As I’ve said in the first piece of this report,nobody can create a list of those great women, and I dont want to forget unforgettable characters like:Inas Mekkawy :The co-founder of “Baheya Ya Masr”, or they identify themselves with : “We are a movement of public pressure to establish citizenship rights for Egyptian men and women” organized a lot of marches,stands and sit-ins supporting their vision. I can only mention some of the brilliant tough workers in this movement like: Hanan El Badawy , Reham & Shaymaa Salem.
Bothaina Kamel:She’s the first and only woman who ran for presidential election in the history of Egypt, and in 2012 elections she may not collected a lot of votes,but she was a role model of being solid and tough woman and gives what it takes to defend their principles and believes. She’s TV presenter and she was fired by old regime media minister and came back to work in the national TV after the revolution, and she’s keeping criticizing the current system as she used to do with the fallen one.in that field we can find similar examples like Passant Hassan, or Dina Abdel Rahman and Gamila Ismail who is also an ex-TV presenter who ran for senators’ elections in 2011 with a history of supporting her ex-husband the former oppositionist who recently showed that he didn’t even deserve that priceless support by allying with the current fascist authority.
Independent art and culture figures:Basma El Husseiny :The mother Teresa of Independent culture scene in Egypt and Arab world,she’s the managing director of Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy foundation (Cultural Resource)She’s been so devoting to attend who really deserves support from Arab authentic and genuine artists.
She also has developed her small army of promising upcoming cultural managers not only in Egypt (her associates: Marwa Helmy, Wesam Ragab, or Dina El Deeb and Sarah Nour) but also all over the Arab world (Rana Yazaji (Syria),Hanan Hajj Ali (Lebanon), Fatin Farahat (Palestine) etc..)When we mention the independent culture in Egypt, or we can’t forget the heroes behind El Fan Midan (The Art Square) the most effective independent event,which is being held in 16 provenances in Egypt on regular monthly basis, giving a space and a genuine chance for creative and artists from so many aspects to express themselves clearly and all for free to encourage the audience who never been to an Opera House or attend a concert or to taste art, and interact.Safaa Youssef Fekri,Rania Ibrahim, Lama Badawy and Horeya El Sayed are some of the devoted champions behind this great work.
Fayrouz Karawya:She’s tough to be defined or classified; she studied medicine, and music,and theatrical directing! She even has a master degree in anthropology! She sings, she writes opinion columns, and she’s planning to act. Beside her other involvements in the cultural scene.
She participates in the scene fully with all what she got,delivering her message not from close studio or above the stage in a fancy venue, she goes to the streets marching and chanting for freedom, or among the genuine people,to touch and feel the authentic experiment, smashing the concept of the body-guarded artist.
Warrior princess like her and Youssra El Hawary, or Dina El Wedidi,Nagham & Maryam Saleh in singing and music field, Cherine Thabet and Isis Khalil in Online Blogging, and Ayten Amin,Mona Iraqi and Marwa Zein in Filmmaking .. And hundreds of brilliant and genius initiators with all their success stories are great survivors and represent inspiring role models for those who really involved to emerge and achieve in such hostile environment.
Egypt is a very valid example of how Arab men think, dominate and control women, and despite all the fraudulent and hypocrite fuss of freedom of expression,equality, women rights, and modernity..etc.
Still the Streetman stare at any female passing stab her flesh with his rude looks,neglecting-with maximum amount of duality- any ethics and morals, he keeps blah-blahing all the time with.
Women in Egypt can’t think freely, or can’t act freely,can’t choose for themselves, can’t even wear what they want and walk in the streets in peace. Not with the same severity, or but all in its degree,in some regions women never see the street! Not to mention to memorize to read and write! The famous quote there is “from her father’s house to her husband’ house to the grave!FGM and harassments (verbal and physical) are things also supposed to extinct in 2013 not to be done on daily basis!These disease are things Egyptians used to, but the worse news is that the Islamists fascism ruling with their close-minded ex-felons and murderers who became overnight politicians and writing the nation structure!I can’t even imagine how those going to limit the women role; and affect their space which is already narrow; they only see women for two things!They already started, and they went after Doaa El Adl,the Cartoonist, accusing her with defamation of religions, and Doaa is a very talented artist,and she gave those tough times by her mettlesome critic cartoons politically not religiously of course.
After this long report, I still didn’t mention the angels who work with street children or who work in poor and far areas, or who silently work in the street to raise the people awareness,and a lot of bright sides of Egyptian “She”.
Ordinary women in Egypt are actually extraordinary, Heba Khairey, and communication engineer and my wife,said to me “why, people, and when you mention Egyptian women,you just talk approximately public figures or the poor and homeless?! While the majority of women in Egypt are workers equally to men (usually harder) doctors, engineers, or accountants ...etc. and have challenges more serious than the rest of other world’s women”Chapeau for them all,and best luck in their daily struggle.
Hasan AminCairo,Egypt18-5-2013
Source: cnn.com