One possible harbinger of ongoing state censorship is the caretaker government’s Minister of Culture, Mohamed al-Sawy. His appointment has not been met with enthusiasm from most artists and writers. Novelist Gamal al-Ghitani, for instance, told Ahram Online that al-Sawy’s appointment was “a disaster that defaces Egyptian culture.”
After 25 years of Farouk Hosni, Egypt had less than a fortnight of its latest Minister of Culture, Gaber Asfour.
Gaber Asfour—replacement for 25-year culture head Farouk Hosni—apparently met with department leaders in the Egyptian culture ministry and discussed future plans, according to Youm7. Various “mass culture” possibilities were reportedly under discussion; I hope at least someone thought to bring a fiddle and some re-arrangeable deck chairs.
