UAE singer Hussein Al-Jasmi, performs during a show at the opening a new showroom for Honda cars, hosted by al-Ghanem motors, in Kuwait City on June 9, 2013. (YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]The song Bushret Khair (“Good Omen”) by the popular singer Hussein Al-Jasmi became the unofficial anthem of the Egyptian presidential election in May. A video accompanying the song showing Egyptians from all walks of life and all corners of Egypt dancing and holding up signs expressing hope in the presidential elections encapsulates the wishes of many Egyptians that the polls will lead to a move away from political instability.
Yet despite the song’s ability to capture the mood of Egyptian voters, Jasmi is actually from the Emirates, not Egypt. Klodia Hanna, an Iraqi singer based in Cairo, has also publicized her support for Egypt’s former army chief, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who according to preliminary results will become Egypt’s next president.
Cynics might draw the conclusion that trying to tap into the burgeoning personality cult that has grown up around Sisi is designed to raise the public profile of singers in the Middle East’s largest media market. Many Arab singers choose to sing in the Egyptian dialect for this very reason, and several years ago Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram released a patriotic Egyptian song entitled Ana Masry (“I Am Egyptian”) to boost her Egyptian fan base.
Another—perhaps more charitable—conclusion is that due to the size and influence of the Egyptian music and entertainment industry, the political situation there clearly has a huge impact on the media of the Arab world as a whole. Under former president Mohamed Mursi, the voice of Islamist political currents gained considerable influence. According to Khaled El-Sergany, a columnist and member of the coordinating committee of the National Coalition for Media Freedom, Islamists gained considerable confidence in launching complaints and cases against writers and artists for “insulting Islam” and harming the “moral order” during Mursi’s presidency, despite the marked reduction in self-censorship among journalists during his time in office.
The most high=profile example of this was the accusation of blasphemy against Adel Imam, one of Egypt’s most distinguished and beloved comedy actors. The charge of ridiculing Islam was filed against Imam by lawyer Ansar Mansour, and referred to some of Imam’s roles in films made in the 1990s. Despite the weaknesses of the case, Imam was sentenced to a three-month prison term and fined by a Cairo court in 2012. The conviction was eventually overturned after an appeal, but the case was a shock to the country’s film industry, and seen as a worrying sign of a growing encroachment of an Islamist agenda in Egyptian life and culture.
Indeed, Egyptian cinema in particular appeared to suffer under Mursi’s Islamist agenda, which may explain the support for Sisi’s presidency and Mursi’s ouster from a number of high-profile Egyptians actors and actresses such as Yosra, Elham Shahine and the “Lady of Arab cinema” Faten Hamama. Film director Khaled Youssef was even directly involved in the organization of Sisi’s electoral campaign.
In fact, Sisi explicitly targeted Egypt’s entertainment industry in an effort to win the confidence of actors and singers. In mid-May, the former army chief met with a large delegation of Egyptian artists. The event was widely publicized and Sisi used the opportunity to underline his message that he sees Egypt’s arts and entertainment industry as a bulwark against extremism and a key player in raising the country’s level of cultural awareness.
This message followed on from a speech given by interim President Adly Mansour in March 2014, when he attended celebrations for the newly re-instituted Festival of Arts. The festival, which had undergone a 30-year hiatus, was a clear hint at the importance Sisi intends to place on the industry’s role in his economic and social vision for Egypt.
Yet while some, like Ehab Tawfik singing Allah ‘Aleik ya Sisi (“God Bless You, Sisi”)—a new version of his original hit, Allah ‘Aleik ya Sidi (“God Bless You, Sir”)—show clear and confident support in Egypt’s new president, and will continue to reflect this support in their work, this enthusiasm is not universal. The continued complaints about censorship, particularly related to subjects like the army, and the sense of disenfranchisement felt by those who did not support Mursi’s ouster, remain obstacles that will also be reflected in Egypt’s media and entertainment as Sisi enters office.
All views expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, The Majalla magazine.
