Mubarak Was Just The Face Of The System Which Is Still In Place – Egyptian Artist

“It’s inevitable that things will change but not as fast as I thought,” Egyptian artist and filmmaker Bassem Yousri told Hromadske. We had this romantic idea that everything would change for the better but now it seems that things are really complicated, said Yousri of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution in which he participated.

The Egyptian Revolution saw the popular overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak who ruled the country for 30 years and was widely regarded as a dictator. After popular elections the Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamic political movement and party, took power led by Mohamed Morsi. However, their election was met by opposition from the secularists and members of the military and Morsi was deposed by the Minister of Defense General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi who later became President.

According to Yousri, people in Egypt have now realized that the issue was not just the one person, Mubarak was just the face of the system which is still in place. Furthermore, he added, it is becoming fiercer because it has to fight for its existence. Yousri told Hromadske that it was only after the revolution that the activists realised how involved the military council is in politics.

However Yousri said that he cannot be cynical about the revolution and he hopes that things will get better. He explained that the sarcasm and humour in his art it helps him overcome his frustration with the situation in the country. “I make my art according to what I encounter and my personal experiences and I try to tease your expectations ,” said Yousri.

Life in Cairo is not black and white, as the media might sometimes portray it. There are people with different beliefs and values living in one place, said Yousri. “To me they are still human beings even if I don’t agree with their ideology,” Yousri told Hromadske. However Yousri does not consider himself an ambassador of any specific ideas. What concerns him is not so much what is missing from the media coverage but how to deal with the stereotypes that he might encounter.

Hromadske International's Nataliya Gumenyuk and Ian Bateson spoke with Bassem Yousri on May 24, 2015.