Egypt’s young muralists put cultural icons on walls
A group of Egyptian activists and artists have launched an initiative to bring color to Cairo’s metro stations, starting with Opera House metro station.
CAIRO — A group of Egyptian young men and women between the ages 18 and 28 have launched an initiative to bring color to Cairo’s metro stations through murals.
The initiative, called “Let’s Color It” aims to create a splash for the commuters by metro, the most popular and least expensive means of transportation in Egypt, used by millions of citizens every day.
The idea dates back from 2015, when Moubdioun [Arabic for Innovators], a youth association, and then implemented the first project in 2016 on the walls of Hikma square in Heliopolis, Cairo. In January, Moubdioun contacted the Cairo Metro administration asking for permission to launch this initiative in metro stations. Cairo Metro agreed and provided the necessary materials, paint and brushes, as well as it assigned a team to assist.
Late January, 11 young men and women from different artistic backgrounds volunteered and began working on the walls in Opera metro station by painting galaxy murals with planets. They also painted the portraits of great Egyptian artists and writers such as writer Nagib Mahfouz, singer Umm Kulthum, singer Mohamed Abdel Wahab and playwright Najib El Rihani.
