(Street Theater as a Model)
This study was conducted as part of the African Forum for Social Theater program.
Researcher: Mr. Maher Sharif (Researcher, Writer, and Theater Practitioner)
Supervisor: Mr. Ahmed Saleh (Director and Project Manager, The City for Arts Foundation)
Introduction to the study:
This study is a pioneering one in the field of street theater in Egypt. The mention of its uniqueness does not imply exclusivity or distinctiveness but rather indicates the scarcity of sources, studies, and research on social theater in Egypt in general, and street theater in particular. Therefore, this study aimed to establish an initial foundation for further research on such topics. The second important aspect of this study is to provide documentation about the Egyptian street theater movement in the past two decades. Of course, it was not possible to cover the work of every individual or group in this field. However, diverse examples were selected in terms of their working methods, production, and the issues they addressed. This aims to provide researchers and those interested in knowing about Egyptian street theater with a panoramic view that covers the scene and allows easy access to the practitioners, as well as an understanding of the key features of Egyptian street theater.
This study relied on four main components:
– Chapter One: Analysis of the public sphere and its policies, emphasizing the importance of contemporary street arts in accessing it.
– Chapter Two: An introduction to the constitution and laws regarding the public sphere.
– Chapter Three: A general overview of street theater in Egypt through the analysis of opinions from practitioners and theorists. This chapter presents a summary of the key points discussed in these interviews, providing a general outline of the Egyptian street theater experience. Additionally, it highlights the recommendations proposed by practitioners for the development of the Egyptian street theater movement.
– Chapter Four: Questionnaires distributed to institutions and artistic groups that have produced various and diverse works in street theater. This chapter includes statistics and information about these groups and institutions.
-These components form the framework of the study and provide a comprehensive examination of the subject matter.
Chapter One: The Public Sphere and Street Arts:
What do street arts, particularly theater, do in this complex landscape? What can they change, and what are their social and economic impacts? What benefits do they bring to society and decision-makers in adopting and promoting street arts in public spaces? And why do we strive to strengthen the position of street arts in terms of their economic and social returns?
We observe a weakness in the production and legal infrastructure, leading to the decline of contemporary and popular artistic practices in the public sphere. This raises the issue of the lack of recognition of street arts as part of the cultural work and folk heritage. In this study, we present our view that the solution lies in working with all stakeholders to establish a transparent procedural framework and create a fund to support production. Additionally, raising awareness among cultural workers and encouraging them to create contemporary artistic works in the street is crucial.
Chapter Two: Constitutional and Legal Context:
The current situation in Egypt and the cultural context within the 2014 Constitutio:
The reader of the current 2014 Constitution in effect in Egypt finds a “real” development in their perception of culture and education. The constitution shows a focus on the issue of education, allocating seven articles from Article 19 to Article 25 to it. Among the most important of these articles is Article 19, which states, “The state is committed to allocating a percentage of government expenditure to education not less than 4% of the gross domestic product, gradually increasing it to align with international rates.” This is the first time that a specific percentage of the general budget is explicitly designated for education, reflecting the project’s concern for the educational issue and its development.
Despite the desire of intellectuals and their pressure to allocate a percentage (not less than 1.5% of the general budget) to culture, the 2013 Constitution did not include a clear provision for that. However, the cultural context in the constitution has differed from its predecessors. The constitution divided the second chapter titled “Fundamental Components of Society” into three sections: social components, economic components, and cultural components. For the first time in the history of Egyptian constitutions, a separate chapter on culture was included under the title “Cultural Components,” consisting of four articles from Article 47 to Article 50.
In addition, Article 67 states that “the freedom of artistic and literary creativity is guaranteed,” and Article 75 stipulates that “citizens have the right to establish associations and civil institutions on a democratic basis.” This is the first time that Egyptian constitutions have addressed the freedom to establish civil associations and the importance of civil society. However, constitutional provisions remain ineffective unless accompanied by respect for them and implementation of their principles. Has this constitutional development been accompanied by a “new” reality in Egyptian cultural policies after the issuance of the 2014 Constitution?
The Protest Law and the infringement on artistic rights:
The Egyptian state has a habit of issuing laws that place many people under the threat of punishment, only to later claim that these laws will be enforced only when necessary. However, in the end, we find ourselves at the mercy of a plethora of legislations that undermine freedoms.
Therefore, it is not accurate to say that the Egyptian state has not and will not apply the Protest Law to artistic events, because we have witnessed instances where the Protest Law has been applied to various artistic activities, targeting their organization, practitioners, and even their audiences, subjecting them to harsh and severe penalties.
– The logical, principled, and necessary solution, in the first place, is to abolish this arbitrary and oppressive law. The truth is that the demand for the repeal or amendment of this law through genuine societal dialogue is a demand shared by advocates of freedoms and those concerned with political and social human rights.
– However, if we truly seek a more impactful and profound solution, it is imperative for artists and all those interested in cultural work to agree on proposing legislation that obliges the state to respect the freedom of creativity and the organization of artistic events. This should prevent undermining the artistic process through laws that jeopardize and restrict artistic activities under the pretext of protecting society. What we are witnessing now is a blatant violation of artistic rights in performance and communication with the audience. Those artists who have been silenced and imprisoned simply because they expressed their creativity are a clear example of this. The challenges our society faces should make us more determined to ensure that the artistic process and its practitioners have the right to expression without arbitrary and oppressive legal constraints.
Chapter Three: Contemporary Egyptian Street Theater:
What Contemporary Egyptian Street Theater Needs, According to Some Experts:
1. Establishing workshops in remote areas without theater infrastructure and creating street theater groups there.
2. Developing a training center that enhances performers’ skills in street arts.
3.Making performances more dynamic and interactive with the audience.
4. Integrating itinerant popular artists into the street theater movement.
5.Drawing inspiration from Egypt’s diverse heritage, with a focus on promoting social peace and love.
6.Establishing a center for studies and research that benefits artists in the development of their performances.
7.Creating a mechanism for artists to sustain their presence in street theater.
8.Enhancing evaluation mechanisms for performances with the involvement of the participating audience.
9.Establishing a network of safe spaces for street performances.
Chapter Four: Analysis of the Street Theater Survey:
This is how we began with the ability to change something, and now that light has faded, there is no longer the radiant glow of faith within me.” These were the concluding remarks or testimony of Nora Amin on the history of social theater in Egypt. In this survey, it was a great opportunity to hear the opinions of twelve important voices in Egyptian theater, twelve individuals who chose to work in social theater, some of whom have been active for over 20 years (such as the Suez Troupe, which started its performances on the streets in 1993, 23 years ago). This long history makes the 12 hours, 42 minutes, and 50 seconds of the recording a rare piece of Egyptian theater history. While diligently analyzing and deconstructing these dialogues, I deeply regretted the necessity of omitting and bypassing certain parts of the conversations and stories in order to condense and focus. My only solace is the existence of these recordings, which I hope the (Al-Madina) institution will make fully available to everyone on its website.
As I analyzed and dissected the dialogues, I deliberately excluded the complete set of excerpts and only focused on the most important ones in the study. The complete excerpts should be included in the appendices of that study, which should comprise a comprehensive questionnaire consisting of four pages. Additionally, there should be thorough summaries for each case, providing an introduction to the troupe, institution, or initiative, along with information about the individuals involved and some statistics. Lastly, as mentioned earlier, the complete excerpts should be included, containing all the opinions and ideas that were derived from the study.
Another important point is that there is a recording of the “Naseem Al-Raqs” troupe conducted by Mr. Mahab Saber, and it was mostly in the English language. The full transcription of the dialogue was not translated, so I relied on the questionnaire provided by “Naseem Al-Raqs” to review their opinions and ideas. This reliance is limited, as it is essential to have access to the original recorded dialogue. Therefore, “Naseem Al-Raqs” did not have an equal opportunity compared to the other 11 cases, and this is a limitation that I was forced to accept.
Additionally, I included “Al-Madina Foundation” among the 11 cases that responded to the questionnaire as they are involved in street theater. Since “Al-Madina Foundation” was the entity that conducted the questionnaire and facilitated the discussions, there was no separate questionnaire or recorded dialogue specifically for them. Therefore, we relied on their official papers and publications to convey their ideas and opinions, which represent the views of “Al-Madina Foundation.” In addition, we included some direct questions (such as their stance on financial support). “Al-Madina Foundation” was the only case that had a different nature in this regard.
Finally, the organizers of the questionnaire informed me about their extreme difficulties in gathering the 11 cases, and their initial intention was to include a larger number. However, what has occurred can be considered a mere introduction to a comprehensive study of social theater, a prelude that holds great significance due to its seriousness, professionalism, and attention. I believe this is the first time in the history of Egyptian theater that such serious attempts have been made. In this context, I hope that comprehensive statistics on the theater groups working in the field of social theater, including those that have ceased to exist, will be made available. This is the academic role that specialized Egyptian academics in theater should have undertaken. Unfortunately, they have declined in their educational standards to the lowest level and completely abandoned their research and scientific role. This raises questions about the usefulness of their existence other than granting some of their employee’s master’s and doctoral degrees for research that we know nothing about, and awarding certificates to a group of miserable students who, by unfortunate fate, were thrown into those institutions to receive after years of futile study mere pieces of paper claiming that they are theater professionals deserving to join a union even more miserable than themselves.
These serious attempts represent the honorable face of the Egyptian theater scene and hold hope for a different and impactful future, where research efforts are valued and their skills are developed.
We cannot claim that we have achieved success, or even a part of it, with our study alone. However, true success will come from presenting it to the theater community, engaging in discussions, and challenging its findings in pursuit of improvement. Constructive criticism and refinement are the true path to success, and that is what we hope for.
* In conclusion, we must express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to collecting these dialogues, from the initial clarity of the idea and formulation of the questionnaire to conducting and recording the discussions, as well as transcribing them. All of these individuals played a significant role in bringing this study to its completion.
