The Sound of Music in Aid of the Revolution

News from the Egyptian Street and Media Translated Without Comment from Arabic into English As a Public Service
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The Egyptian Revolution lives on by its resort to music and films.  Since the age of the Pyramid builders, nearly 5000 years ago, Egypt integrated music, dance and festivals into its faith which evolved into monotheism

Not surprisingly, modern Egypt was the first in the Arab world to use the arts of music, song and story-telling to produce its films in the early 1930s, which have been the rage of the Arabic-speaking world.  Its opera theater was inaugurated in 1869 in the heart of Cairo by the opera "Aida" to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal.  This great opera was written by Verdi in celebration of that event which made Egypt the world's cross-roads and bridgeway. 

The names of Egypt's singers, like Umm Kalthoum, Muhammad Abdel-Wahab and Abdel-Haleem Hafez continue to be house-hold  names from the Atlantic to the Gulf.  Its historic film stars from Youssef Wahbi, to Anwar Wagdi, to the lovely Laila Murad, that great Egyptian woman singer of the Jewish faith (one of her great songs are eternalized in the film, "Ghazl El-Banat - the Girls Romance") continue to please, inspire and liberate the imagination.  The great song entitled "Don't Lie," in which a lover expresses his devastation at discovering that his girl friend was cheating on him made its woman singer, Nagat Al-Sagheerah, the heart throb of all Arabs.

Then came a long period of dearth: the dearth of military dictatorships which stunted the vibrancy of Egyptian society as represented by song, dance, music and performing arts for half a century.  And with dictatorship came a weird interpretation of Islam which depicted those arts as profane.  The descent of Egypt into darkness during the period preceding the Egyptian Revolution of January 25, 2011 proved that a great society deserves great art - the Key to Life (Ankh) inspired by the Pharaos.  The image of the Ankh is that of constant rebirth.  It is a key-like cross as a symbol of enduring life and generative energy.  The Revolution of January was not only led by youth; it infused Egypt with youthfulness through returning it to its true cultural heritage.  It is back to the future.

Now all Arab singing stars are converging on the Cairo International Stadium from June 21 to June 24 to celebrate Egypt's return to its artistic life.  That four day - all Arab event is entitled, "For You - Egypt."  A huge song and music fest led by Nancy Agram, Assy Al-Hibary, Hussein-Al-Gismy, Saber Al-Rubaie, and Shereen Abdel-Wahab to cite only a few from among 25 great singers covering the length and breadth of the Arab World.  They are all volunteering their great talent, with the proceeds going to charities and the families of those nearly 900 martyrs who dared to stand up to the Mubarak goons to say "No to Fear!  Yes to Democracy!"  Out with the goons; in with the music and songs for the heart of the Arab lands.

A historic events like this one is under the sponsorship of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, Egyptair, the Ministry of Social Interdependency, and the Cairo International Stadium Authority.  Commenting on that huge artistic event, Egypt's Minister of Culture, Dr. Emad Abu-Ghazy said: "Culture is not at war with religion.  Our concern is the development of the re-discovered citizenship which accepts the other, within secularism, democracy and political participation."

The sound of music is shrinking the sound of religious lunacy which helped produce Osama Bin Laden, 9/11, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the likes of Terry Jones (the Quran burner). 

At the Cairo new opera theater (the original building of the Opera theater was consumed by fire in 1973), an event was held in honor of a great opera figure, Ziad Bakeer, who was martyred during the January 25 Revolution.  Two thousand mourners participated as the singer Aly Al-Haggar sang, and the Cairo Opera Company performed a new ballet entitled "The Revolt of the People" choreographed by Arminia Kamel with music by the young composer Kareem Abdel-Wahab. 

Art is a true-revolutionary weapon of mass re-construction!!