Ramy Essam's Tahrir & Beyond Commemorates The Anniversary Of Egypt's January 25 Revolution

Join acclaimed Egyptian singer/songwriter/activist Ramy Essam with special guests The Lazours and Ganzeer at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY, on 1/25/20, for Beyond Tahir -- a multimedia commemoration of the anniversary of Egypt's spontaneous uprising for democracy in 2011.

Ramy Essam and visual artist Ganzeer were two of the most influential artists of the Egyptian Revolution, who left a lasting impression that still resonates. Though they both live in exile today, the two continue the unfinished struggle for a free and open Egypt through their art. Together with playwrights/ musicians The Lazours, they will present an evening of music, commentary, and visual art that highlights the creativity and beauty that the revolution unlocked for a generation of young Egyptians, and how the arts still shape their ongoing struggle today.

About The Artists:

Ganzeer: Visual artist Ganzeer created some of the most enduring street art images of the Egyptian revolution. Described as a "chameleon" by Carlo McCormick in the New York Times, Ganzeer operates seamlessly between art, design, and storytelling, creating what he has coined: Concept Pop. With over 40 exhibitions to his name, Ganzeer's work has been seen in a wide variety of art galleries, impromptu spaces, alleyways, and major museums around the world, from The Brooklyn Museum in New York and V&A in London to The Palace of the Arts in Cairo. He has been an artist-in-residence in Germany, Poland, Jordan, Holland, and Finland, and has lived in Cairo, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and finally Houston-where he is now based.

The Lazours: Daniel and Patrick Lazour are brothers and music theatre writers. They have workshopped their piece We Live in Cairo at the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference and at New York Theatre Workshop under the 2016 Richard Rodgers Award. Their play, We Live in Cairo was produced at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA as part of their 2018/2019 season directed by Taibi Magar. They have developed their work during residencies at the O'Neill, SPACE on Ryder Farm and the MacDowell Colony. Their musical, Bethesda, about the first chemotherapy trials in the 1950s and 60s, was workshopped at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Theatre and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. Patrick and Daniel were 2015-16 Dramatists Guild Fellows and are New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects. Most recently, they were artists-in-residence at the American University in Cairo.

Ramy Essam: Rock artist and human rights defender Ramy Essam was one of the galvanizing voices of the Egyptian revolution of 2011-2013. His music -- which he performed live during the protests in Tahrir Square, channelled the energy and passion of spontaneous street chants into popular songs that embodied the peaceful, creative side of the uprising.

His songs spread like wildfire among the demonstrators. During the height of the uprising, Ramy performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square. His song Irhal was listed as #3 Song That Changed History by Time Out Magazine.

But fame came with a heavy price. In 2011, Ramy experienced arrest brutal torture. Since late 2013 his songs were banned, and he was forbidden from performing publicly. Ramy has lived in exile in Sweden and Finland since 2014, working in artist residencies hosted by ICORN and Artists At Risk. In addition to touring worldwide and releasing music, Ramy has performed in theatre pieces and won various human rights prizes, including the Václav Havel Prize of Creative Dissent honor from the Human Rights Foundation in May 2019.

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