• Hi, please introduce yourself

I’m 23 years old, management GUC Graduate, and nowadays I’m working in my family business

 

• Would you like to say your real name?

No I prefer to keep anonymous
 

• When did you start drawing and what inspired you to actually draw?

I started drawing since I was a child, just like any little boy who draws, and it started more as a talent, but I didn’t take my career into drawing, I chose management instead. Then I started taking courses in drawing; I drew portraits and caricature.
 

• When did you start Graffiti drawing?

I started Graffiti drawing in 2011 with the revolution
 

• Did the revolution have an effect on your drawings?

The revolution was the start for most Graffiti artists, where they started to appear more, to meet together, and become more popular everywhere.
 

• What types of struggles and risks a Graffiti artist usually faces in Egypt? Do you have the freedom to draw whatever and whenever you want or do you face government restrictions?

Of course, if there weren’t any restrictions, I would’ve let you take a video showing my face, or said my name, but it’s actually too complicated.

As we try to deliver our art, we’re always in risk that someone would get arrested or disappear.

Before the revolution, you’d never see Graffiti on the walls, you’d barely see one drawing from New Cairo to Mohandssin, someone would draw it and then disappears and you never know who drew it because the armed forces would automatically the artist of vandalism.

So, I believe that the way the armed forces prevent us from this type of drawing, is a kind of oppression to our freedoms.

The freedom is to draw whatever you want. The government does not even provide us with places to draw in.

There is no freedom.

As a result, if we want to draw, we have to sneak out at night when it’s too dark, one stands by each side of the street until we finish our drawings, which does not take more than one minute each. We just spray the drawings on the walls.

But of course some people use Graffiti in a bad way; writing curse words on the walls, yet this doesn’t give people the right to judge all Graffiti artists equally.

I knew that it was risky and all, I even talked with my father and he told me “no, no, no, why would you do something like that.”

Until then, I actually started to draw when my colleague in GUC “Karim Khouzam” died in PortSaid’s incident, this is when I thought I should actually take a step forward and do something about it and throughout my Graffiti drawing I can deliver the message I want.

And Because the university didn’t want to build Karim Khouzam a pillar after his death, I took the decision that I will do my Graffiti drawing, and will make him a photo inside the university, although I know it’s illegal and not permitted, but I had to deliver my message, which resulted in my expulsion from university, but then other students protested in the university and gave me my right to get back to university.

Since this protest gave me my rights back, this means that I’m not doing anything wrong; so the restrictions are wrong

People estimate that we’re doing something wrong, although we’re just trying to deliver a message in a different way, just like a journalist who delivers his message by writing.
 

• Have you ever been chased or arrested by the police? And what happened exactly?

I wasn’t arrested, but the police chase me almost every time I go out to draw, every time a problem happens, even normal people might chase us.

One time, the police was chasing us and one of just disappeared and we never knew where he went.

 

 

•  I’ve noticed that you’re so careful about not showing your face anywhere, is this related to the recent political situation in Egypt, as some of your drawings are against the regime?

No, it’s mostly about people not praising your work and drawings. It is not about being careful, I wouldn’t be normally like that, but it is just because I know I’m going to get punished for what I did. Yet, I believe I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just delivering a certain message that I want to reach people.  I just won’t put myself into risk of being arrested or getting apart from my parents just because of my talent.

I still believe that the government should start recognizing the issue and allow the artists to freely draw. I might be an educated person but there are other talented, uneducated people, whom I encounter in our meetings, they believe that Graffiti can make a change, with their own views, no political stress, nor belonging to any political party.

I’ve been called as one of the Muslim brotherhood, pro president Sisi, and a traitor without people seeing my face, so what would they do more if they saw my face?