General Sisi is everywhere these days — including in music videos. But there’s still room for Snoop Dogg.
Via youtube.com
The Egyptian state has long used culture as a means of propagating its political interests. Many nationalist songs have been beloved, like the music of Um Kulthum, a pan-Arab pop star and political dignitary who remains popular to this today, while others have been less liked, such as "Ikhtarna" [We Chose Him], a pro-Hosni Mubarak song popularized in the 1980s and 1990s whose beat still haunts many Egyptians.
Today, as the cult of General Sisi grows, a new crop of nationalist tunes are going viral.
"Teslam Al Ayedi" [Bless your hands]
With over 3.5 million views on YouTube since it was released in July, Teslam Al Ayedi is impossible to avoid in Egypt these days. The song, a whopping eight-minute's long, features Mustafa Kamel and a slew of other Egyptian pop stars singing their praises for Egypt's army as a montage of nationalist images plays.
The gist: Bless the army. They are the saviors of the country. Long Live Masr [Egypt].
Teslam Al Ayadi created quite the stir when it was first released. Egyptian intellectuals fretted that the song signified a new wave of state-sponsored cultural and media production. One Egyptian art critic wrote: "It is something of a musical tragedy in its lackluster production, but comically calls itself an operetta.The song's bland production quality, brazen lyrics, and stolen melody have caused growing alarm in the local music community, especially since Kamel is head of the Musicians Syndicate. Many are wondering if its ripped-off melodies and blatant nationalism indicate the syndicate's new direction under Kamel."
"Thank you to the Arab Nations"
Reportedly intended as a sequel to Teslam Al Ayedi, this song sees Mostafa Kamel take a more traditional pan-Arab line. He thanks Arab countries that stood hand in hand with the Egyptian military and people during tough times. The song gives a personal shout out to several special friends: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan.
