How Egyptian protesters are saying it with music
Songs with catchy rhythms and street language have become the anthems of Egypt's young protesters.
Islam Hassan, a 17-year-old Egyptian student, has had the song “Mesh Benkhaf” (“We Have No Fear”) on repeat ever since Sept. 24, when the track was first posted on "Mohamed Ali Secrets," a popular Facebook page urging Egyptians to rise up against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The techno song doesn't mince words: “We have no fear / Black-eyed, shaky, scared someone would see, tomorrow you will be eaten alive, Sisi / The people have had it, revolution is everywhere and you will be hung in the square, Sisi / The people will rebel and strike you in the face, Sisi."
“Mesh Benkhaf,” with its catchy rhythm, has become, along with other songs, a battle cry for the protesters who have taken to the streets against Sisi. Hassan, who lives in Minya, had planned to join the protests Sept. 27, but, in the end, he stayed home. In an act of online rebellion, he posts and reposts the song, reciting the lyrics to himself over and over.
Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian businessman based in Spain, started posting anti-Sisi videos on Facebook Sept. 2. His page went viral almost immediately. Today, it has 1.2 million followers. Some of the videos resemble news broadcasts, revealing corruption scandals involving Sisi and military leaders. Other videos are satirical songs that call on Egyptians, particularly those hit hardest by the high cost of living, to take to the streets, first on Sept. 20, then Sept. 27.
