Graffiti and Urban Revolt in Cairo

摘要

This paper focuses on the graffiti which have appeared in Cairo in the aftermath of the removal of Husni Mubarak and the so-called 'Revolution of January 25th'. It is based on a wide photographical corpus put together during 2011 and 2013, as well as interviews with street artists and a media screening on the subject. The paper opens with a short historical note on this exclusive object in the MENA region and also addresses methodological challenges. Then it turns to the analysis of two characteristics of the Cairene graffiti scene. First, it examines the urban dimension that accounts for graffiti as 'par excellence' urban art. Second, it analyses the insurrectionary essence of graffiti which makes them a subversive art form linked to (urban) political activism. It leads to the conclusion that graffiti are used by activists as a genuine, though alternative, media tool.