Devon Case
3/29/2014
Arab Spring
Graffiti in the Arab Spring
“Street art is
unsanctioned visual art practice in public places that questions the existing
environment about socially relevant themes” (Dawn.com). Street art and graffiti
have been a relevant topic in and around the Arab Spring uprising. Political
graffiti and street art have been seen throughout history as well. The Berlin
Wall and the Ramallah Walls have proven that graffiti is a substantial means of
getting a point across even if it takes a slow and steady pace to work its way
into the hearts and minds of the individuals it surrounds on a daily basis.
This is in no way a simple and easy fix in getting potential protestors
motivated. There will be no fast spark that ignites individuals with graffiti.
Graffiti is the answer to the long hall solution; the answer that will keep them
thinking about that one piece of art for days wondering why there are not
changes being made. This is the greatest type of presence, the one that wins
over the hearts and minds of its spectators. The different types of protesting
graffiti used to support the Arab Spring are all different, mainly focused in
Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya in 2011 at the start of the Arab Spring. I will prove
that the use of graffiti had a substantial impact on getting protesters
motivated and is a useful and tactical protesting tool.
One
very important view comes from the artists who are on the street and have the
obligation of doing everything they can to further the cause of the Arab Spring.
The main purpose of this is to echo what is happening on the streets. Doing
this is how you get everyone motivated and reminds them the reasons why all of
the hardship that is happening around them is necessary. Nearly every piece of
art that is present on the street at this time has been inspired by the
revolution in some way. One specific piece of art that was mentioned was a huge
smiley face on a barrier wall built by the police in hopes to add more control
to the revolutionary uprisings. “My good friend said, they built these walls,
and they keep killing people. But we're so used to being killed here; it became
something that doesn't strike a lot of people anymore. So it's something normal
that we have to live with and it's part of the struggle” (www.npr.org). This
was put there to remind everyone that even in the face of all this death,
restriction, and chaos this is something that has become customary and something
that must be lived with. If people are reminded of what happened, the
revolution will live on.
(Egypt)
In
the face of all this, the regimes have not gone on without noticing the impact
this type of media has on the citizens, especially in Cairo, the capital of
Egypt. However, there is also an example of this extreme censorship in Libya as
well. There was mention of one specific incident of a street artist creating a
lampoon of Gadhafi before he was taken out of power. The artists and known
assistants of this artist were killed. This was not said outright, but the pieces
can be put together to form a fairly clear image of the situation. Still in the
face of all this danger, the artists continue to do what they must to assist
the uprising. Restrictions and curfews have also been put into place by
authorities in Cairo; some of the offences even made the offenders spend up to four
years in prison if they were caught in the act. However, this does not intimidate
these individuals. “We're working against
them. When they issue a law, the Minister of Development says people will be in
prison for four years and pay $100,000 in fines [for graffiti], we don't listen
to something like that because we will continue doing what we do. And
regardless of what they say we will continue to do the things that we feel like
doing” (http://www.npr.org/).
Keeping the country and its citizens going is what can be seen happening in
Egypt; it’s keeping humor and motivation in the lives of those who have no
reason to feel this way.
.jpg)
(Egypt)
As
can be gathered from common sense and listening to the news in Libya, there is
no misunderstanding when it is said and noticed that nearly every piece of
street art that is in Libya at this time has to do with Gadhafi in some way
shape or form. Some have even gone as far as to include the public execution of
this man and sometimes his son as well. Something else that is a common theme
amongst this art also has to do with depicting the former leader as either a
rat himself, or working alongside rats in some way shape or form. “Sometimes
funny and hopeful, other times sad, insulting or even crude, the graffiti that
now adorns buildings, bridges, signs and storefronts across the capital has
become a telling assessment of the Libyan people’s sentiments” ( http://www.12ozprophet.com/).
More than anything, I believe that Libya had some of the most powerful art and
graffiti adorning Tripoli and the rest of Libya. The reason I believe this is so
is because it was known that anything like this art that went against Gadhafi would
be a price to pay. I also believe that this graffiti is in a way more beautiful
in that it is celebrating the freedom from tyranny, but at the same time, crude
and somewhat messed up in that it is depicting the former leaders death so
openly.
.jpg)
(Libya)
Libya’s
graffiti as a protesting tool is undoubtedly been an extremely successful way
in getting protestors excited. However, I do not believe that it happened the
same way as it did in Egypt. In Egypt, the graffiti seemed to be more uniting
to the people in that they had had enough and the people would come together to
create a better tomorrow. In Libya, there is more of a feeling that the people
are/where united against a single enemy, namely Gadhafi. Not only that, but I
believe the graffiti in Libya inspired more violence and the act of getting
even was pushed far more than in Egypt. Although even if the graffiti was this
way in Libya, no one can argue with the results; Gadhafi was taken care of.
However, now that the enemy is gone, there is celebrating and the citizens’
talk like everything is fixed. This is a misleading message; much more needs to
be accomplished if Libya hopes to be a nation that can rule itself
successfully. “The pain may not be far behind, but for the first time in
decades a new portrait of the country, its people and its hopes are on display”
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16029586).
.jpg)
(Libya)
Graffiti in Tunisia is along the same
lines as the rest of the countries I have been speaking about. It is, however,
more meaningful undoubtedly due to the fact that this was the birthplace of the
Arab Spring. “When street vendor Mohamed Bouzizi burned himself to death more
than two years ago to protest against police humiliation and the lack of job
opportunities, he started a revolt led by Tunisian youth” ( http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21010337).
Another way in which this graffiti has stood out and made its own impact has to
do with its mixture with calligraphy. Most artists in Tunisia create text-based
images that send a message through words rather than scenes or sketches like
most of the rest of the graffiti in the Arab world. Coming straight from one of
the more well-known artists in Tunisia, known as El Seed, the message that he
is spreading in Tunisia is this. “I hope to get across to people that dialogue
leads to positive encounters. I always hope to break a few stereotypes or
barriers each time I paint” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/el-seed-tunisian-graffiti-artist_n_1918493.html).
(Tunisia)
The
effect of Tunisian graffiti has been the most impactful out of all in the Arab
Spring. I believe that one of the reasons that this graffiti has been so
prevalent and successful in Tunisia has to do with the specific writing of the
artists. Unlike a lot of other graffiti, it is mainly in Arabic, something that
I believe resonates with everyone that sees this graffiti because it only
allows Arabic speakers to receive its messages. Instead of the artists using
English, a common language that most of the world understands, the artists
choose to only use Arabic because these words are for their people and they are
meant to inspire them alone to make Tunisia a better place. Although, at the
same time, viewers that cannot read the meaning are still inspired to look at
the remarkably beautiful writing and symbols of the graffiti. “You don't find
the complexity of Arabic calligraphy in any other language so it is easier to
constantly reinvent it. Much of my work process is about letting the viewer
interact with the letters without necessarily being able to read them” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/el-seed-tunisian-graffiti-artist_n_1918493.html).
.jpg)
(Tunisia)
·
Graffiti as a whole is a prime way
to do several things in a revolution. One of the best things is that it can do
is make people think. It puts a saying or specific thought in someone’s head
that sits their waiting to be released. Another thing that I believe it does
very well is spread knowledge that is hard to censor at all times to a huge
audience every day, which requires persistent artists but is well worth the
time and effort. Another more global and personal triumph for graffiti is the
spread of what is happening in these countries through journalism, which as a
side effect, creates fame and more of a presence for a lot of these artists to
spread their messages. The last and most helpful thing that graffiti does,
which all these types of graffiti can do for revolutions, is the unification of
people behind a single idea. I believe any revolution could be successful if
there is graffiti that is clear, concise, and has a central theme for
individuals to rally behind. In the United States, it is a crime to “deface”
buildings and other property but in the Arab world, it means something much
more. “In the U.S., graffiti is often condemned as vandalism. But during the
Arab Spring, artists say city walls were often the only places where they could
talk back to tyrants” (www.npr.org).
.jpg)
(TT
(Tunisia)
References
Staff, Tell Me
More. "Art Revolution Blooms After Arab Spring." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 14 Apr.
2014.
"The Anatomy
of Graffiti: Arab Spring Arts and Protests." FutureChallenges The Anatomy of
Graffiti Arab
Spring Arts and Protests Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Graffiti
& The Arab Spring: An Explosive Combination." Neat Designs RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Photo:
Graffiti Flourishes in Libya throughout the Arab Spring and after the Fall of
Gaddafi." - News.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Pearltrees." Pearltrees. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Apr. 2014.
"Tunisia
Struggles Years after the Arab Spring." BBC
News. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Jawad, Rana.
"Should the Graffiti in Libya Be Erased?" BBC News. BBC, 12 July 2011.
Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"In
Pictures: Mixing Graffiti and Calligraphy in Tunisia." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Apr. 2014.
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