Egyptian students draw red line with Red Sea pollution

A group of students from the American University in Cairo have launched a campaign, with eye-catching visuals and short videos, to raise awareness of pollution in the Red Sea and how individuals can prevent it.

The visually rich campaign, titled Khat Ahmar (Red Line), is part of the students’ graduation project for their major in integrated marketing communications.

On their Facebook page, the students describe their campaign as the first of its kind due to the use of social media and its wide outreach. The page, which already has more than 1,000 followers, has several videos and articles that cover a variety of issues from human urine in the sea to the protection of corals.

"Most Egyptians are unaware of the importance of the Red Sea in terms of economy and tourism,” Mennatullah Hassan, one of the 11 students who run the campaign, told Al-Monitor. “They have no idea that how flawed actions can endanger marine wildlife. We want to make people more aware of their actions and responsibility toward the Red Sea and the marine life there.”