Last week, Mashrou3 Al-Mareekh (Mars Project) celebrated their 18th open mic event hosted at Downtown's Makan cultural and art center, with visiting presenter and renowned international art activist Anas ‘Andy' Shallal. According to Mariam El-Quessny, founder of the Mars Project, “The program acts as an umbrella for various initiatives to promote self-expression amongst Egyptians within their culture and opportunities to perform in front of their community.” Under the umbrella, projects like Microphone Al-Mareekh (formerly known as Project Yourself), facilitates monthly open mic events in the greater and surrounding Cairo area. The project seeks to gather amateur and emerging performers from various governorates under the ideals and the dire importance of creative self-expression. Founded in 2009, Microphone Al-Mareekh has held 18 open mic nights featuring a range of performances including slam poetry, stand-up comedy, music and spoken word segments. Since its formation, the program has gained increased popularity due to El-Quessny's commitment to creating a movement dedicated to promoting the idea of self-expression amongst locals, providing platforms for projection and a network of performers and peers with a similar vision. One such peer and mentor is Andy Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur who recently visited Egypt on a US embassy-sponsored cultural dialogue program. Under his long list of accomplishments, Shallal's most notable contribution to the world of activism comes in the form his restaurant chain “Busboys and Poets” — a crossbreed between politics, art and food. The Washington DC-based “Busboys and Poets” café and art programs have received increased notoriety in the nation's capital — the average clientele ranging from local starving artists to political and literary figures such as first lady Michelle Obama and writer Howard Zinn. Founded in 2005 on U Street in Northwest Washington DC, each of the four restaurant locations include a bookstore, lounge, theater and act as a breading ground for socio-political dialoged and artistic collaborations. Shallal, the long-time peace activist and artist, told Daily News Egypt, “Through Busboys and Poets, I wanted to give social and political activist a place to network, discuss and create, and what better way to gather than over food. “The concept was designed as a place where people from different incomes, races and identities who often segregated themselves in their dining habits, could come together to exchange ideas and eat.” Born in Iraq, Shallal left the country with his family at age 11 when Saddam Hussein came into power. At the time, Shallal's father was a representative of the Arab League, propelling him to become politicized at an impressionably young age. As an artist, he is best known for his politically infused murals visible around Washington DC and, of course, within his many restaurants. As an activist, he has received immense recognition for his opposition against the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his various peace initiatives. His activism roster includes being a spokesperson for the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), a board member of The Institute for Policy Studies (IPC) and Washington Peace Center, focusing on social justice and peace issues. This past week, Shallal visited Egypt hoping to spread the idea of socio-political dialogue through art, encouraging the importance of freedom of speech and providing platforms for expression. “Artists tend to connect to each other very rapidly and art has a way of reaching people very quickly, and rather deeply,” Shallal said. “Therefore it is important to have platforms for artists' communication and interaction.” His recent Egypt-based activism itinerary included running open mics and workshops in cultural centers like Darb 1718 and Alexandria's Clay Café, after which, participants presented their poetry, spoken word and stand-up comedy. “What makes an open mic rich is that it's low in cost, making it an honest and accessible platform for free expression,” Shallal said. In his time here, Shallal also gave a training session on creativity and public presentation under the US embassy's program, “Envisioning Tomorrow” (Shayfeen Bukra). Egyptians nationwide, were invited to submit a 45-second video clip with their reactions to the topic. When asked about his impression of Egypt, Shallal said, “There is a vibrant art movement here; cities with the historical background of Cairo and Alexandria are bound to have loads of artists. Yet it seems, the main issue is the lack of work and performance spaces. “I wasn't surprised to find out how sophisticated the culture is here [in Egypt]. Artistically, the country doesn't have far to go before it flourishes.” That being said, projects like, Microphone Al-Mareekh, are on the forefront of encouraging activism and freedom of expression through organic platforms like open mics, creating an accessible hub for progressives. “The goal is to spread the idea of self-expression and allow people to empower themselves, even if only for a little while,” El-Quessny said. To view Mashrou3 Al-Mareekh's upcoming events, visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Mashrou3AlMareekh
