This award-winning novel, originally published in Arabic in 2013, is set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, yet is clearly relevant to post-revolution Egypt and life under the regime of Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. A centralized authority known as the…
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Dr Dina Rezk interviews former heart surgeon turned comedian Bassem Youssef in Los Angeles asking him about humour in Egypt, the huge success of his TV series, 'El Bernameg' ('The Show'), and the political power of satire.
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This is an archive of video footage shot by various Egyptian citizens, during the period 2011-2013. It is curated by a media collective called Mosireen, who were part of the revolutionary protest movement. They sought to challenge the official state…
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In this song, rock band Cairokee put to music “Al-ahzan al-‘adeyya” (Ordinary Sorrows, 1981) by legendary vernacular poet Abdel Rahman al-Abnoudi. Abnoudi's poem paints a picture of defiance in the of face of oppression: 'We’re the people who get hit…
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This documentary tells the story of the rise of Bassem Youssef from heart surgeon to the host of the Arab world's most popular TV show, the satirical talk show, 'El Bernameg', and his subsequent fall from grace, following the military coup of 2013.
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This sketch by satirical performance group Atfal al-Shawarea mocks the controversial Saudi-Egypt agreement in 2016 over the Red Sea Islands. Following this video, members of the group were arrested on charges of inciting terrorism and imprisoned for…
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This film, directed by Ahmad Abdalla, is considered to have anticipated the 25 January 2011 revolution. It highlights the underground youth culture scene in Alexandria and reveals the frustrations of young people living in a repressive society, who…
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This cartoon satirises the large number of political prisoners held under the regime of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. In the first few months following the July 2013 army coup, the government arrested thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters.…
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"Presidential hobbies #freedomofexpression." This cartoon makes fun of the idea that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is a supporter of freedom. Under Sisi's rule, Egypt experienced an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression and human rights.
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Free Alaa Abdel-Fattah stencils from 2011. Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a prominent revolutionary activist, was imprisoned on several occasions after 2011 for his activism. In October 2011, he was arrested and accused of inciting violence against the military…
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