Hosni Mubarak
This Egyptian musician’s passport was revoked for his political songs. He still can’t wait to go home again.
Ramy Essam wrote a song in 2011 that became the anthem of the Tahrir Square protests. But fast-forward eight years and Essam is living in exile in Sweden making music protesting some of the very same things about the Egyptian government.
Two cartoonists in Egypt push the boundaries of what’s acceptable and find a ready audience
You’re barely 20, you’re Egyptian and you’re a political cartoonist. You hone your craft during the 2011 revolution and learn all the tricks around criticizing authority. After the revolution, you think everything is fair game. But then your editors start rejecting your cartoons and you wonder why your older colleagues seem all too willing to tow the line. What do you do? Like any good millennial, you head to social media, zines, and the parallel media universe online. Meet Anwar and Andeel, two of Egypt’s most daring political cartoonists.
Egypt’s government escalates campaign to uproot the Muslim Brotherhood
Two recent bombings in Egypt raise fears that the country could be entering a new phase of violent insurgency. The military backed government is stepping up its campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters. But that has been tried before by an Egyptian government, and it didn’t work.
The sentencing of political activists in Egypt has raised fear of Mubarak-era repression
On Sunday a court in Egypt sentenced three activists to three years in prison. They were accused of organizing unauthorized protests. The move has left some fearful of Egypt moving back to Mubarak-era repression.