Ganzeer

Sheikh Emad Effat smiles widely, his laughter lines visible behind a layer of red Arabic text translating to “Of course the army protected the revolution.” This print ironically comments on Egyptian military violence against protestors during Arab Spring, the anti-government protests that took place in North Africa and West and Central Asia in the early 2010s. Ganzeer, an Egyptian street artist and graphic designer, created political graffiti that led to this print series depicting people who were abused or martyred for their participation in the revolution. Sheikh Emad was a Sunni Muslim scholar based in Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque, associated with the second-oldest university in the world.