While in Egypt, I wanted to go and find street art. I had no clue what I would find. Then reality hit – it is difficult to get around in Egypt unless you hire a driver. In a short amount of time we went over our budget and our time had run out. I tried to look for graffiti pieces on the internet in order to get an idea of what part of town they were in. What I learned was how much street art there HAD been right outside the door of my hotel. Less than a mile from where we were staying is Tahrir Square, the same square where the 2011 Arab Spring revolution began.
On January 25, 2011 millions of protesters gathered all throughout Egypt to demand the over throw of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The peaceful protests, marches, demonstrations that followed escalated into violent clashes with security forces. Mubarak shut down the television stations and the only way people could communicate their situation with the world was through Twitter. In the end 846 people had been killed and 6000 had been injured. One of the ways people communicated their feelings and beliefs was by painting on the walls at Tahrir Square and throughout Egypt. Many of the pieces that were created have now been painted over or removed by the current government, as if erasing the past.
While reading this recent history, I stumbled upon some very interesting articles and books about the subject. So even though I was unable to photograph these pictures, I thought I would pass along some links and pictures and stories that I found online. I hope you find them as interesting and thought provoking and beautiful as I did. Beth
This video is about a project to get a book made documenting the art. The book did reach its goal and was made and is available for purchase. I really enjoyed the video and the way it educated about the revolution in the words of artists.
https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/23/178749.html
https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/23/178749.html
