Women in hip-hop music? Forget Nicki Minaj, let’s talk about Soultana, Malikah and Shadia Mansour.
The growing hip hop scene in the Middle East and North Africa, often highly political and under a mix of influence from Near Eastern musical traditions to Tupac, has a fabulously strong-voiced…
—“In The Name of Freedom (بأسم الحرية).” This song is a wonderful piece of Syrian protest music being sung by the brother of Ibrahim Qashoush (he isn’t identified by name, understandably). Ibrahim Qashoush was the singer (an amateur poet who found his lyrical calling in the Syrian uprising) from Hama who wrote “Yalla Irhal Ya Bashar (Go On Leave Bashar),” the most famous anthem of the Syrian revolution so far. It earned him fame among the protesters and the nickname “Nightingale of the Revolution.” It also earned him the attention of the regime and he was brutally murdered by Syrian security forces this summer, with his vocal cords cut out as an obvious message. It seems his brother has picked up his role.
[YouTube]
Be scared of us, government!
I took this photo about 1.5 weeks ago. The graffito is on Qasr Al-Nil Street in downtown Cairo.
Tahrir Square
NOW
Graffito by Keizer on the wall of the Ministry of Agriculture in Dokki.
An Incomplete List of the Best Protest Slogans and Revolutionary Catchphrases of 2011.
- الشعب يريد اسقاط النظام/Asha’ab yurīd isqāt anizām
“The people want the fall of the regime” and it’s variations (The people want the fall of the Makhzen (ruling elite in Morocco), or the Field Marshal) is probably the most classic and well-known of all the chants. Its simplicity and versatility and its place in 2011’s incredible politics make it the shoo-in for first place on this list
- We are the 99%
This has been an inescapable slogan, and has resonated very powerfully with people’s experiences of economic injustice around the world, becoming a rallying cry and a point of unification for Occupiers.
- ارحل/Irhal!
The command, Leave!, is directed at despots, from Ali Abdullah Saleh to Field Marshal Tantawi. Another versatile protest chant that has been heard in revolutionary music, painted on faces and walls and shouted in the streets countless times over thecourse of 2011.
- يمكنك ان تدهس الورود، لكنك لا تستطيع ان تؤخر الربيع
“You can trample the roses but you cannot delay the spring” hardly has the ubiquity of “Asha’ab yurīd isqāt anizzām,” but happens to be one of my personal favorites.
- Strike like an Egyptian.
An expression of admiration and solidarity, playing on “Walk like an Egyptian,” acknowledging the incredible influence of the North African revolutions.
- The people are too big to fail.
The play on the famous phrase said about banks captures perfectly the intentions of the Occupiers and the potency of the Occupy movement.
- كن مع الثورة/Kun ma’ athawra
A beautiful sentiment: be with the revolution. Based on the saying “Be with Allah.”
- We are the power!
One of the more popular ones heard in recent Russian protests against Putin’s governance and rigged parliamentary elections.
- هو يمشي مش هنمشي/”Huwa yimshī mish hanimshī.”
This very catchy phrase, in Egyptian dialect, means “he will leave and we will not!”
Extras: Watch the teaser clip of director Stephen Savona’s documentary “Tahrir,” featuring footage of Egyptian protest chants. And watch Egyptian singer Ramy Essam perform his song “Irhal,” featuring a number of popular chants.
(Thanks to @ArabRevRap for input on this post!)
Any slogans in particular that you felt were amazing or influential in global protests this year?
Luz Hernandez CULF3331.08 SP2012: MIDDLE EASTERN REVOLUTIONS
