CAIRO - In a narrow alley in the Abdeen district in the heart of Cairo, a young man called Nader Naeem held his camera, as he recorded an interview with an old dustman who spoke of his dreams and his fears. Nader then went to the headquarters of the TV channel he works for to upload the video on YouTube for all the residents of Abdeen to watch. In a very small place and with limited resources, Nader and his friends have launched a TV channel called ‘Streets of Egypt'. It is a popular channel, broadcast from Abdeen to the people of this district, in order to let them have their say and to discuss their problems and aspirations with each other. The channel gives them the chance to interact with each other and try to solve their problems, in order to make a better future. "I wanted to launch this channel, because the broadcasts of most satellite channels air are unrealistic and rather artificial," says Nader, the founder of Abdeen TV channel. "Why don't we show what life is really like for people living in the alley and listen to their problems?" Abdeen TV channel is located in a very small old building, thought to have been built two centuries ago. This building is situated in a little alley called Beshara Alley, off Abdel-Nadeem Street in Abdeen, a downtown district of the capital, that is home to around 76,000 Egyptians. "I chose Abdeen, because I live here and know it like the back of my hand. We want to cover all events in Abdeen and allow people to express themselves freely," he stresses. Nader not only gives people the chance to talk, but he also lets them get to know their district better. In some of his programmes, he tells the story of the historic areas in Abdeen. "I didn't study media and communications, but I have worked in this field for years and I also work as a freelance production manager for some TV channels," he explains. Nader, who believes in the importance of the new media, stresses that a channel on YouTube is different from other channels. Each programme on Abdeen channel is only eight minutes long, making it easy for people to watch them. "We don't only publish our works on the Internet, but we share them with other people. We hold events in the street. Every Friday, we hold a children's festival, which includes a puppet show, drawing, singing and other fun things. "And every Sunday we hold the ‘Abdeen' Salon in the street, inviting poets, artists and singers to share their experiences with local people. We film these events and post them on the Internet too," he continues. The founder says that everyone who works for this channel is a volunteer. The problem that faces them now is funding, because many companies still don't believe in street media. "People should believe that popular TV is the easy way to reach others. Through our channel we speak to and with these people, reaching them directly. "My dream is that ‘Streets of Egypt' will become a big channel with branches in every street in Egypt," adds Nader, who urges people all over the country to launch similar projects in their own streets, getting in touch with their people and their problems and dreams. "Let's create our own media," he wrote on the Facebook page for Abdeen TV.
