How artistic freedom of expression shrinks in ‘new’ Egypt – Al-Monitor

The Jan.25, 2011uprising that toppledPresident Hosni Mubarakunleashed acreative revolutionwith the spontaneous emergence of a variety of art forms:graffiti, street performances, underground music and satirical online videos.Much of the revolutionary art was aform of protestagainst social injustice and repression, but it also acted as avisual commentaryon the dramatic developments that were unfolding during that time of political turmoil.Relishing their newfound freedom, artists and musicians used their art to express grievances about "social wrongs"and urge action to redress them.

Nine years on, as the anniversary of the revolution approaches, there is hardly a trace of thecultural awakeningthat symbolized the freedom of expression in the "new"Egypt. An ongoingsecurity crackdownon dissent, in place since 2013, has targeted artists and musicians along with opposition and political figures, journalists and members of theLGBT community, stifling freedom of expression and putting a lid on provocative art and creativity.

Nearly all of the graffiti art that mushroomed on the walls in and around Mohamed Mahmoud Street in the wake of the revolution has beenwhitewashedand a large part of an iconicgraffiti wallon the same street has been torn down.As the authorities carry out extensiverenovation worksin downtown Cairo, they appear adamant to wipe out anyremnants of the revolution. Tahrir Square where the protesters had gathered is undergoing an overhaul its second since 2011.

Meanwhile, a number of artists who rose to prominence during the revolution, have paid a high price for expressing nonconformist ideas. Ganzeer, notorious for his street artlampooning the military,was forced to flee Egypt for the United States after he was branded "a terrorist"by the country's pro-government media in early 2014. His disputed poster on the Mohamed Mahmoud wall depicting a soldier standing amid a pile of skullslikely provoked the allegation, putting him at risk of arrest.

"In today'srestrictive environment, artists are no longer able to express their ideas freely; if they do, no galleryor art fair will agree to show their work," saidMohamed Abla, a painter and sculptor whose works touch upon political and social issues. "Artists are increasingly resorting to symbolism in their work; they are also having toself-censorfor fear of arrest," he told Al-Monitor. "This situation is unsustainable as Egyptian artists are not accustomed to being silencedthings will have to change."

Abla reminisced about the days when he and fellow artists could showcase their work at the volunteer-runAl-Fan MidanFestival (Art is a Public Square Festival), launched in the spring of2011. The festival wasinitially fundedby the Ministry of Culture but the funds quickly dried up, prompting organizers togather donationsinstead. For three consecutive years, a host ofcultural eventswere staged in public squares across the country under the Al-Fan Midan banner.

"The aim of the festival was to bring culture to the masses and educate the public about art. Organizers sought to attract the layman rather than art connoisseurs so as to spark interest in art," Abla said. "It was also meant to promote freedom of expression and protest all forms of censorship."

The public response was overwhelming with large crowds flocking to the squares to attend the performances or tour the art exhibits. But all that came to a shuddering halt in the summer of 2014, when thefestival was canceledtwice by the Egyptian authorities on the grounds that "the organizers did not have the right permits." An anti-protest law,passed in November 2013, criminalized such gatherings without a prior permit from the Interior Ministry, spelling the festival's end.

Abla now spends his time shuttling between his art studio in downtown Cairo and Fayoum, a city located southwest of Cairo, where he continues to organizeart workshopsat the Fayoum Arts Center, which he founded in 2006. He also oversees the running of theCaricature Museumthere, which he established in response to the 2005Prophet Muhammad cartoons controversy"to show that there are also caricatures in Egypt and they are political as well associally critical," according to a March 2010 interview with the artist published in Qantara.de.

The museum, the first of its kind in the Middle East, showcases an impressive collection of Egyptian cartoons, some dating back to the early 1920s "a treasure" that Abla has sought to preserve for future generations. While many of the cartoons poke fun at the woes of the society, there are none lampooning President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It appears that Abla has to tread cautiously so as not to ruffle the feathers of the authorities. The arrests anddetention of a number of satiristsin recent years have sent a chilling message of zero tolerance for humor when the military, police or the president are the targets.

This was made clear right from the start of Sisi's rule when "Al-Bernameg," a satirical TV show,was suspendedafter an episode in which the host, Bassem Youssef, had joked about the "Sisi-mania" sweeping the country at the time. Bassem was accused ofdisturbing the peaceand security of the country in no less than 12 legal complaints filed against him, by pro-government citizens. He has since relocated to the United States and has been unable to return.

In December 2015, Amr Nohan, a law student, was handed a three-year prisonsentence for posting on Facebook a doctored image of Sisi wearingMickey Mouse ears.

It has not been smooth-sailing either for theunderground musicbands that shot to fame with their politically charged songs in the wake of the revolution. Rock bandCairokeewhose song "Sot el Horreya" ("Sound of Freedom") became the anthem of the revolution had several concerts called offin 2018 after tickets had sold out. The repeated cancellations prompted the group to shift its attention to international concerts abroad instead of staging local performances.

A committee formed in July 2018toregulate festivalsand issue permits for cultural events including music concerts. The new regulations alsomade it mandatory for event organizers to have a capital of no less than 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($31,700) and to provide all details about their event. Moreover, applications for permits can only be submitted in June each year.

"The new restrictions have made it exceedingly difficult to organize a concert as it takes a verylong time for the committee to issue the permits, and sometimes, those are never granted," Sherif Hawary, lead guitarist ofCairokee, told Al-Monitor. He believes the restrictions were placed in reaction to the Mashrou' Leilaconcert controversywhen at least seven concertgoers were arrested and detained for raising the rainbow flag at the concert. The government accused them of "inciting debauchery."The Lebanese alternative rock band Mashou' Leila, whose lead singer is gay,has since beenbanned from performingin Egypt.

The space for freedom of artistic expression has been shrinking under Sisi's rule. In 2017-18, two female singerswere detainedover their "racy" music videos; they were accused of inciting debauchery. Singer Sherine Abdel Wahab has twicefaced prosecution, once in November 2017 over a joke she made at a concert about the River Nile beingpolluted, and a second time earlier this month when she had said on stage, "Egypt doesnt deserve me." The legal complaints against her were filed by Samir Sabry, a pro-government lawyer notorious for filinglawsuits against celebrities.

Egyptian-American musician Nader Sadek wasdetainedfor four days in 2016 for his part in organizing a concert in which Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura would have played. In this case, the lawsuit was filed by Hani Shaker,head of the Musicians Syndicate, who claimed in a TV interview on Egypt's CBC channel that "devil worshippers" in weird clothing had turned up for the ill-fated event.

The detentions and prosecutions of artists is a far cry from the short-lived period of freedom in the early days of the revolution. Sadek painted a gloomy picture of the current situation for the arts. "Music and art have become dangerous business in Egypt,"he told Al-Monitor.

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How artistic freedom of expression shrinks in 'new' Egypt - Al-Monitor