A call to action

"This is an appeal to help save lives."

The prominent street-artist Ganzeer recently announced the Mad Graffiti Week initiative encouraging people in Egypt and beyond to take to the streets from January 13-25 to raise awareness about the situation in Egypt: "Our only hope right now is to destroy the military council using the weapon of art."

As I

I haven't actually seen the posters on the streets of Cairo, but they have been circulating online. Get ready.
http://ganzeer.blogspot.com/2011/12/mad-graffiti-week-jan-13-25-appeal-to.html

This is an appeal to help save lives. The Egyptian Military Council has unleashed a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests by the Egyptian people, calling for the resignation of the military council and a cancellation of the sham elections that they’ve been running under their supervision. Soldiers have shown us no mercy, hitting fallen women with their batons, stomping on skulls with their boots, and shooting unarmed civilians dead. I’ve seen this happen with my own eyes and was unable to stop it. It’s a soul-shattering pain like no other.

The lies being disseminated by military-controlled media are as equally painful. Nothing hurts more than such shameless injustice. I fear the military’s strategy will only lead my country to an armed civil war. In an effort to keep our struggle peaceful, I hear by call on artists everywhere to support the Egyptian revolution with their art. As the genius that is Alan Moore once said, “[a satire] destroys you in the eyes of your community, it shows you up as ridiculous, lame, pathetic, worthless, in the eyes of your community, in the eyes of your family, in the eyes of your children, in the eyes of yourself, and if it's a particularly good bard, and he's written a particularly good satire, then three hundred years after you're dead, people are still gonna be laughing."

Our only hope right now is to destroy the military council using the weapon of art. From January 13 to 25, the streets of Egypt will see an explosion of anti-military street-art. If you are a street artist elsewhere in the world, please do what you can in your city to help us. Even if you are not a street-artist. If you’re a comicbook artist, a musician, or filmmaker, whatever artistic talent you have can be of big help. If you can do something before the designated date, please do! We need all the help we can get.

Finding “inspiration” is not at all difficult. A quick visit to scaf-crimes.blogspot.com will do the trick. On behalf of Egypt’s street-art community, allow me to thank anybody in the world willing to help. Your art may very well save lives. 

If you need any instruction, here is "a how-to-graffiti guide for those who scheme and those who dream."
http://crimethinc.com/tools/downloads/pdfs/walls_are_alive.pdf

Dragons

Ever city must have its own football team, but more importantly, its own football fan club. Ismailia has the yellow dragons. There are murals around the city honoring the team. Street curbs and trees* are painted the team's colors-- yellow and blue.

*tree trunks throughout Egypt are painted as a form of insecticide. In Cairo many tree trucks were painted red, black, and white after the Revolution.
I noticed this form of insecticide during my travels in India.

Ismailia, E-day

This photograph was taken in Midan El Mamar, the center of the demonstrations during the 25 January Revolution in Ismailia. There are still military tanks stationed in the Midan.

Ismailia is half way between Port Said (to the north, on the Medterrain Sea) and Suez (to the south) and is the base of Egypt's second army. Ismailia is the hometown of Hasan Al-Bana, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Compared to Cairo, Ismailia is a small city (10-20 million vs. less than 1 million).
Nicholas Kristof recently reported from the city.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/opinion/sunday/kristof-Democracy-in-the-Muslim-Brotherhoods-Birthplace.html

I traveled to Ismailia yesterday to witness the second-round of Egyptian parliamentary elections taking place in the city. I was surprised by the general lack of election-fever in the city. From what I observed, there was no campaigning outside of polling stations-- which is illegal by Egyptian law, but nevertheless took place during the first round of elections in Cairo. Like Cairo, however, there were campaigns posters dotting all of the walls in the city too.

I was surprised by the reach of the April 6th movement's "White Circle, Black Circle" campaign in the city. I had only seen black circles in Cairo, not white circles. In contrast, both black and white circles were spray-painted in abundance around the city center. The circles were not necessarily painted on campaign posters.
http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt-elections-2011/muslim-brotherhood-stronghold-sees-possible-vote-split-dp1.html

Vote for nobody

Polls begin in 9 governates tomorrow. While Cairo had its elections 2 weeks ago, election-fever is still palpable here: Giza, located on the other side of the Nile (where the pyramids are) and just two metro stops from downtown Cairo, will have its elections tomorrow.

Located on Mohamed Mahmoud St., around the corner from Midan Tahrir, this is the first election related street art that I've seen in Egypt.

Voter turn-out was remarkably lower during the run-off elections last week than during the initial polls. I hope that the voter turn out is high tomorrow and Egyptians exercise their right to vote and duty to shape their country. A general sense of excitement surrounded the first polls and I hope that that excitement returns-- after all there are still three rounds of elections for the Shoura Council (the upper house of parliament) early next year, not to mention the presidential elections which SCAF recently promised will be held in June 2012 and a probable constitutional referendum.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/4/0/28243/Opinion/0/Elections-and-their-discontents.aspx
The world cares, so I hope Egypt does too.

V for Vendetta

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed the emergence of "V" street-art in Cairo in reference to the film V for Vendetta.

The street-art focuses primarily around the letter V which has been transformed into the letter A by the Ultras Ahly, giving the film spoof a uniquely Cairo quality. There phrase "Remember, Remember the 19th of November," a spoof of the film's phrase "Remember, Remember the 5th of November," is also spray-painted on the streets. The mask itself has not been worn at any demonstrations (unlike at the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York where apparently such an act is illegal in the US http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904194604576581171443151568.html).

I first watched the film V for Vendetta a few months ago here in Cairo. I had intended to watch it years ago-- I had the DVD in my possession last spring, but had to return it to Netflix before finishing it because my free-trial expired. In Egypt I watched a pirated copy that an Egyptian friend lent me, he had watched the film shortly after its release but still had it saved on his laptop. As the Arabic subtitles rolled across the screen, chants from Maglis Al Sha'ab sit-in were audible in the distance: Remember, Remember? How could you ever forget.

Located on the side of the 6th of October bridge in El Geziera, this stencil is by the street-artist Ganzeer. I took the photograph the first weekend in December, although it's been here since my arrival in early August. 

This photograph was taken in front of the Mugamma on Saturday 26 November during the recent Tahrir clashes. Since then the V has been spray-painted next to the words (and the letter M in november added). 

In the Sadat metro (under Midan Tahrir). This V is quite popular and can be found around the city. 

On Qasr Al-Aini St., near Midan Tahrir.
Is the black circle a reference to the April 6th movement's "White Circle, Black Circle" awareness campaign? Is V triumphing over El Feloul (the remnants of the old regime)?
There is no fist (a sign for the April 6th movement) to definitively indicate that it is in fact a part of the campaign. 

On Qasr Al-Aini St., near Midan Tahrir.
The Ultras Ahly (the football fan club of the major ) have spoofed on the V signature. Flipping the letter upside down, the letter A represents Ahly. The Ahly A is very popular (more popular than the V) and can be found around Cairo.





















On Qasr Al-Aini St., near the Maglis Al-Sha'ab sit-in.



Here the same A is used in the infamous acronym ACAB. This A had not previously been used in this acronym. On the on Qasr Al Aini St., near Midan Tahrir.

Eyes, edited

The expression goes that eyes are the window into the soul. Well, it appears that eyes are the window into the street.

The mural of the living martyrs on Mohamed Mahmoud St. has evolved and the eye patches are now being written on. Sadly some of the portraits have been defaced with crude jokes, but still others have the name of the living martyr or an expression of hope.

Translation: "God is great over all evil."

Maspero- 2 months and counting

Today marks the two month anniversary of the Maspero tragedy; it passed with little fanfare-- no newspaper headlines, no massive demonstration. Over the past month I have photographed many pieces of street art pertaining to the Maspero tragedy.

NOTE: All stencils reference the distinctive shape of the Maspero building (a circular building, with a tower jutting out of the middle) which houses the state-run TV industry and is located along the Nile in downtown, not far from Midan Tahrir.

Translation:"Dead poison"

This photo was taken on Monday 21 November in front of the Mugamma. Within a few days it was completely covered by new street art.

This photograph was taken on Sunday 27 November across the street from the Maglis Al Sha'ab on Qasr Al-Aini Street.

This photograph was taken on Sunday 27 November on the street of the Maglis Al Sha'ab. The wall was initially covered in only distinctive, pre-planned stencils, over time it has increasingly been covered in impromptu spray-paint.

This stencil is by the street artist El Teneen.

McDonald's

While the adjacent Pizza Hut and Hardee's have since re-opened following the recent Tahrir clashes, McDonald's restaurant on Mohamed Mahmoud St. remains closed. As I passed it today, workers were giving the exterior a fresh coat of paint and getting rid of any traces of street art. While there were no murals on facade, there certainly was spray-paint.

Despite the prospect of new spray-paint and more shattered-windows, the restaurants and storefronts on and around Midan Tahrir consistently cleanup, and cover-up any traces of violence, as soon as it is safe to do so. In contrast when I visited the famed Cafe Leopold in Mumbai months after the 26/11 attacks of 2008, there were still bullet holes visible in the Cafe windows. And it turns out that they're still there.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2669147.ece

While shattered clash should certainly be swept away, what about bullet holes and graffiti? It is itself evidence, isn't it best to let it remain and serve as a reminder? I think it adds a sense of character and authenticity.

But I suppose McDonald's has never been concerned with that.

Transparent Faces

I took these photographs last weekend. While the Wall remains on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, passer-bys are now able to walk up to the wall (or close to it at least, young revolutionaries still stand guard in huddles). Previously there had been a no-go zone complete with barbed-wire and looted Cairo police traffic-barriers and enforced by young revolutionaries. This was the first time I had walked the length of Mohamed Mahmoud Street since the outbreak of the recent clashes. I am quite familiar with the street-- it is the location of the AUC bus-stop-- and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the street art remained untouched; I wasn't sure if I would find the walls blackened from ash.

The mural depicts those living martyrs who lost their eyes during the recent clashes. All of the faces in the mural were transparent-- their skin was the wall itself. Are the living martyrs a reflection of the street or the realization of it?

One living martyr's face was partially composed of a campaign poster.

Today concluded the second day of the run-off polls in the first round of voting for the Maglis Al Sha'ab (there are three rounds of polls for the lower house of parliament, there will be an additional three round of polls for the upper house early next year). Run-off polls were only in those districts in which an individual candidate (whether in the professional or worker/ farmer category) didn't achieve more than 50% of the vote in the initial poll- thus there were only either two or four candidates on the ballot. There were no run-off polls for the party/alliance-lists.

Voter turn-out is visibly remarkably lower than in last week's election- there is not as much excitement as there was a week ago- it appears the novelty has already worn off for some. There were hardly any lines and also hardly any Muslim Brotherhood volunteers- although the latter perhaps because they had been so helpful before.

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt-elections-2011/lower-voter-turnout-in-second-day-of-elections-run-offs-dp3.html

I had one friend who went to the poll and "voted," but in reality scratched his ballot. Unlike his Aunt, he didn't vote because of the alleged 500 pound (100 US dollar) fine- He voted to be a part of the process, yet scratched because he didn't like his options (The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom & Justice Party or the Salafi Nour Party).

Whoever wins and whenever they actually take their seat (Parliament supposedly opens in March 2012), I sincerely hope they don't forget about these martyrs and their families. They are the veterans of a war fought too close to home.

(Mock) Coffins

20 mock coffins bearing the names of those martyrs who died in the recent clashes are in front of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab. Carrying mock-coffins during demonstrations is not uncommon.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/531796

Translation: "Egypt's rights= Martyr's rights"

While Midan Tahrir remains occupied and closed to vehicles, many of the activists have moved to the street in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab. The street itself isn't a major street and has been closed off by the Central Security Forces many times this fall, but it's occupation nevertheless represents a traffic disruption.

The mood in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab is different from that in Midan Tahrir-- there are no food vendors in front of the Maglis and no one is selling 25 January t-shirts. The mood is somber and serious, this is not a place to bring a date for popcorn or play a pick-up game of football (as Tahrir has become for some). There is a sense of urgency and attentiveness in the air as activists hand-out flyers detailing their movement's latest demands or George Ishak, who founded the protest movement Kefaya in 2004, speaks to a gathering of people. My friend and I stopped by to listen as an activist started playing a oud (an Egyptian lute). Others began singing and suddenly the circle drew larger; the soft melody bathed the scene in a rosy glow not penetrable by the glares of the army. As the lead office sat down to drink his chai, he appeared calm and I could have sworn I saw one of the younger officer's singing along.

The Martyr

Translation (partly obstructed by the tree):

Martyr

Tarek Abdel Latif

32 years-old, engineer

In light of last Friday's demonstration to honor the martyrs of the recent clashes, this weekend I went in search of another mural in the Martyr Mural Series by the street artist Ganzeer.

This mural is located in El Gezira, near the 6th of October Bridge. It was painted on April 16th, 2011.

The Berlin Wall

I wrote earlier about the wall on Mohdamed Mahmoud St. As I passed the wall today, I found that there were now many pieces of street art on it, not merely the words "Freedom is coming forever." I previously speculated that the existence of one piece of street art on the wall signaled a sense of unity among the protesters. What does the current state of the wall symbolize?

Will this wall soon look like the Berlin Wall? The inside of the Berlin Wall (the side which faced West Germany) was covered in street art, the outside of the Berlin Wall (which faced Eastern Germany) was white. Is there street art on the other side of this wall? I am not able to see it because of the military presence, but I have a guess.

Signs

In addition to street art, Cairo is filled with signs, posters, and stickers.

Posters of political candidates plastered to the wall.

Signs of political candidates hanging from a building or signs strung to the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab demanding the downfall of military rule.

And bumper stickers, not placed on cars, but instead stuck to walls or articles of clothing during demonstrations.

I chose to cover only street art in this blog. I am fully aware that other forms of expression exist on the streets of Cairo, I walk past them every single day. I am, however, a student and do not have the time to thoroughly document everything that I see. While I am not vain enough to think that I can photograph every piece of street art while I am in Cairo, I want to at least give myself a chance.

In high school, I took pictures of the street art in Baltimore for my senior project. (I also kept a blog, here is the link: http://justanothersundaystroll.blogspot.com/). Street art knows no boundaries it is a universal language. Unlike signs, posters or stickers, you can't fold it into your pocket and take it home as a souvenir.

I am putting these photographs of signs on my blog now because the signs themselves have been spray-paint on. The word "القصاص" (retribution) has begun appearing on banners in and around Midan Tahrir.

Translation: "The people want the downfall of military rule immediately and not to raid the Interior Ministry."

This sign is located on the fence of the Maglis Al-Sha'ab. The word "القصاص" is spray-painted on the bottom right hand of the banner.

Eyes

Can this be called street art? Or is it vandalism.

This is one of four lions on the Qasr Al-Aini bridge connecting El Gezira (an island in the middle of the nile) and downtown.

This is a statue of Shiek Omar Makaram in front of the Omar Makram mosque in Midan Tahrir.

Demonstrators marched this Friday to Midan Tahrir in order to honor the Marytrs of the recent clashes. Some wore patches over their eyes in solidarity with those who lost their eyes from rubber bullets in the recent clashes.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/530191

The loss of eyes was particularly noteworthy in the recent clashes. Ahmed Harara is a lauded figure: he lost one eye during the 25 January Revolution and his second eye during the recent clashes.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/28/179668.html

Below is a stencil of Ahmed Harara taken in front of the Maglis Al Sha'ab earlier this week.

In place of his right eye, 19 November

in place of his left eye, 25 January

BLANK

The letters are gone.

Translation: "Retribution"

As I passed by the Maglis Al-Shura today, there were no longer any English letters on the gate. As I wrote in an earlier post, the majority of the English letters had been removed (taken down, stolen?). Last week someone spray-painted the gate with the words "down with military rule", and finally yesterday someone removed the last of the English letters and wrote "القصاص" (retribution)

The word "retribution" refers to the failure of the government to give justice to the families' of the Martyrs of the Revolution.

Interestingly enough, the building next to the gate had also been spray-painted last week, but was painted over.