Free the Creative Space

“I posted it. I’m probably going to go to prison now,” my friend said with a laugh, of a picture she had drawn symbolizing her view of the January 25 Revolution, which she had posted on Instagram.

She would not admit it but part of her was scared it would get her in trouble. She expresses the feelings and thoughts that she could not put into words through art. Yet, she does not feel that she is at full liberty to do so.

And she is not alone.

Artists, writers, poets, musicians, actors and directors alike might find themselves in the same situation since artistic freedom is a questionable issue in Egypt.

I find that generally, there are two types of barriers to artistic freedom in this country, one formal and another informal. The former is administered by the state-recognized censorship authority (el reqaba) and the latter is a much harsher – maybe even illegitimate – “disciplinary” action, such as what my friend feared.

Harsh actions should be a thing of the past as Article 67 of the 2014 Egyptian constitution clearly states, “Freedom of artistic and literary creativity is guaranteed.”

However, the fear persists as ghosts of past regimes continue to haunt artists and even now, freedoms in general may exist nominally more than they do in reality.

The censorship authority on the other hand, is a gray cloud that hovers over every artistic and literary creation in the country.

The censorship authority tightly surveys what could be portrayed and instills restrictions with the purpose of maintaining order and modesty.

Some Egyptian audiences add to the work of the censorship authority by believing in the necessity of such limitations.

They find that there is no place for frank portrayal of societal malfunctions and issues that are taboo.

They fear losing our social identity – an identity which some appear unable to accept is changing.

Yet, I think that at the least a portion of the society secretly yearns for artistic work that express the truth, or variations of the truth, that are different from those the audience is accustomed to.

Ahmed Fouad Negm’s truthful poetry that led to his frequent imprisonment resonated with Egyptians and his work was widely appreciated.

Khaled Youssef’s highly acclaimed films, such as Heena Maysara, which painfully portrayed areas of real Egyptian life, broke societal rules of decency and awoke audiences from a comfortable denial.

Even comedic movies, such as Ramy Imam’s Hassan w Morkos and Khaled Marei’s Assal Eswed, rendered bits and pieces of truth and reality and were widely popular.

Mohamed Mounir’s revolutionary song Ezay was powerful and loved – albeit a part of a general hype of patriotism. It was a testimony to the political events at the time and spoke of the harshness of life in Egypt.

Mahshrou’ Leila, Lebanese alternative rock band, proved to have a substantial AUC fan base who admire their music for the daring lyrics that shed light on the many hushed aspects of the Arab society.

Maybe a proper rating system classified by audience age for films,music and other works of art as that adopted in the West should be implemented.

This would allow artists to create for their appropriate audiences regardless of the content of their creation but creativity should not be restricted.

Creativity is borne from emotions and ideas and fuelled by inspiration. It is not a carefully calculated task and so it could not be treated as such and confined to predefined limitations.

Artists are subliminally being discouraged from “thinking outside the box” and encouraged to find comfort within it instead. However, punching holes in the heavily boarded box could be incitement in itself.