„Beobachtend, verletzbar, stolz und konfrontierend – hier sind sieben Videos, die einen scharfen Blick auf die Ägyptische Revolution vom 25. Januar werfen. Nicht nur nehmen sie uns mit zurück in die Wogen der Euphorie und des Chaos vor drei Jahren, sie erinnern uns auch daran, dass Veränderung nicht durch Warten, sondern durch Aktionen geschieht,“ so ist im Blog zu lesen.
Die vorgestellten Videos sind sehr unterschiedlich. Mich persönlich haben sie vor allem als eindrückliche Ausdrucksformen politischer Musik fasziniert. Und sie sind mehr als ein Statement: sie halten auch die Energie der Proteste fest. Aber seht selbst.
„With references to quotations from political and social leaders such as Gandhi, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this cross-cultural collaboration between Arab, American, and Canadian artists did more than just declare solidarity with Egypt’s protesters: it spoke about revolution as a global struggle, with the quest for peace being one that spans all countries, cultures, and religions.„
„It is almost impossible to witness media coverage of the Egyptian revolution and not hear some sound clips from Ramy Essam. When the then 24-year-old struggling musician and architecture student traveled to Tahrir from his hometown Mansoura to take part in the January 25 protests, he paid close attention to the popular chants, strung them together into songs, and from there became an immediate sensation. Here, he reminds us of the most basic demands of protesters in Tahrir: bread, freedom, and social justice.„
„It takes a lot to turn a music video into effective political commentary. Singer-songwriter Youssra El Hawary is one of the best at doing this— armed with wit, smiles, and an accordion. Her song, “El Soor”, which was released in the spring of 2012, tells a simple enough story: a poor man stands against a wall erected by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, and pees on it–and those who built it. But El Hawary’s viral tune is, in fact, a biting criticism of political life in Egypt post-Jan25, masked in the innocent charm of lilting rhythms and playful melody.„
„One of the most innovative Arabic music videos to come out of 2012, City Band’s “Ana Mawgood,” released on the first anniversary of Egypt’s January 25 uprisings, simultaneously confronts the brutal violence carried out by the military against protesters, pays tribute to the youth who were killed, and declares its commitment to ensuring the continuing revolution does not lose momentum. Think Kiss-meets German Expressionism-meets Arabic flair.“
„Though written four years before the revolution, Arabian Knightz’s “Prisoner” was not made public until 2011, when its Internet release only days after January 25 made it the first song to come out of Egypt’s revolution. Immediately dubbed “Egypt’s revolution song” and including real-life footage of the country’s uprisings, the video was both a damning criticism of Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt government and a wakeup call for other Egyptian musicians to reject censorship and express themselves artistically.„
„While not a complex song by any means, what made half-pop, half-hip hop “Long Live Egypt” a semi- official anthem of the uprisings was its singability. The tune, which came out just one week after January 25th, is catchy, and the lyrics easy to remember. For the non-musically inclined protesters, it did not take too much musical skill to learn. More importantly, the song reminds us of the defiant idealism and hope that dominated the revolution’s early days, and the persistent unity Egyptians need to sustain in order to see it through.“
P.S.: Das siebte Video ist in Deutschland leider nicht verfügbar.
