Inauguration of Samer Soliman Institution for Political Development on Saturday - #Egypt - Ahram Online http://t.co/qZS3ZrWf4R

Inauguration of Samer Soliman Institution for Political Development on Saturday - #Egypt - Ahram Online http://t.co/qZS3ZrWf4R

— Paul Sedra (@sedgate) September 27, 2013

The Samer Soliman Institution for Political Development (SSIPD), a political development and research institute founded in honor of the late Samer Soliman (1968-2012), will hold its inauguration ceremony on Saturday, 28 September at 7:00 pm in Maadi.

The institution's opening marks a dream fulfilled for the political economy professor, who passed away nine months ago on 23 December, 2012 after a battle with cancer.

A long-time activist, scholar, and intellectual, Samer Soliman had always dreamed of establishing an institution to support Egyptians interested in public work. This dream intensified after the January 25 Revolution, which opened the door for a new generation of activists working for the public good.

In the wake of January 25, 2012, the author of The Autumn of Dictatorship realised the urgent need to establish a place where activists could receive training while promoting Egypt's political development. Samer wanted this to happen under a wide ideological framework that would accommodate all democratic currents and allow for a diversity of political thought.

Samer Soliman, a committed activist always striving for a better world, was not given the time to fulfill his dream. However, Samer's life's work continues under the direction of his wife, Mary Mourad, his brother, Wassim Soliman, and a group of his friends and colleagues at the American University in Cairo (AUC), who have since assumed the responsibility of establishing the institution.

SSIPD, a non-profit organisation, will focus on two major initiatives. The first is to train a qualified and skilled political cadre that can both direct public works programmes and take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections. To that end, the organisation will provide training for participants on how to run an electoral campaign.

The non-profit's second initiative focuses on political research, which is the primary concern of the institution. SSIPD's research initiatives will be directed at public-sphere development and aim to elaborate a deeper understanding of Egypt's social, political, and economic dimensions.

The institution's board members include Ahram Online journalist and economic expert Mary Mourad, Cairo University political science professor Mostafa Kamel El-Sayed, activist and economy expert Raed Slama, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Executive Director Hossam Bahgat, writer and publisher Mohamed El-Baaly, researcher Mohamed Agati, Tanmeyya Training and Consulting Centre Director Hala Shukrallah, AUC Social Research Center researcher Hania Shulakami, and development expert Wael Zaki.

Samer Soliman was a founding member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination Movement. He was also a professor of political economy at AUC.

Soliman graduated in 1990 from Cairo University with a BS in economics. He then went on to earn a diploma in African studies in 1992, followed by a Masters in sociology from AUC in 1997. He earned his PhD in political science from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris in 2004.

Soliman worked as an affiliated researcher at the Centre d'Études et de Documentations Économiques, Juridiques, et Sociales (CEDEJ) in Cairo. He helped found the French Ahram Hebdo, where he also worked following its establishment in 1994. He worked as a journalist with Ahram Online and contributed to numerous publications, including El-Bosla, El-Watan and El-Shorouk newspaper.

Dr Soliman's major publications include his seminal 2005 book, Strong Regime, Weak State: The Fiscal Crisis and Political Change in Egypt under Mubarak.

He also published a lengthy piece in the "Cairo Papers in Social Science," under the title State and Industrial Capitalism in Egypt.

Soliman came from a middle class Egyptian Christian family. Both of his parents were teachers. He was raised in downtown Cairo and attended an Egyptian French school.

For more information about Samer Soliman's work, visit the SSIPD website at: http://www.ssipd.org

Programme:

Saturday, 28 Sep, 7:00pm

El-Horreyya Park, at El-Horreyya Square

Maadi, Cairo.