Middle East Profiles Series: Interview with Egypt's Youssra El Hawary

November 5, 2013

3 min read

Freedom Beat teamed up with Arash Sobhani of the Iranian band Kiosk, and Iranwire.com on a series of documentary profiles of contemporary Middle Eastern music artists who engage in nonviolent resistance through the medium of music. Arash traveled with journalist Jahanshah Javid of Iranwire to Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon in August of 2013 to meet musicians, interview them, share ideas, and to play music together.

Youssra El Hawary: This Machine Kills Radicals by Arash Sobhani

This could easily have been a scene from the movie Casablanca! I know Casablanca is not in Egypt, but I see an invisible Mr.Bogart with me in most of the places I go – a cafe in the heart of Cairo, filled with art deco furniture, fans hanging from the high ceiling, light playfully penetrating from the decorated windows, and you could see why this was a favorite hangout spot for Egyptian intellectuals. I could almost picture Naguib Mahfouz penning his stories in the corner back in the days when this city was much more calm. We were at Cafe Riche’.

Youssra’s entrance to the cafe with a big accordion in hand made everything seem even more surreal. I was really excited to meet her. Her simple, yet rich music was playing in my head, and the style was the sort of thing I could listen to for hours on end. Before the trip, I was hoping to convince her to play with us on a gig my friend Jahanshah Javid had set up for us in the Cairo Jazz Club. Unfortunately the Egyptian authorities did not issue a visa for my bandmate, and then the curfew made it impossible for us to perform that night.

We walked with Youssra to what seemed to be a public building. We took the elevator and entered an independent record label company that had a small stage, a rehearsal room, a conference table and an office. This was the office of Mahmoud Refat of the 100 Copy label. Mahmoud is a known producer of electronic and independent music in Egypt.

Trained in acting, Youssra is anything but what the western media usually portray a typical eastern woman to be. Her strong character and her charm make you want to listen to her when she speaks. Her most famous work is probably considered to be the song “El Soor” or “The Wall”, which is about the walls the Egyptian military erected to cut off access to Tahrir Square during the revolution. Although the song “El Soor” is what she’s currently most famous for, Youssra shared with me that it’s not her favorite song.

Youssra challenges the unspoken rules of the middle class and bourgeoisie in Egypt with her words. With lyrics like “It’s OK for a girl to do what she wants as long as no one knows about it, and she is home by 9”, she’s jokingly addressing the sexual revolution we’re currently witnessing in the middle class in many Islamic countries. In her music you can see how small incidents like a simple romantic failure, reflects the desperation of a social class.

For many countries in the region, in the last 30 years, woman and human rights have been on the decline. The economic progress in most of these countries has not resulted in a liberation of women or minorities. In addition, the press in these areas have not gained the freedom required for a functioning democratic society. In Iran, and possibly in Egypt, one could say women enjoyed more civil liberties 35 years ago than today. The rise of radical Islam has made it more difficult for artists, especially musicians, to explore new areas. Being a female musician definitely is a disadvantage..

There is a clash between radicalism and the young population that feels “connected” to the global village. This “connected” population wants to live according to the values of a secular society. One of the most common tactics implemented by radicals is the oppression of women. An independent progressive woman is the worst enemy of the radicals. For every army of radical jihadists, it only takes one female musician to teach a young emerging generation in the region that there is hope and that things can change. That’s why I admire Youssra.