Media Type:

Graffiti


Title

Syrian Revolution in Tahrir

Subject

Graffiti/Street Art

Description

"The people want the fall of the regime". This graffiti image, depicting Syrian president Bashar al Assad, expresses solidarity with Syrians seeking to topple the Syrian regime.
Inspired by events in Egypt and Tunisia, Syrians began protesting against the Syrian government in March 2011. What began as peaceful protests descended into armed conflict by the summer of 2011, as government forces used extreme violence against protesters. Following the intervention of regional and international actors, the situation developed into a civil war that was still ongoing at the time of writing.
The artist, El Teneen, became well-known after the fall of Hosni Mubarak for his political graffiti opposing military rule. This image suggests the existence of solidarity amongst Egyptians with other Arabs opposing their respective dictators in 2011. However, by 2013, the public mood had somewhat shifted with many Egyptians associating support for the Syrian uprising, which was dominated by Islamist groups, with the increasingly unpopular rule of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi and his sectarian discourse.

Creator

El Teneen

Publisher

Suzee in the City blog

Date Published

Rights

Suzee in the City

Language

Arabic

Date Created

11/08/2011

Citation

El Teneen, “Syrian Revolution in Tahrir,” Politics, Popular Culture and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, accessed December 13, 2024, https://egyptrevolution2011.ac.uk/items/show/90.

Output Formats


Media

040-11.jpg

Translation

Text on the right (left of Bashar al-Assad’s image): “King of the jungle, riding a tank”,
Text to the left (right of Assad): “the people demand the fall of the regime”