Ahmed Gatnash
Founder, Technologist, Anti-Authoritarian Thinker
Kawaakibi Foundation (KF) is a team of activists, artists, technologists, and thinkers building the long-term infrastructure for liberation. Born from the spirit of the 2011 uprisings and shaped by years of exile, reflection, and rebuilding, KF serves as an institutional home for strategy, innovation, and deep care. Our work spans research, media, healing, art, and education — all designed to build systems rooted in justice, dignity, and solidarity.
Kawaakibi was born from the aftermath of the 2011 Arab uprisings — a generation that tasted freedom, lost it, and refused to give up. What began as a movement for political change evolved into a deeper mission: to build the systems, knowledge, and cultures that can sustain liberation for generations to come.
Our founders — activists, artists, and technologists from across the Arab world — carried their work into exile and transformed it into something lasting. Through years of organizing, research, and healing, the team reconstituted as Kawaakibi Foundation: a global hub for systems thinking, moral clarity, and collective resilience.
We are rooted in memory but oriented toward the future. Our work builds upon the lessons of revolution, collapse, and recovery — bridging the emotional, intellectual, and structural dimensions of liberation.
"We think in decades, not news cycles."
We build change through three reinforcing forces:
How we hold one another through struggle, healing, and care.
How we imagine new worlds and create the frameworks to make them real.
How we confront injustice and build the capacity to transform systems.
Kawaakibi Foundation is led by a collective of revolutionaries, artists, healers, and technologists who have lived through the struggles they now study and teach. Our team was forged in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings — shaped by exile, resilience, and the refusal to give up. Each member brings a distinct craft and moral clarity, united by one mission: to build the systems that can sustain freedom.
Founder, Technologist, Anti-Authoritarian Thinker
Head of Operations, Community Builder
Healer, Facilitator, Podcast Host
Founder, Systems Thinker, Strategist
Political Cartoonist, Artist, Cultural Historian
Artist, Designer, Economist
Psychotherapist, Feminist, Systems Designer
Musician, Revolutionary, Trauma Survivor
Founder, Systems Thinker, Strategist — Palestinian-Norwegian
A writer and thinker on power, technology, and freedom. Iyad co-founded KF to transform revolutionary experience into long-term systems for liberation.
Founder, Technologist, Anti-Authoritarian Thinker — Libyan-British
Focused on digital systems and political futures, Ahmed leads KF’s research on technology, disinformation, and liberation infrastructure.
Musician, Revolutionary, Trauma Survivor — Egyptian-Finnish
Known as “the voice of the revolution,” Ramy brings art, truth, and healing to KF’s cultural and Shefa programs.
Political Cartoonist, Artist, Cultural Historian — Sudanese
A global voice for art as resistance. Khalid leads KF’s art and cultural memory work, connecting creativity with liberation and collective identity.
Psychotherapist, Feminist, Systems Designer — Somali-British
A world-renowned therapist and advocate for gender justice, Leyla directs KF’s healing and ethical frameworks — ensuring that liberation begins with care.
Healer, Facilitator, Podcast Host — Iranian-Norwegian
Isabelle builds bridges across cultures and communities, leading conversations that connect emotional truth with political consciousness.
Artist, Designer, Economist — Norwegian
Kristine shapes KF’s visual language and economic strategy, translating complexity into clarity through art, design, and data.
Head of Operations — Pakistani-Norwegian
Ammara oversees the foundation’s operations, ensuring that projects move from vision to reality with precision and care. She anchors the team’s systems, coordination, and daily rhythm, translating strategic ideas into practical execution.