Bahrain Video Diary, Part 2: The Freedom Torch Marches Across the Country

The Freedom Torch ceremony in Shahrakan, 3 November

See also Bahrain Video Diary, Part 1: The Freedom Torch Marches Across the Country

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The Freedom Torch continues to make its way across Bahrain, with a climactic rally on Tuesday in Sanabis, near the site of Pearl Roundabout/Martyrs Square, the symbolic centre of protests since 14 February. An EA correspondent, "Mr Ahmed", tracked the start of the month-long procession in an initial post last week. Now he presents Part 2 of his video diary, tracking the march of the flame at the start of November. Part 3, taking the Torch to Sanabis, follows tomorrow:

3 November: Shahrakan

The success of the Freedom Torch, with the daily videos, of its progress has made more villages keen to host it --- some have even started preparing to welcome it without actually knowing if it will visit.

This has added the new challenge to the 14 February Coalition of how to pass the flame to all the villages before its last destination on 22 November. With time was running short, some villages are sharing the Freedom Torch with nearby ones, and more than one festival may be organised on the same day.

The Freedom Torch reached Shahrakan village on the night of 2 November after the end of the festival in Bori, but the ceremony was held the next evening. The flame was handed from one revolutionary to another, with each holding a sign with the name of his/her village.

The flame was finally handed to a youth from Shahrakan on the stage, with those from the other villages standing behind him. The ceremony concluded with a speech insisting on continuing the path for freedom and dignity at any cost and on maintaining the peacefulness of the revolution. This was followed by a small march of youth in white shrouds, led by two children holding the Torch, as protesters chanted, “The Freedom Torch shall lighten the path for self-determination.”

4 November 2011: DarKulaib to Malkiya to Karzakan

A horse rider, moving through the farms from Shahrakan to DarKulaib, arrived with the Freedom Torch for the celebration with two short speeches. A revolutionary youth then took the Torch to the village beach where a small boat was waiting for its journey to Malkiya.

In Malkiya, there was a ceremony in the name of the village martyr Abdulridha Buhmaid, who was killed by live fire in the first attempt to return to Pearl Roundabout/Martyrs Square in February. A revolutionary ran with the flame to the village, where youth wearing masks and shrouds took the Torch to the ceremony. Crowds started chanting "Down Down [King] Hamad" as the Torch arrived.

After a short speech, the revolutionary youth then took the flame to Karzakan. A masked youth wearing a shroud, read from the Qu'ran, next to the symbolic graves of the village's three martyrs. At the ceremony, revolutionary songs played as the crowd chanted "Down down Hamad" and "The people want the fall of the regime".

DarKulaib:

Malkiya:

Karzakan:

5 November: Demistan and AlHamalah

The revolutionaries from the adjoining villages began the ceremony in the cemetery at the grave of a martyr who passed away during the uprising of the 1990s. A masked revolutionary with the flame, after prayers for the martyrs, marched to the festival location where a crowd waited before a replica of the monument of Pearl Roundabout. A young speaker declared, "Revolution will continue being peaceful even if we had to give a martyr after the other.”

6 November: AlQarayah to BaniJamra to Almarkh

The festival started in the usual manner, with a revolutionary taking the flame to the stage and handig to another riding a horse. Speeches insisted on continuing the fight for freedom through a peaceful movement. A large poster on the stage pronounced, "You shall walk out from prison with pride, Sheikh Mohamed Ali Almahfoth" referring to the General Secretary of the political society Amal, which has 450 members in detention.

Bani Jamra:

7 November: Barbar

Prominent activist Zainab al-Khawaja, whose father is serving a life sentence and whose uncle and husband are also in detention, reported from the ceremony via Twitter:

This just went from being the worst Eid ever to the best one, thanks to the Barbar village protesters.

The flame of freedom has been traveling through the Bahraini villages for days now, yesterday it was in Banijamra. Tonight the flame of freedom was brought to the small village of Barbar, I hadn't joined any protests here before....More than 200 protesters went on a march to a small stage where they would receive the flame of freedom. It was very organized, there were two speeches and even revolutionary songs playing.The revolutionaries spoke words that inspired all of us....

Verses from the Qur'an about the Pharoah were read, then a comparison was made to the Pharoah in Bahrain, [King] Hamad Isa Alkhalifa. My dad's favorite revolutionary song was playing, the crowd singing along and raising Bahraini flags in the air made my day.

A Bani Jamra revolutionary came running through the crowd with the flame raised up high, he was welcomed with applause & cheering. The flame of freedom was handed over to one of the Barbar village protesters. As crowd shouted "Down down Hamad", an upside-down picture of Hamad came down & was burnt. Houses were covered in "Down Down Hamad" banners. One of the children of Barbar shouted "Down Down Hamad" as the flame of freedom was raised.

Pictures of our martyrs were given out to the children, who each proudly showed the pic of the hero in his hand to his friends. In the chants the protesters of Barbar promised not to leave my father behind bars. I have faith in them & all our protesters.

I was very inspired by the bravery of these protesters, doing all this knowing they could be attacked by riot police any minute.

8 November 2011: Sar to Maqabah to Duraz

The sharing of the Freedom Torch continued, with the flame finally reaching Duraz, famous for its resistance to the government since the uprising of the 1990s.

At Sar, a horse rider brought the Torch to the stage, which had a large poster with the photos of the two village martyrs "Said Ahmed 15 y/o, and the elderly Said Hameed Almahfooth". The younger brother of Said Ahmed held the flame while a masked revolutionary wearing a shroud spoke to the crowd. A girl thanked the 14 February Coalition for allowing the village to host the flame and promised to continue the fight for freedom and dignity. The festival ended with a group of children releasing white pigeons as a symbol of peace.

The horse rider travelling to Maqabah, where the slogan was proclaimed, "Alkhalifa, you are mistaken if you think that. by detaining our figures and killing us. you will stop us from continuing the fight for our demands", said a masked youth. "It is impossible for you to humiliate us....The Freedom Torch will continue burtning as a symbol of the continued fight for our dignity." After the Torch left, the crowd organised a march, which was attacked by security forces.

In Duraz, noted as the hometown of revolutionary youth and the highest-ranking Shia cleric in Bahrain, Sheikh Isa Qassim, the Torch was taken first to the village graveyard, lit by candles. A masked revolutionary wearing a white shroud carried the flame to the graves of two village martyrs who were killed in the 1990s. Masked youth marched from the graveyard into the village, holding the Freedom Torch in a hand and the Bahraini flag in the other. At the festival location, with an outstanding replica of the monument of Pearl Roundabout, there was a speech and a revolutionary poem.

Sar:

Security forces move on the march in Maqabah:

Duraz:

Tomorrow: The Freedom Torch Makes Its Way to Sanabis