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.

(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.

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

The Revolution will not be Tweeted.

I was very excited to see this stencil!

As I wrote in an earlier post, following the beginning of the recent clashes in Midan Tahrir, several TV stencils began appearing in downtown. Upon seeing the TV stencils I immediately thought of the late Gil Scott Heron's iconic poem "The Revolution will not be televised," this Twitter stencil, however, appears to be a direct reference to the poem: "The revolution will not be [twitted], the revolution will be live."

(The stencils of the spray-can and the pharaoh are separate.)

I took this photograph across the street from the Maglis Al Sha'ab (The People's Assembly), where there is a continued sit-in (the street itself has been blocked off-- there are check-points -- since last Friday) which began as an attempt to physically block the new Prime Minister Kamel El-Ganzouri from taking office, but has since broaden its message to oppose military rule. (It is unclear what building Ganzouri works in, but he has in fact taken office).

The stencil has appeared along Qasr Al-Aini Street (on which the Maglis is located) leading into Midan Tahrir, but I haven't seen the stencil within the Midan itself.

NOTE: This stencil is in English, there was no accompanying stencil in Arabic.

Twitter is a great source for up-to-date news in Cairo. Some famous Egyptian Twitters are Sandmonkey (who also has a blog by the same name) and Gigi Ibrahim (who appeared on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show after the Revolution).

In addition to activists, many political figures & parites have twitter. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party is very active.

Tahrir Supplies, started during the recent clashes in Tahrir, is both a hashtag and a twitter account, it posts what supplies are needed (medical, food, water, blankets) in the field hospitals in Midan Tahrir and coordinates pick-up/drop-off points for those living far away from the Midan.

#egyelections was a popular hashtag during the recent polls.

El Menoufia

Translation:

Sadat was from Menoufia.

Mubarak is from Menoufia.

(Essam) Sharaf (former PM, resigned on Monday 21 November) is from Menoufia.

(Kamal) El Shazly (a prominent former member of the NDP who passed away before the 2010 parliamentary elections) is from Menoufia.

(Ahmed) Ezz (a famous businessman under Mubarak who is now in jail awaiting trial, owner of Ezz Steel) is from Menoufia.

(Kamal) El Ganzory (newly appointed PM, former PM from 1996-1999) is from Menoufia.

Menoufia is playing single*

and all of Egypt are standing next.

*in the street art, the Arabic word "single" is simply the English word transliterated. "Single" refers a person playing a game by himself.

Menofia is one of 27 governorates in Egypt. Many prominent members of Egyptian politics have come from Menofia.

This particular piece of street art is not actually painted on the wall, rather it is a sign that was leaned against a wall. If it's portable, it's owner can take it with him when he leaves and protect it from becoming erased. Furthermore because it's portable this street art has a unique owner who can do with it what he pleases. Is this street art? Or must the street own it in order for it to be called street art?

Know thy Enemy

Translation: "Know thy enemy: Hamdi Badeen"

This stencil has begun appearing in downtown Cairo in the last few days, some renditions of it include the words "WANTED." Was the creator of this stencil inspired by the WANTED El Shenawy street art? El Shenawy was, after all, captured.

Hamdi Badeen is the chief of the military police (el shorta el askarya). The military police is in charge of policing the military. After the Revolution and the establishment of SCAF (a military junta as opposed to a civilian transitional council), their jurisdiction expanded to include civilians. The military police now have the power to arrest both police and civilians, hence civilians are now being tried in military courts.

Hamdi Badeen recently said that the army hasn't entered Midan Tahrir since they withdrew in September (the day before the massive 9 September demonstration; since the beginning of Ramadan they had controlled the Midan and allowed no protests). Widely circulated photographs and videos, however, prove otherwise.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/27476/Egypt/Politics-/Military-police-havent-entered-Tahrir-Square-since.aspx

Many activists called for Hamdi Badeen's trial after the Maspero clashes.

http://thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt/maspero-clashes-a-conspiracy-by-scaf-say-political-powers-witnesses.html