One of the earliest songs which was composed during the first 18 days of the revolution was ‘Sawt al-Hurriyya’ (Voice of Freedom), performed by Cairokee with Hany Adel of the band Wost al-Balad. Band members actively participated in the January-February 2011 protests and attempted to capture creatively their demands for bread, social justice and human dignity. The singers wrote the lyrics on posters, following in the footsteps of thousands of protesters in the squares and encouraged them to sing along with them: ‘I went down to the street/and said I was not going back/all forbidden things have been broken/tomorrow is clear in front of us/in each street in my country/freedom is calling me.’ Such lyrics certainly gave voice to the sense of optimism and hope that prevailed during the early phase of the revolution as well as illustrating how the revolution was shaping popular culture.

The popular music associated with the revolution placed itself firmly in a context of protest and resistance music, aligning this movement with others before it and strengthening its cultural relevance. This, more than anything else, rendered popular music as a unifying force bringing together different generations of Egyptian musicians for the sake of the revolutionary struggle. An increasing number of new songs, for example, were inspired by motifs, themes, and symbols from the Egyptian musical heritage, such as the songs of Sayyed Darwish, which date as far back as the 1919 Egyptian revolution against the British, and the many poems/songs by the duo Ahmad Fouad Negm and Sheikh Imam. The example of Sheikh Imam is pertinent here, as his songs were extensively sung in the squares and streets of Egypt, especially during the first 18 days of the 2011 revolution, despite that this musician was banned from public play.

A number of young singers, among them Mohammad Mohsen, Mostafa Sa‘id, and Hazem Shahine (lead singer of the Eskenderella band) sang songs by Sheikh Imam as well as Sayed Darwish on many occasions across Egypt after 2011. The common element between these singers, old and new, is their reliance on one particular musical instrument: the oud (a lute-like instrument). The oud is one of the oldest and most popular instruments in the Arab region, and, as younger generations of Egyptian singers have increasingly adopted it, they have simultaneously emphasised the strong bonds between the older and younger generations of Egyptian musicians. In so doing, they demonstrated how the younger generation was continuing the political struggle for social justice and human dignity articulated by Darwish and Imam in many of their revolutionary songs.

The spontaneous and immediate political reactions to events found parallels in the popular music scene, and perhaps one of the key examples here is singer Ramy Essam. Essam was unknown before the 2011 revolution. However, during the early days of the protests he came from his home city of Mansoura (in the Delta, north of Cairo) and joined the demonstrators in Tahrir Square, carrying only his guitar. As events developed in the midan, Essam composed music and sang the revolutionary slogans which the protestors themselves had created: ‘Irhal’ (Leave); ‘Howwa Yemshi, Mish Hanimshi’ (He must go, we will not leave); ‘Al-Sha‘b Yureed Isqat al-Nizam’ (The people want the fall of the regime); and others. Hundreds of thousands of protesters sang with Essam in the square. He was dubbed the ‘Singer of the Revolution’. However, after the 2013 coup, Essam left Egypt to live in exile where he continues to compose and sing political and protest songs against the military regime in Egypt.

Another telling case in this context is the rise of singer Mostafa Sa‘id. He was not known to many Egyptians before January 2011. However, he sang on Tahrir Square during the first 18 days of the revolution, especially after he became famous for singing the lyrics of the well-known poet Tamim al-Barghouti’s ‘Ya Masr hanit wi banit kollaha kam youm’ (‘Be patient Egypt, the light of day is about to emerge’). Barghouti recited his poem for the first time on al-Jazeera channel shortly after the breakout of the protests on 25 January 2011. Mostafa Sa‘id, who also sang Sheikh Imam’s songs on his oud, composed the music and sang Barghouti’s poem both on television and on the streets.

Two popular bands which worked on developing their musical form and content with the breakout of the 2011 revolution were Eskenderella and Cairokee. Most members of these two bands were in their twenties in 2011. They expressed the revolutionary fervour through their lyrics and songs; they sang on public streets and squares; and took part as activists in the revolution. Their songs developed in parallel with their political engagement. Songs such as ‘Rag‘ein’ (‘We are coming back’), and ‘Safha Gedida’ (‘A new chapter’) by Eskenderella; and ‘Yal midan’ (‘Oh, Square’, together with singer Aida al-Ayyoubi) and ‘Ithbat makanak’ (‘Remain in your position’) by Cairokee were amongst the most popular songs after the revolution and were often played on satellite channels.

Furthermore, there were singers and bands who became popular through their satirical criticism of the political landscape in Egypt. The first of these important experiments was the Choir Project (Mashrou‘ Choral). This group relied on large numbers of participants who together wrote the lyrics, composed the music and sang the songs collectively. Most of the band members were amateur singers from all age groups, men and women from across Egypt. 

Yasser el Manawehly is another important singer who rose to popularity shortly after the 25 January protests, especially with his song ‘Qillah mondassah’ (A minority of infiltrators). His songs use satirical lyrics and sharp criticism against the regimes that have come to power since the fall of Mubarak. He continues to compose his own lyrics and music while playing the base guitar, thus mixing Arabic melodies with western ones. His songs capture the ridiculous discourse which one regime after another formulated against the peaceful protesters – a discourse which accuses protesters of being traitors and agents of foreign forces. El Manawehly attracted large audiences when he sang in public events after the revolution.

The 2011 revolution inspired large groups of poets, singers, and musicians to create a completely new musical scene. The revolution brought into being new underground and independent bands; it led many singers from disadvantaged areas to compose and circulate their sha‘bi (local popular) music. This has been one of the major achievements of the Egyptian revolution. The link to past struggles in Egyptian and Arab history is so vivid and pertinent to this musical repertoire.

• To cite: Mostafa, Dalia S. (2020) Popular Revolutionary Songs, in Politics, Popular Culture and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, https://egyptrevolution2011.ac.uk/exhibits/show/public-space/public-space