Our #MadaONE anniversary party celebrated one year of Mada Masr and inaugurated the events' platform as one of our revenue streams. But more so, it is how we plan to gather and interact our readership base directly with our editors and writers to increase our civic engagement and informed discourse.

In the gardens of the Swiss Club in Imbaba, we mingled with our friends, family and readers to the tunes of some of Egypt's most vibrant independent musicians. We celebrated by raising a glass for independent, progressive journalism and enjoying some music, art, food and drinks.

Video courtesy of Lindsey Parietti

We began by remembering friends who remain with us only in spirit but continue to inspire our work, and others who could not attend due to the unforeseen political circumstances on the day.

But we celebrated out of the same need that inspired us to create Mada Masr, a sense of inevitability that drove us to build a place we have called home for the past year. And the sense that survival is in itself a level of constant defiance.

Our very own copy editor-turned-DJ Habiba Effat spun the sounds of a mammoth sized playlist she co-curated with our culture writer Maha ElNabawi and DJ Eskalob. (Email us at [email protected] if you would like us to send you a dropbox file of the #MadaONE playlist).

We were entertained by a vibrant lineup that began with Nadah El Shazly, who kicked off the night with her special brand of experimental electronic music. Next, 10-man Arabic reggae band Meshwar played their high-energy blend of groove, brass and percussion sounds. Like Jelly then took the stage and pumped up the crowd with their infectious and comedic music sketches. Rounding out the night was shaabi keyboard virtuoso Islam Chipsy and his drummers EEK.

Our cartoonist Andeel created some special designs that we used to launch the first batch of our branded collectors’ items. Readers lined up at our Mada Market to buy t-shirts, mugs, tote bags and stickers, some of which are still available for sale (email [email protected] to place your order).

Over the past weeks, we retraced our journey using the #MadaOne hashtag on social media and looked back on some of the best content of our first year. We were also pleased to receive heartfelt messages of well-wishes and support from our loyal followers.

As we kick off our second year, we would like to thank our readers, whose support is key to our survival as we set out to redefine journalism and work to build a sustainable framework for truly independent media – a new model that banks on a vested and solid relationship between readers and the journalists who cover the news.

We look forward to seeing you at our next event.