Egyptian artists and writers have different visions for a new Egypt, expressing various wishes for an ideal new society, says Rania Khallaf Two weeks after former president Hosni Mubarak finally decided to step down, Egypt's artists and writers remain divided about their visions of the revolution and the proper way to reform society. According to Nadeen Shams, a scriptwriter and one of the organisers of Thursday's Artists' March the day before Mubarak's departure for Sharm El-Sheikh, the revolution is the "greatest event that has happened in Egypt's modern history because it was a peaceful revolution, much like the peaceful nature of Egyptian people. People who used to behave before as if they were covered with dust can now raise their heads high, being eager to participate and to choose their own rulers." According to Shams, herself in her late 30s, the country is in a state of "careful expectation". The "revolution is not over yet," she cautions. "We need to keep the flame alight." "Culture is one of the fields where corruption prevailed over the last 30 years," she continues, "leading to a deterioration in the quality of cultural production. The National Centre for Cinema used to have an unclear agenda for producing films. In the future, I hope that the ministry of culture will set fair criteria and reasonable budgets for young artists to produce documentary and short fiction films." Getting rid of censorship is another step that should be taken to produce higher-quality films able to compete in the world market, she says. "This would change the mentality of scriptwriters and would make criticism of the social and economic conditions more genuine." For Sara Mustafa, a photographer and teacher of photography at the German University in Cairo, said that although she has lived almost her entire life under the dictatorial regime, in which cultural production was often "shallow, obscure and marginal," she is more ambitious and hopeful now than she has ever been. Instead of calling on the government to give more support for cultural activities, Mustafa, 33, suggested that it was now time for every Egyptian to give something from themselves. "I want everybody to collaborate under one slogan: we want Egypt to be different, cleaner and more civilised," she said. "Before we press cultural demands, we should realise that there are people in this country living in shanty towns and graveyards, people who are living under the poverty line, as well as an increasing number of homeless children. I want these things to disappear," she said. Last Thursday, members of the country's Artists Syndicate convened to change the head of the syndicate as well as members of its board. "The last board was part of the corrupt regime, and it had adopting its vague and unbalanced policies," Mustafa continued. "Galleries attached to the ministry of culture should be available to all artists, not only to those who support the regime. Every gallery should have its own strategy, and there should be a project to enlist all the artists working in Egypt." According to Emadeddin Abu Ghazi, a professor of Arabic Literature at Cairo University and general-secretary of the Supreme Council for Culture (SCC), the real achievement of the revolution was the wave of enthusiasm brought by young people who proved that they could take on almost any responsibility. "We used to criticise the younger generation, accusing young people of superficiality. But now I can say that they are way better than our generation," Abu Ghazi commented. "What they have achieved in less than three weeks will open the door to real democratic transition. We need to protect this achievement, so that Egypt can be a genuine civil state," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Abu Ghazi also echoed calls to change censorship regulations specifying age categories for films and cancelling censorship on foreign books imported into Egypt. Regarding his vision for the SCC, Abu Ghazi said that he wanted young people to take control of the administration of the Council because they had energy and vision and in order to increase young people's representation on the Council's committees. Hazem Chahin, a brilliant young lute player, was also a participant in the demonstrations. "I found the real Egypt there, and I was reborn a new man," he told the Weekly. Chahin, founder and vocalist of Eskendrella, one of the most popular bands in Egypt, said that he believed the revolution had not ended. "There are cultural and artistic forms that should be changed or 'revolutionalized'. We are fed up with the traditional musical forms." The state media should cover the increasing number of young people's bands, and freedom should be "inhaled" by everyone. "Support for outstanding musical bands and other cultural forms is one way to build our new society," Chahin argued. For Dalia Ibrahim, head of the Nahdet Masr publishing house, young people should also be the focus of publishers over the coming years. The real achievement of the revolution, she said, was that Egyptians have become determined and have broken through the barrier of fear. "This new sense of morale will definitely infect the social and economic aspects of our society. Nahdet Masr started publishing a youth encyclopedia two years ago, together with a series of books entitled Twenties written by young people in their twenties and discussing social problems." Ibrahim told the Weekly that now that freedom of expression is no longer restricted, all the country's publishing houses should make youth issues and young people's creative writings their top priorities. Just as importantly, she continued, investors should be encouraged to invest in Egypt. "Foreign investors are reluctant now more than ever to invest in Egypt, and so it is time for national investors to show their love for their country." Last week, Nahdet Masr, known for its educational books, started an initiative to help develop the educational system. "We announced a series of workshops in which experts will discuss issues related to education, such as the status of teachers, the curriculum, the educational process, the status of schools and classes, and the role of parents, among other things," Ibrahim said. The results will be submitted to the new minister of education and published in the press. According to Mohamed El-Ashri, a prominent novelist from the generation of the 1990s, the main achievement of the revolution was that people managed to "free their country from the dictatorial regime, a regime that had deprived the people of their citizenship and their sense of belonging to their country." "I think that what is important now is to enhance the role of intellectuals in society. The time is now ripe for Egypt to have a real cultural life, one that is devoted to raising knowledge and that works towards eliminating illiteracy," he said. Cultural development and better education are factors that can push Egypt forward and help the country attain the goals of the youth revolution. For Amir Salaheddin, vocalist with Black Thema, one of the most popular bands in Egypt, the most important reform would be for Egyptian people to change their own behaviour. "Fear and corruption prevailed under the former regime. Now it is time for each of us to start all over again and work sincerely for the development of the country," he told the Weekly. Salaheddin termed the revolution an "ethical revolution, one that can put an end to corruption and the standards of artistic taste." Black Thema has long performed "revolutionary songs," such as Zahma (crowdedness), and Bahar (sailor), popular among young people because they advocated freedom and political and social change. "As a result, we were not allowed to perform in open areas, such as the open theatre at the Cairo Opera House." Yet, on the day after Mubarak's departure Black Thema was in Tahrir Square to celebrate the victory with millions of other Egyptians. "It was like a dream come true," Salaheddin said joyfully. "I wish celebrations in public areas would never cease. Celebrations should take place in all the main squares in all the governorates, so that all Egyptians will be able to feel the joy of victory." Alaa Khaled, a prominent novelist and poet, also said that the cultural milieu under the former regime had been corrupt. "It is time to build a new atmosphere, ruled by healthy mechanisms," he told the Weekly. By "mechanisms," he meant dialogue between different literary generations and the emergence of genuinely critical standards, Khaled said. The founder and editor of a literary magazine called Amkena (Places), based in Alexandria, he said that the cultural field in Egypt had been a "wasteland" for years: there was a tree or bush here or there, but there was no real garden. "The Writers Union should be dissolved," he argued. "At best, it is a kind of syndicate or trade union providing social services and not a place where writers can engage in real debate." There should also be an end to the centralisation of power in Cairo as a first step towards cultural reform. "The media should not all be located in the capital, leaving the rest of the country marginalised," Khaled said, adding that ways had to be found for realising the demonstrators' demand for social justice. "Narrowing the gap between the social classes is the only way for society to regain its stability and for citizens to regain their dignity," he said. Haitham Nawwar, a graphic and video artist and a teacher at the German University, said that social development could be the revolution's greatest achievement. "The fact that middle-class youth led this revolution, and then came out into the streets to clean up afterwards, should help dissolve the discrepancies between the social classes. People of all classes are now ready to behave collectively and feel that they at last belong to one country." Nawwar, who was supervising a workshop for Egyptian students at the German University's campus in Zurich when the revolution broke out, said that he was hopeful that a new visual culture would now prevail in Egypt, now that corruption has receded. The workshop resulted in an exhibition focusing on young artists' visions of the revolution, attracting media attention and audiences from across Switzerland. Nawwar said that enhancing the role of private cultural organisations would have a positive impact on the development of civil society. He gave the example of the Sawy Cultural Wheel in Cairo, a model that could be followed in different governorates. "People should be encouraged to form cultural centres with different aims," he suggested. Private cultural centres in Europe provide literary services, studios, scholarships for experimental art and interdisciplinary projects, he said, where artists, engineers, scientists and writers work together to accomplish applied arts projects. "I would like to see this happening in Egypt, and I think this is one of the necessary steps towards a collective social and cultural movement." Ahmed Maher, a film director and participant in the demonstrations, echoed views that the overthrow of the former corrupt regime would result in toppling corrupt ethical and cultural practices. Maher, 41, whose debut film The Traveller received generous financing two years ago from the Ministry of Culture presided over by former minister Farouk Hosni, believes that the state should resume its role in financing high-quality productions and should end "political considerations and under- the-table deals. Censorship should also be got rid of, and international cultural festivals should be run by efficient officials within a democratic framework," he said. Maher argued that it was also important to institute an open-door policy in the cultural field, meaning that state and private cultural organisations should be free to import as many cultural products as they liked from as many different countries as possible and not just focus on American culture. "People have the right to know and to judge for themselves," he said.
