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Timeline: One Year Of Artists' Struggle For Egypt 's Cultural Identity

By Countercurrents.org

30 June, 2013
Countercurrents.org

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Banner in front of the ministry of culture reads: Sit-in. A group of artists occupied the ministry's halls.
(Photo: Ati Metwaly)

Artists and intellectuals in Egypt are heroically struggling against “brotherhoodization” of Egypt 's culture. It has turned out as their daily struggle. They are joining the June 30 protest in Tahrir Square .

Since Morsi's appointment as president of Egypt in June 2012, his policies have triggered discontent in the arts and culture community in the country. The following timeline prepared by Ahram Online on June 27, 2013 points to the main developments in Egypt 's arts and culture scene in the last 12 months. The incidents show the continuing struggle within the society.

During the year of his rule, several protests have been staged by the cultural community, opposing the government's attacks on the Egyptian cultural identity, as perceived by the artists.

The appointment of Alaa Abdel-Aziz as the new Minister of Culture has only additionally fuelled the enraged cultural scene.

2012

September 1

Sheikh Abdallah Badr says on El-Hafez television channel that actress "Elham Shahin is cursed and she will never enter heaven." Shahin later files a case against the conservative sheikh who criticized her several times.

September 2

Hundreds of Egyptian writers and artists stage a protest in front of the Shura Council (parliament's upper house) building to protest the first leaked drafts of the constitution that was being written by the Constituent Assembly.

Protesters demanded the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, which they described as "illegitimate." Protesters argued that the members of the current Assembly were not elected and do not represent the wide range of Egyptian society. They said that the Assembly is part of the 'Brotherhoodisation' of the country, as its members only reflect the views of the Muslim Brotherhood.

September 6

President Morsi meets a group of prominent artists and intellectuals to discuss the future of art and creativity in Egypt . A number of the artists invited, however, refused to attend the event. According to the attendees, the president expressed that he appreciates ‘meaningful' arts, yet did not discuss any clear plans for the culture field. He condemned the attack on actress Elham Shahin by a Salafi sheikh.

October 28

A concert that was to be held in Minya to affirm the unity of Muslims and Copts during Eid Al-Adha (the Muslim feast of sacrifice) is cancelled. Entitled “From the Heart of Egypt, Hand in Hand,” the concert included performances by several alternative bands; it was reportedly stopped by a group of Salafists and other Islamists who stood at the entrance to the concert, preventing people from going in after the event had already begun.

November 9

Underground musicians stage a protest outside of El-Sawy Culturewheel centre in Cairo to press for a resolution of the pending issues between the syndicate and independent musicians.

November 17

A Cairo misdemeanor court sentenced Islamic preacher Abdullah Badr to a year in jail and set bail at LE20,000 for insulting known actress Elham Shahin on El-Hafez television channel.

November 27

Anti-Morsi opposition march by several hundred artists moves from the grounds near the Cairo Opera House to Tahrir Square . The crowd included members of the music and film syndicates, among many others.

December 13

Several cultural coalitions, along with independent artists and intellectuals march to Tahrir Square in support of freedom of expression and against the referendum on Egypt 's constitution.

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Artists march to Tahrir for freedom of expression on 13 December 2012 (Photo: Rowan El Shimi)

2013

May 7

President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle includes the appointment of Alaa Abdel-Aziz as Egypt 's sixth minister of culture since January 2011 Tahrir Square uprising.

Following the appointment, Abdel-Aziz was rejected by the community of artists and intellectuals, on grounds of allegedly attempting to 'Brotherhoodise' the Egyptian arts scene. Days after his appointment, Abdel-Aziz placed five members of the Freedom and Justice Party inside the Ministry of Culture. One of them took charge of all external communication of the ministry, according to the employees at the Ministry of Culture.

May 12

Culture Minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz sacks the head of the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) Ahmed Megahed without explanation, outraging intellectuals and writers. Writer and journalist Osama Afifi resigned from his post as the Chief Editor of Al-Majalla cultural magazine, published by the GEBO in protest for sacking Megahed.

May 13

An old dispute between Arts academy director Sameh Mahran and the Culture Minister Abdel-Aziz surfaces quicker than expected, taking a scandalous bend. The Egyptian Academy of Arts hosted a conference to protest President Morsi's appointment.

May 14

Members of artists and intellectuals community march from Cairo Opera House to newly-appointed minister's office to protest alleged 'Brotherhoodisation' of Egyptian culture.

May 27

The minister dismisses Salah El-Meligy, head of the Fine Arts Sector.

May 29

Minister of Culture fires Ines Abdel Dayem, chairperson of the Cairo Opera House.

In response, artists hold a large protest at the Cairo Opera House grounds and freeze performance of the opera Aida with an on-stage strike.

May 29

Said Tawfiq, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Culture, resigns from his post in protest against the series of dismissals by Alaa Abdel-Aziz and opposing the minister's alleged 'Brotherhoodisation' of the Egyptian culture.

May 30

Bahaa Taher, renowned Egyptian novelist and winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008, resigns from the Supreme Council for Culture, where he was a honorary member. Taher's resignation came as a protest against the culture minister's decision to fire a number of key culture officials in recent days, including the head of the opera house.

Egyptian artists and intellectuals protest recent culture ministry decisions and demand dismissal of Morsi-appointed minister.

June 1

Cairo Symphony Orchestra carries out on-stage strike. Artists from the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, supported by the Opera's musicians and staff, announced their continuation of their strike in place of concert by world-class pianist Ramzi Yassa. Several crucial figures from Egypt 's arts and culture scene joined on stage.

June 2

Angry Egyptian artists trap culture minister in ministerial building in Cairo for hours.

June 3

Head of the ministry's foreign relations sector, Professor Camillia Sobhy resigns. She resigned to add her voice to the protesters that accuse the culture minister of implementing an agenda to destroy and Islamize Egyptian culture, thus changing the national identity to serve the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood.

June 5

Artists storm the Ministry of Culture building in Cairo .

The employees of the Ministry of Culture use the general commotion to expel the members of the Freedom and Justice Party from the ministerial building.

June 6

Artists launch artistic activities on the street in front of the ministry in Cairo as the sit-in inside the ministry continues.

June 9

National Archives head Abdel-Wahed El-Nabawe is sacked by Culture Minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz.

Dancers perform Zorba ballet as part of the protest outside the occupied Ministry of Culture in Cairo .

June 10

The new head of the Egyptian National Library and Archives, Khaled Fahmy, states openly that he has Islamist leanings.

June 11

Muslim Brotherhood supporters try to break up sit-in by artists outside Ministry of Culture in Cairo , several police injured.

June 14

Shababeek Culture Centre in Cairo hosts events to raise awareness on artists' and intellectuals' ongoing protests.

June 15

Ongoing protests against newly-appointed culture minister and alleged 'Brotherhoodisation' of culture spread to Egypt 's second city, Alexandria .

June 17

Following a meeting, Egypt 's Supreme Culture Council members declare they do not recognize the Morsi-appointed Culture Minister Abdel-Aziz and will sue him for libel.

June 18

Ahram Online visits sit-in at Beram El-Tonsy theatre in Alexandria as it enters fourth day; artists insist movement bigger than culture minister discontent.

June 21

Joining world celebrations of music, many artists from the Cairo Opera House perform on the street in front of the culture ministry in Cairo where ongoing protests against the minister's policies enters a third week.

June 24

Unidentified assailants attack a nine-day-old sit-in at Alexandria 's Beram El-Tonsy Theatre, injuring several activists.

June 26

Rehearsals for the ballet Zorba, scheduled to run at the Cairo Opera House from July 4 to July 8, continue - despite statements by Shura Council MP calling ballet "art of nudity."

Artists' march

A group of Egyptian artists and intellectuals who have been protesting the appointment of a new culture minister since May are joining the June 30, 2013 anti-government protests.

Earlier, Maha Effat, the spokesman for the group of artists and intellectuals who have been occupying parts of the ministry of culture since 5 May, informed of their planned march to Tahrir Square .

The artists were joined by other groups of artists. Then they all marched to Tahrir Square ."

Effat stressed that the occupation of the culture ministry will continue.

Effat said: Artists and intellectuals will not give up until " Egypt is completely liberated from the current regime."

"Over the past 25 days of the ministry occupation, we showed the Egyptian people that we are entitled to claim our institutions. Neither ministry of culture, nor any other governmental institution, can be taken by the hands of the current regime," Effat said, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood. "We have to liberate the whole Egypt from their influence."

Art performances including concert by renowned musician Ali El-Haggar and performance of parts of the ballet Zorba are being held daily in front of the occupied cultural ministry that.

On June 5, dozens of prominent artists and intellectuals broke into Egypt 's ministry of culture, declaring an open-ended sit-in inside the building until minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz is replaced.

The current crisis in Egypt 's cultural scene started in May when the culture minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz took office, despite opposition to the relatively unknown figure's appointment from many within the culture scene. The opposition became more heated when Abdel-Aziz began a series of dismissals of key figures within

 

 

 




 

 


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