Dozens of Egyptian youth awaited the high-profile poet Ahmed Fouad Negm for more than three hours to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the death of Shiekh Imam. In the end, Negm and the actors who participated in the al-Fagomi film did not participate in the event. Sheik Imam was the first political singer in the history of the Arab culture who was imprisoned. Those who did participate in the commemoration included actress Aza Balba, poet Michel Adel, singers Ahmed Ismail and Mohamed Mohsen, as well as al-Baraka vocal ensemble, which performed Sheikh Imam's songs. Egyptian publisher Mohamed Hashem presented one of Sheikh Imam's friends from Tunisia to participate in the commemoration, who told the attendees about Tunisian police harassment against them in Tunisia. Tunisian policemen were asking for Sheikh Imam's albums. Imam's friend highlighted what is happening now in Egypt is happening in Tunisia. He said an integration forum between Egyptian and Tunisian youth will be announced. The forum aims to support the democratic principles for which the Egyptians and Tunisians called for. The atmosphere changed when revolutionary singer Ramy Essam started to perform songs that he sang during the Egyptian January 25 Revolution. He apologized for not singing Imam's songs, but he wanted to avoid any mistakes. Essam managed to turn the imam's commemoration into a demonstration, protesting again the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis. Essam demanded the establishment of a civil state. Hashem strongly rebuked the torturing of Essam, stressing the main objective of the January 25 Revolution was to support freedom and refuse suppression against the youth of the revolution.
