38 Alexandrians in fusion
-
Laurent Bonnefoy
Abstract
It has been widely accepted in research on contemporary Egypt that the decade between 2000 and 2010 witnessed a number of ‘openings’, of which economic liberalisation (begun in the 1990s) and political liberalisation were representative. In cultural circles, transformations were also felt. New institutions appeared and stirred the stagnant waters of artistic production. These new places were rapidly taken over by more or less homogeneous social groups. A number of music groups emerged from these circles and took part in a variety of activities. They were particularly interested in Western music (metal, rock), and by the middle of the decade some metal bands had acquired local reputations through their covers of songs by groups like Metallica or Megadeth. These bands slowly began to compose their own original music, immersed in the dark and angst-ridden worlds of metal (heavy, black, speed, death, etc.). Nonetheless, these mixes of genres remained fairly marginal in musical circles. The ‘Western’ music scene thus appeared as merely a passing hobby, of interest only to a fraction of the population, and consequently reproduced a class division where the equipment used (guitars, amplifiers, etc.) were bigger marks of distinction than the more traditional ones linked to the field of music as a whole (virtuosity, grasp of musical theory, technique, musical culture, etc.). But with the proliferation of groups and festivals, a diversification of repertoires became apparent. It stemmed either from reflections by musicians on the meaning of their work or simply from a wish to stand out in this burgeoning microcosm. These imported musical genres were hybridised and merged.
Abstract
It has been widely accepted in research on contemporary Egypt that the decade between 2000 and 2010 witnessed a number of ‘openings’, of which economic liberalisation (begun in the 1990s) and political liberalisation were representative. In cultural circles, transformations were also felt. New institutions appeared and stirred the stagnant waters of artistic production. These new places were rapidly taken over by more or less homogeneous social groups. A number of music groups emerged from these circles and took part in a variety of activities. They were particularly interested in Western music (metal, rock), and by the middle of the decade some metal bands had acquired local reputations through their covers of songs by groups like Metallica or Megadeth. These bands slowly began to compose their own original music, immersed in the dark and angst-ridden worlds of metal (heavy, black, speed, death, etc.). Nonetheless, these mixes of genres remained fairly marginal in musical circles. The ‘Western’ music scene thus appeared as merely a passing hobby, of interest only to a fraction of the population, and consequently reproduced a class division where the equipment used (guitars, amplifiers, etc.) were bigger marks of distinction than the more traditional ones linked to the field of music as a whole (virtuosity, grasp of musical theory, technique, musical culture, etc.). But with the proliferation of groups and festivals, a diversification of repertoires became apparent. It stemmed either from reflections by musicians on the meaning of their work or simply from a wish to stand out in this burgeoning microcosm. These imported musical genres were hybridised and merged.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Contributors ix
- Foreword: Arab youth inside out xiv
- Note on translation xvii
- General introduction: Deconstructing stereotypes: interwoven trajectories of young Arabs 1
-
General introduction
- I Living in the present 17
- Introduction 19
- 1 ‘Go ahead, burn your tyres!’ 22
- 2 ‘Just watching the time go by’ 33
- 3 Coffee shops and youth sociability in Abu Dhabi 43
- 4 From TV soaps to web dramas 53
- 5 The buyat 57
- 6 From jihad to Sufi ecstasy 67
- 7 The Faculty of Education of Lab‛us 77
- 8 ‘A man, a real man!’ 88
- 9 Long-distance supporters 93
- 10 Commentary in Arabic … or in Tigrinya? Football fans and the search for free television broadcasting 101
- II Rooting the future 107
- Introduction 109
- 11 Drinking in Hamra 112
- 12 The end of a world? Shifting seasons in Lejnan (Algeria) 121
- 13 Finding Baghdad 128
- 14 Two brothers 133
- 15 In Massada Street’s coffee shops 139
- 16 In the shade of the khayma 150
- 17 Recreation, re-creation, resistance 160
- 18 Taranim and videos 170
- 19 ‘My identity is becoming clear like the sun’ 180
- III Constructing oneself 189
- Introduction 191
- 20 ‘A room of one’s own’ 194
- 21 A different way of being a young woman? Self-defence in Cairo 198
- 22 Chewing alone? The transformations of qat consumption in Yemen 208
- 23 Gulf holiday-goers in Europe 212
- 24 In SOS Bab-el-Oued 217
- 25 Leaving the camp 227
- 26 ‘Rainbow Street’ 235
- 27 Brahim 242
- 28 ‘Bnat lycée dayrin sexy’ 250
- IV Speaking out 261
- Introduction 263
- 29 ‘A bad day for Ammar’ 266
- 30 A new social world? Young Syrian activists and online social networks 276
- 31 Stand up 285
- 32 The café in Jadu 289
- 33 From consumerism to political engagement 293
- 34 When walls speak 300
- 35 Art under occupation 308
- 36 ‘The instinct of rap’ 318
- 37 Rocking in Morocco 323
- 38 Alexandrians in fusion 336
- Index 347
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Contributors ix
- Foreword: Arab youth inside out xiv
- Note on translation xvii
- General introduction: Deconstructing stereotypes: interwoven trajectories of young Arabs 1
-
General introduction
- I Living in the present 17
- Introduction 19
- 1 ‘Go ahead, burn your tyres!’ 22
- 2 ‘Just watching the time go by’ 33
- 3 Coffee shops and youth sociability in Abu Dhabi 43
- 4 From TV soaps to web dramas 53
- 5 The buyat 57
- 6 From jihad to Sufi ecstasy 67
- 7 The Faculty of Education of Lab‛us 77
- 8 ‘A man, a real man!’ 88
- 9 Long-distance supporters 93
- 10 Commentary in Arabic … or in Tigrinya? Football fans and the search for free television broadcasting 101
- II Rooting the future 107
- Introduction 109
- 11 Drinking in Hamra 112
- 12 The end of a world? Shifting seasons in Lejnan (Algeria) 121
- 13 Finding Baghdad 128
- 14 Two brothers 133
- 15 In Massada Street’s coffee shops 139
- 16 In the shade of the khayma 150
- 17 Recreation, re-creation, resistance 160
- 18 Taranim and videos 170
- 19 ‘My identity is becoming clear like the sun’ 180
- III Constructing oneself 189
- Introduction 191
- 20 ‘A room of one’s own’ 194
- 21 A different way of being a young woman? Self-defence in Cairo 198
- 22 Chewing alone? The transformations of qat consumption in Yemen 208
- 23 Gulf holiday-goers in Europe 212
- 24 In SOS Bab-el-Oued 217
- 25 Leaving the camp 227
- 26 ‘Rainbow Street’ 235
- 27 Brahim 242
- 28 ‘Bnat lycée dayrin sexy’ 250
- IV Speaking out 261
- Introduction 263
- 29 ‘A bad day for Ammar’ 266
- 30 A new social world? Young Syrian activists and online social networks 276
- 31 Stand up 285
- 32 The café in Jadu 289
- 33 From consumerism to political engagement 293
- 34 When walls speak 300
- 35 Art under occupation 308
- 36 ‘The instinct of rap’ 318
- 37 Rocking in Morocco 323
- 38 Alexandrians in fusion 336
- Index 347
