eouin; n cmetn o cret affairs. current on commenting and revolutions; Arab other with solidarity expressing oppressors; alising the revolution’s martyrs; naming and shaming congratulating the people on the revolution; memori- regime; the criticising demands; political expressing purposes: of variety a for used expression, of form key a as emerged street as Egypt in dynamics political changed then, revolution, January 25 The the Arab world,suchasinLibyaandSyria. in followed that revolutions other in art street of use the catalysing protest, political in tool key a expression visual made 2011 of revolution Egyptian pressions of dissident politics fleeting in nature. The ex- visual making police, the and President the ing criticis- and banners carry would protesters when 2005, in movement Kifaya the by organised those as such demonstrations to limited were sent dis- political articulating of tools Visual regime. the of domain the largely was Egypt in space public in expression visual revolution, January 25 the Before region Onesuchformisstreetart. the (Khatib, 2013). across protests political on impact an had that expression political of forms foregrounded it because also but world, Arab the of politics the in was distinct revolution not only because of Egypt’s importance January 25 “Arab The it: an know we been as Spring” have not would there revolution, Egyptian the without that argue could One region. the in revolutions of trajectory the on impact most the with one the was it yet – it preceded one sian 2011 was not the first of the Arab Spring – the Tuni- The 25 January revolution that took place in Egypt in Stanford University Program Program Manager, Arab ReformandDemocracy Lina Khatib andtheEgyptianRevolution Strategic Sectors|Culture&Society hs es o ntoa blnig a ehe in echoed land- religious diverse Egypt’s referencing art street was belonging national of sense This cultural referencesandheritage. ers within their own community by drawing on shared street art was a way for Egyptians to reach out to oth- Egyptian such, As appeared. also pharaoh a as dent Presi- ousted the depicting pieces Several Limits.” Has “Patience songs, famous most her of one of title the with along appeared Koulthoum Oum singer tian Boustan Street in downtown Cairo, on a of the great example, Egyp- For references. cultural their However, most were in Arabic and very local in national community. inter- the to appealing of way a as English in written sometimes were they example, noted the like that, is graffiti such of dimension interesting An 2012). (Gowaily, die” I [before] B4 president another see to want “I said, that Cairo downtown in Louk el Bab in some as such walls, on appear to began graffiti Simple change. for demands citizen express to and regime Mubarak the mock to used mostly was art street revolution, January 25 the of days the During The DaysoftheRevolution takes anewturn(Tripp, 2013). Egypt in trajectory political the whenever emerging art street new witness to expected almost become tary has entered everyday life in Egypt, so that it has commen- topical as presence its and , scale content and form from and graffiti into large- in evolved has art Street developments. social and political on commentary visual of form a into formed trans- – Mubarak against movement activist April tian revolution, with the fist being the symbol of the 6 defiance – the earliest form of street art in the Egyp- denoting fist a of stencils simple with started What

IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 299 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 300 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama er, Hosni, and Sad Panda became famous. Through famous. became Panda Sad and Hosni, er, in time first Egypt’s history, street artists such as , Keiz the - for that so acclaim, international and recognition public creators their lent derwear, Tantawi’sun- Hussein leader SCAF of one as such tion of the old order. Well-known pieces of street art, continua- the a as them criticise showing SCAF, the of leaders to began art Street (SCAF). Forces Armed the of Council Supreme ruling the by activity political for detained being still were who citizens as well as 2012), (Armbrust, revolution the of tyrs mar- the commemorating appeared murals and cils sten- Several challenges. those reflect to changed art street in mood the period, post-revolution the in challenges of number a witness to began Egypt As The Post-RevolutionPeriod ward toabrighterfuture. for- looked country the as society Egyptian in ness together- of sense a and harmony national for ing was It call- won.” were artists street Thus, youth.”“Tahrir We signed regime. the overthrew people on appearing one Mansour Mohamed Street in Zamalek that as said, “The such regime,” the of throw over- the want people “The Spring, Arab the of gan slo- famous most the referencing statements were as country, the across walls many on seen slogan a was Egyptian” up, head your “Hold pride. tional na- of and future Egypt’s about optimism of sense a by characterised was time that during art Street and theletter“c” likeacrescent. English above, the letter “t” made to look like a cross care”in “take words the with beads prayer carrying with a tattoo of a cross touching the finger of a hand hand a showing Chapel, Sistine the in famous ceiling the referenced City Nasr in Street Akkad el Abbas in Painters Freedom by mural a Similarly, me.”categorise “Don’t proclaimed, stencil the nying niqab only revealing the eyes. The caption accompa- a with covered is third the and headscarf; a wears second the unveiled; is right, the on first, the heads: women’s three of representation the was through done This expression. religious to according tians Egyp- categorising totranscend need the firming af- Cairo downtown in Street Mahmoud Mohamed on appeared stencil a doctrine, religious to ments commit- of spectrum a harbours Egypt As scape. targeting women’shonour targeting terrorise thewiderpopulationby havebeeninflictedto assaults thugs butalsobythepolice.These notonlyby harassed andassaulted who havecontinuedtobesexually concerns thepositionofwomen, in thepost-revolutionperiod A seriouschallenge facedinEgypt Ahmed Adel El Mogy, who became known for sexu- for known became who Mogy, El Adel Ahmed officer, police a represented stencil another street, same the On revolution.” the live “Long signed ple,” the bra stencil the statement “No to to stripping the peo- added that Cairo downtown in Street Mahmoud Mohamed on one as such woman, the with solidarity in Cairo over all appearing began bra blue a of cils her causing police, the by Cairo in street the down dragged and cident took place in 2012, when a woman was beaten in- well-known A honour. women’s targeting by lation saults have been inflicted to terrorise the wider popu- as- These police. the by also but thugs by only not who women, have continued to of be sexually harassed and assaulted position the concerns period tion A serious challenge faced in Egypt in the post-revolu- tinued, “Yes to stability. Yes yesmydarling.” con- it Party.”Underneath Sofa The Egypt: in party political largest the “Join said, slogan The otically. him cross-eyed and with his tongue hanging out idi- rendering head, his overtaking television a with man a showed Tahriralso in Hosni by drawing A television.”your “Kill English, in captioned head, the in himself shooting head a for set television a with Mahmoud man a showed Cairo downtown in in Street Bassiouni Keizer by stencil One “stability.” for sages about maintaining the old order through calls mes- media against people cautioning appeared the political process through propaganda, influence street art to tried media SCAF-controlled the As context. this in role activist an played artists Street reclaim politicalagency. claim public space from the regime and, in so doing, re- to attempting were citizens Egyptian work, their to lift revealing her blue bra. Sten- bra. blue her revealing lift to abaya xs. n weee te oenet whitewashed government the whenever And exist. not did barrier the if as street the of illusion the pict de- to artists seven by painted cleverly was barrier the where Cairo, in Street Rihan Sheikh on one as such barriers, the over murals huge painted artists street movement, public restrict to street the in riers bar- up put government the When control. this defy this “conversation,” street In art was used by expression. citizens to of freedom over control exercise to government took over from the SCAF but continued new a as people, the and government the between “conversation”a articulated indirectly also art Street what canbedoneaboutthemareconducted. garded as taboo are highlighted, and debates about re- previously topics raised, issues is citizens about concerning awareness where Egypt, in sphere street art played a role in the creation of a new public would diligently call public attention to it. In this way, artists street than challenge emerging an faced try trajectory of the revolution. No sooner had the coun- the on commenting in newspapers replaced almost walls Street 2012). (Khatib, taboos of and fear of wall the of breakdown the of illustration an became revolution the of context the in Egypt in art Street ofResistance A NewPolitics political taboos starttobebroken. and social as society in change damental sions in public space speak to the beginning of a fun- ferred to in hushed tones, these kinds of loud expres- re- only normally are honour women’s as such issues where country conservative a In honour.” our daughters’ of “Rapist captioned, was stencil The court. in “virginity tests” and whom one woman testified against them on inflicting by detainees female assaulting ally T K K G A References continuing struggleforfreedomanddignity. their in borders within and across both citizens ing fluidity. Street art is playing an important role in unit- and pluralism by characterised solidarity pan-Arab new-found a is place its in and dictators, Arab by “Arabnationalism”promoted rigid patriarchal, the is birth of a new sense of belonging in the region. Gone those revolutions through their for work, speaking of the support their expressed also artists street tian Egyp- world, Arab the in began revolutions other As of resistanceledbyEgyptiancitizens. art, then, has become a prime tool in the new politics walls, such as “Congratulations on the paint!” Street those on comments sarcastic re- writing artists by street sponded graffiti, or murals cover to walls ripp hatib hatib rmbrust ow Revolution. Cairo:Zeitouna,2012. erina & erina bridge UniversityPress,2013. Cam- London: East. Middle the in Resistance I.B. Tauris, 2013. London: Struggle. Political in Visual the of Role Power in the New Arab World” in: Available atwww.culanth.org/?q=node/491. 2012. January/February, Anthropology, Cultural by forum Egyptonline in , Counter-revolution and Counter-revolution.” the dion, 2012. State of Human Rights, pp. 55-63. Antwerp: Lu- , Charles. , aily , Lina. , and Art Street want…’: people “‘The Lina. , Maya. , , Walter. “The Ambivalence of Martyrs and and Martyrs of Ambivalence “The Walter. , S Image Politics in the Middle East: The East: Middle the in Politics Image orokina The Power and the People:of Powerthe Paths The and Wall Talk: Graffiti of the Egyptian the of Graffiti Talk: Wall , Elena (eds.), (eds.), Elena , Hot Spots: Revolution Revolution Spots: Hot Newtopia: The Newtopia: G regos , Kat-

IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 301 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama