UA07

"UAo7" is EVERYWHERE in Cairo. Initially I thought that street art said "Arab Unity 1956" - in reference to the Arab nationalism of Nasser.

In fact, "UA07" refers to "Ultras Ahly 2007."

Ahly is one of the main football (soccer) clubs in Egypt, the other is Zamalek. The term "Ultras" (not itself an Arabic word) means fan club- Zamalek's fan club is called Ultras White Knight (Zamalek's jerseys are white). 2007 refers to the year in which the Ultras Ahly were established.

The Ultras have become a potent force in Egypt- since the Revolution their relationship with the government has been shaky. They are large groups of young men who can easily mobilize. During the 9 September demonstrations the Ultras Ahly and Ultras White Knights came together in a rare show of unity to protest the alleged killing of members of the Ultras Ahly after a previous match. 9 September demonstrations later turned violent when the Israeli embassy was attacked and burned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/12/egypt-fragmenting-revolution-israeli-embassy

I attended the first Ahly football match after 9 September demonstrations. Before the match began, the Ultras Ahly displayed pictures of their members who were arrested at the 9 September demonstrations with pieces of black, white & red paper. While the football stadium has reserved seating for the Ultras Ahlys, I was nevertheless awestruck by the level of coordination needed for such a display.

Here is a youtube clip of the event. At around 15 seconds into the clip, you can see the faces of the Ultras Ahlys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-r2esQzDiE

Hisb El-Kanaba (The Couch Party)

I have seen this street art every time I exit the Sadat Metro in Midan Tahrir since I arrived in Cairo in August. This stencil is by Adham Bakry.

Hizb El-Kanaba (The Couch Party) is a term referring to the "silent majority"- those people who sat on their couch during the Revolution.

The more time I have spent with my Egyptian friends' families, I have come to discover that there is a difference between those who sat on their couches and watched a movie during the Revolution and those who were watching Al Jazeera.

Not everyone is able to go to Midan Tahrir. Each person has their own unique circumstances- maybe they have a newborn child, or are in a wheel chair and are not physically able to journey to the Midan.

I am reminded of a passage from my favorite book The Posionwood Bible, by Barbra Kingsolver. The story revolves around a missionary family living in the Congo in the 1960s when democratically elected Patrice Lumumba was assassinated and the country descended into chaos.

The main character writes, "I knew Rome was burning, but I had just enough water to scrub the floor, so I did what I could."

There is a difference between those who turn the other cheek and those who look straight forward and watch the bloody images on Al Jazeera. Educating oneself and discussing with ones neighbors about the news is in itself a form of political participation in which there is no shame.

Banksy?

While Banksy's work has not been directly spotted in Cairo, his presence is nevertheless felt. His film "Exit Through The Giftshop" will be screened later this week at the Townhouse Gallery.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/23258/Arts--Culture/Film/Graffiti-artist-Banksys-first-film-to-be-screened-.aspx

I have admired Banksy's work from afar for many years. He is a British graffiti-artist who is one of the pioneer's of street art. He has done many provocative works across the globe, yet never shows his face (even in his film). He has done several pieces on the Israeli/ Palestinian Separation Wall. (http://www.banksy.co.uk/)

During the 28 October demonstrations, I found a piece of street art (right) that reminded me of one of Banksy's pieces (left).

(http://therealsasha.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/street-art-or-graffiti/)

The two pieces certainly have there differences (for starters, the two men are facing in opposite directions), but I nevertheless find them remarkably similar.

While the man in Banksy's piece is throwing a bouquet of flowers, it is unclear what the man in the Cairo piece is throwing. Thoughts?

RGB

RGB Project is an exhibit at the Townhouse Gallery.

The exhibit consists of a live-stream video projection of an artist at work.

Above is a still of the live-stream video feed in which an artist is busy at work. I could both see & hear the artist, but it was unclear if she could see & hear me. I don't think she could see me, however, because she didn't seem more distracted after I walked into the room. She continued to work and then took a break for a cigarette.

I viewed the exhibit at 9pm. In Cairo it is dark outside at 9pm and as her windows show, it is dark wherever she is as well.

While I have by-chance seen street art in-process, it is not common (except for during large demonstrations). Street artists work quickly and quietly. They often use stencils, their work taking on a uniform process. If, as the Project's description states, "RGB is concerned with performance and self-consciousness" surronding "authenticity," is it necessary to witness artwork being created in order for it to be deemed authentic?

Street artists don't need a live-stream video feed, there is always the chance of an unsuspecting witness turning the corner. The authenticity of street art is not how it was done, but whether it is there or not-- whether the artists braved the threat of that unsuspecting witness being the police.

As a friend & I were discussing the exhibit, a security guard came in and politely asked us to leave. The Gallery, he said, was closing.

As I walked into the warm October night, I was greeted with street art at each corner I turned. The streets of Cairo never close and I am a witness to that.

Eat This

This is a familiar piece of street art, the stencil can be found many places in Cairo. This particular rendition-- strategically placed across the street from a McDonald's-- has been spray-painted over. None of the other pieces of street art near it have been painted over, maybe McDonald's got tired of the bad publicity?

The stencil reads "SCAF Eat This" in black spray-paint. The two McDonald's arches become fighter jets.

It is worth noting that the stencil was painted over with red spray-paint. Most of the time, a piece of street art is painted over with white paint and completely erased.

A Spaniard in Cairo

Translation: "We have dreams"

As I was looking for the RGB exhibit at the Townhouse Gallery last Sunday night, I entered the wrong gallery and came across this mural. The people pictured are not creating the mural, but in the process of preparing for the next night's fashion show featuring made-in Egypt clothing.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/7/47/25495/Life--Style/Fashion/Twenty-designers-celebrate-what-being-a-modern-Egy.aspx

The Spanish artist Eva Mena, who is known by the name Den, painted the mural. She is in Cairo to participate in the Fourth Mediterranean Hip Hop Festival. She was suppose to collaborate with the Alexandrian graffiti artist Aya Tarek, but he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict.

While this mural was painted inside the Townhouse gallery, the artist is nevertheless foreign. In the post-Revolution artistic spring, should the streets of Egypt be reserved for Egyptians?

Alaa Abdel Fattah

UPDATE, 28 November 2011:

Alaa Abdel Fattah's has been transferred to a civilian court and his detention has been extended by 15 days.

http://bikyamasr.com/49824/detention-of-egyptian-blogger-alaa-abdel-fattah-extended-by-civilian-court/

Above are several portraits of Alaa Abdel Fattah in various colors located on a wall of the AUC downtown campus.

Fattah is a prominent political activist. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail after refusing to report to a military prosecution to be questioned about the Maspero events. He does not believe that civilians should be subject to military courts and thus refused to be interrogated by the military. He also does not believe that the military should be investigating the Maspero events because it was the military who allegedly attacked peaceful protesters.

Fattah was jailed for 45 days in 2006 after participating in a peaceful protest. At the time his arrest garnered international attention because it was interpreted as a crackdown on bloggers by the Mubarak regime.

Fattah comes from a family of notable political activists. Fattah and his wife, Manal Hussein, moved to South Africa in 2008 and returned to Egypt during the Revolution.

He and his wife write the well-known blog www.manalaa.net.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/25533/Egypt/Politics-/Alaa-Abdel-Fattah-Portrait-of-a-revolutionary.aspx