The global dance community has been trying to get information on dance artists in Egypt. Here is an exchange among several experimental dance choreographers. It is enlightening. Dancers for democracy doing the freedom stomp. Today the newly appointed prime minister Ahmad Shafiq of Egypt said it was a "grave mistake," that the pro-Mubarak thugs attacked pro-freedom civilians, but those thugs remain at large, terrorizing people in the streets, even though the military has intervened and has created a wall of tanks between the pro-Mubarak thugs and the non-violent protesters. Reporters are also under attack by the pro-Mubarak forces. It is widely known in Egypt that these people are not protesters but police officers working in their street clothes, among others. I would like to urge everyone, as a final note, to take care with the language you use to describe the situation there. Yes, the protesters want Mubarak to leave the country immediately, but not because they are "Anti-Mubarak" as I heard them described this morning on NPR. Rather, they are pro-freedom. Last week, we might have characterized them as pro-democracy, but as there is no political party running this uprising, no major set of demands other than people deserve and want freedom to choose their leaders, it would follow that they would also eventually determine their system of governance. Please continue to contact the White House and voice your support for the people of Egypt to create their own government of their own choosing free of violence and bullying from a regime which our tax dollars have supported for decades. It's the least we can do. If you have dance buddies stuck in Egypt and have some news from them, please send it to editor [at] afrological [dot] com.note: I have removed email addresses and phone numbers that appeared private and left company contact information. All other text is unaltered, unedited.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Meg Wolfe
Date: 2011/2/3
Subject: Fwd: FW: Request of Egyptian Dance and Performance Artists
To:
------ Forwarded Message
From: Christa Spatt
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 11:44:48 +0100
Anfang der weitergeleiteten E-Mail:
Christa Spatt
Artistic Director
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series
ImPulsTanz
Vienna International Dance Festival
Museumstr. 5/21
1070 Wien
Austria
t: +43 1 523 55 58
f: +43 1 523 55 58 88
e: 8tension@impulstanz.com
i: www.ImPulsTanz.com <http://www.ImPulsTanz.com/>
------ End of Forwarded Message
From: Meg Wolfe
Date: 2011/2/3
Subject: Fwd: FW: Request of Egyptian Dance and Performance Artists
To:
------ Forwarded Message
From: Christa Spatt
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 11:44:48 +0100
Anfang der weitergeleiteten E-Mail:
Von: Aydin Silier
Datum: 02. Februar 2011 20:09:19 GMT+01:00
An: christa.spatt
Betreff: [jde coorganizers] Request of Egyptian Dance and Performance Artists
Antwort an: coorganizers@jardindeurope.eu
Mısır'da yaşayan dans ve performans dünyasından dostlara kaç gündür ulaşmaya çalışıyorduk. Bazılarımızın yakından tanıdığı Karima Mansour ve Adham Hafez'den gelen mesajları aşağıda okuyabilirsiniz. Lütfen isteklerine uyarak ulaşabildiğimiz bütün email listelerine bu mesajı gönderelim. We were trying to reach friends from the dance and performance scene living in Egypt for some days to ask about their situation. Below are the replies from Karima Mansour and Adham Hafez, whom some of you would know very well. Please follow their request to circulate this email for support. Aydin Silier and Gurur Ertem BiMERAS | iDANS Istanbul <http://www.bimeras.org/> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Adham Hafez
Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 6:39:25 PM
Subject: Egyptian Democracy in Photographs
Egyptian Democratic Regime in Photographs
The following photographs are only traces of the brutal and incredible violence that has been exercised towards Egyptians asking for freedom, justice and basic human rights during the previous days of the peaceful non-sectarian non-religious revolution of the Egyptian people against injustice and against oppression. Plainclothes policemen harrassing Egyptians on streets, Interior Ministry hired thugs that shed a lot of blood on streets, some of which still staining buildings and sidewalks in Egypt, and pro-Mubarak protestors that went out on streets after the latest presidential speech are carrying knives with which they have attacked children, youth, old men and women protesting against the current "Democratic" regime. Mainstream Egyptian media still denies the violence that took place towards the protesting civilians. Please circulate widely, locally and internationally. Message from HaRaKa Dance Development and Research Board Members in Cairo, Photographs by artist Hamdy Reda, and other photographers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: adham-hafez
Subject: EGYPT- SUPPORT US
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 15:29:49 +0200 EGYPTIANS NEED URGENT SUPPORT
Right after the latest speech by President Mubark, plain-clothes police and Ministry of Interior hired thugs were let loose on civilians on streets in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. People were violently attacked on streets last night. Some protesters were not able to reach their houses, under the violent verbal abuse, and physical aggression from the plain-clothes secret police as well as the uniform-clothed policemen. They carried knives, some carried guns, and other started violently beating up protesters, and laymen passing by any police station at night.
Phones were shut down again in Egypt today. The internet is going to be shut off again on Egypt.The current regime also has launched a campaign on streets to provoke and divide the groups on Tahrir Sqaure protesting against violence and injustice. The Egyptian TV is broadcasting wrong information on the current situation, and is broadcasting images of the massive crowds that are protesting against the regime of Mubarak, stating that those are National democrats asking Mubarak to stay.
Transparent Media and communications seem to offer one strong potent possibility for Egyptians to bring out the case into the light, and to show international media the monopoly taking place through the Egyptian TV and Egyptian telecommunication and internet services providers. Today, Wednesday 2nd of February 2011, Egyptian army forces are retreating from Egyptian streets, leaving Egyptian civilians unprotected against the violence of the Egyptian police and Ministry of Interior, the violence that started already since last night and continues to shed blood this morning. Today, the possible birth of conflict between Egyptians themselves is a threat that was generated by the wrong and misleading information from Egyptian media and TV, by the reaction of the current regime, and by the violence exercised daily on Egyptians from their own government. The current Egyptian regime and Egyptian local media are trying to frame the protests as a violent force of opposition and are attempting a creation of an inner war between the citizens of this country. Help us spread this message, and the following five questions that might help to clarify the situation, and to raise more media awareness, and more support locally and internationally.
Simple Questions from the Egyptian Nation to the Egyptian Government, and to Local and International Media:
Question One:
If the current Egyptian government truly wanted to fight the riots and exercise damage control, then why was the building of the National Democratic Party (the ruling party) left on fire without a single fire brigade arriving to extinguish it? Question Two:
If the current Egyptian government truly wanted the safety of its nation against “the violent riots” that were not violent at all, entirely peaceful and literally repeating “Peaceful, Peaceful” on their banners and through their voices, why were Egyptians left without policemen, fire brigades, ambulances? How come the phone numbers to such security apparatus became suspended and unable to receive calls of citizens within urgent dangerous events for a few days? Question Three:
If the current Egyptian government believes whatever that was happening on Egyptian streets was very minimal and simply a “small group of monopolized young minds” protesting, the way the Egyptian TV mis-announces it, why then did the government shut down internet, Al-Jezeera Channel and telecommunications? What did the government wish to hide from the local independent media or the international media for one week? Question Four:
If the current Egyptian government wanted the security of its nation, and to control violence and to fight destruction, why were Egyptians left without a single police officer for over three nights on all Egyptian streets? How come in a heavily policed country like Egypt that it would be possible for all policemen to disappear suddenly for over three nights? And why were street lamps shut down, and remain shut down, in many streets in downtown Cairo the heart of the event?
Question Five:
What about the people who were shot to death by Egyptian police, and by Egyptian secret police? What about those? What about their blood that still stains certain streets and buildings? Why was the peaceful request for freedom answered by governmental silence and by police bullets?
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----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Adham Hafez Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 4:12:18 PM
Subject: RE: How are you doing - in Egypt?
... We are being murdered by this fascism in Egypt.
Internet just came back this morning, and we think it will be shut down again because of the violence that has been happening since last night, i Couldn't go home without policemen chasing me and threatening me with knives, and my other friends were beaten up till they were left bleeding. TOday they shut down mobile service in Egypt again.
Help us by spreading around the following email that I shall send you now, and by spreading the link of UncensoredEgypt Youtube video channel that will have the images and videos of the crimes that the current regime has committed against Egyptians. Thank you so much for thinking of me and of my colleagues in this harsh period. Your words are supportive and kind.
Adham ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: karima mansour
Date: Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 8:21 PM
Subject: RE: How are you doing - in Egypt?
Hello, Thank you very much for asking. It is crazy and history is being made! I hope we stand strong and united until the end... I am proud of being an Egyptian. Generally speaking all is well, some friends have been hurt but all in all we are winning! Thank you again and soon. Karima
Karima Mansour
Artistic Director
MAAT for Contemporary Dance
www.karimamansour.com <http://www.karimamansour.com/>
"You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscript to store away,
no painting to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold,
nothing but that fleeting moment when you feel alive. It is not for the unsteady souls."
Merce Cunningham.
Christa Spatt
Artistic Director
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series
ImPulsTanz
Vienna International Dance Festival
Museumstr. 5/21
1070 Wien
Austria
t: +43 1 523 55 58
f: +43 1 523 55 58 88
e: 8tension@impulstanz.com
i: www.ImPulsTanz.com <http://www.ImPulsTanz.com/>
------ End of Forwarded Message
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