The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

‘I want to see another President before I
die, free-hand graffiti on the wall of a well-revered bar in Downtown Cairo reads
quite frankly.

During the first eighteen days of Egypt’s January
25th revolution, free expression rang out in Tahrir Square, where banners adorned high-rise
balconies, rock installations spelled out slogans on the pavement, and even a
painting centre was organised for individuals to put their imagination onto
canvas. Given the vibrant culture that this ancient city is widely known for,
the revolution’s creativity should come as no surprise.

It didn’t stop at Tahrir, though. Expanding through Downtown alleyways, across
bridges and into neighbourhoods such as Dokki and Heliopolis, Cairene artists and non-artists
alike projected their perspectives onto the walls of the city. Akin to the
political street art movement in the late 1960s of Amsterdam
and Paris, it
came in the form of slogans, murals, stencils and stickers.

Where the original artwork was primarily
focused on protestors’ demands and the regime’s fall, the Egyptian sense of humour was never
lacking. While statements for the end of sectarian strife were also popular, on
the darkest of days, words like ‘Mubarak = Sadness’ were found scribbled on
walls. Yet just hours after Mubarak’s resignation, a group of school-aged
students began painting a collage of murals with beautiful images of freedom,
victory and triumph.

‘The city is becoming an open air museum,’
says 28-year-old local designer and artist Ganzeer. During the revolution,
Ganzeer posted free graphic templates on his blog that could
be used on t-shirts, posters and walls as anti-regime
statements. ‘I figured there were a lot of people out there who would like to
make their own signs, but not necessarily have the means or knowledge to do so.
I’m not entirely sure if it really helped anybody, though.’

One week after Mubarak’s resignation, a
team of individuals set out to create the first mural of the Martyr Mural Project; in honour of Seif
Allah Moustafa, a sixteen-year-old killed during the protests. As the project’s
organizer, Ganzeer explained the project’s rationale: ‘Cairo is a city of many walls, many idle
walls that could use some decoration anyway. By painting these walls with
portraits of martyrs, we are honouring the brave heroes, reminding ourselves
about the cause of the revolution and desire for improving the Egyptian way of
life.’

Located on an electrical outlet building
in front of the Supreme Court in Downtown Cairo, the first mural quickly became
an incredible community effort. Neighbours in nearby areas began to pitch in; passers-by’s
would stop out of curiosity. They brought ladders and buckets of paint and lent
a hand wherever they could. Ten hours later, the last stencil came down and the
final product was revealed. With over 500 martyrs who fell during those
eighteen days of revolt, the project’s planned end will be when the last face
goes up.

The latest street art activity might leave some questioning as to if the
art will birth a new movement, in and of itself. Will
Cairo be the new Berlin, where a dynamic street art scene
took hold with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989? Berlin, where the text provides a unique understanding
of the city and images both entertain and educate, leaving reminders of decades
past? Whether Cairo
is the new Berlin or not; there’s one thing that
we do know for sure: the streets of Egypt will never be the same.

Over the course of six weeks, this
peaceful weapon of resistance has provided the local community with a fresh
method of expression and means for communicating important messages. Furthermore,
in a city of over twenty million people; the art becomes far-reaching, available
for the public to experience. Emblematic in memory, it will always serve as a
reminder of the revolution that not only shook Egypt but has also touched the
entire world.

To check out the latest street art around Cairo, start in Downtown and do a little
exploring for yourself. Where Tahrir
Square meets Mohamed Mahmoud Street is a great place
to start. Check out the student murals and wind your way through the streets to
catch more graffiti and stencilled graphics along the way.