Egypt's tourism sector struggles to revive fortunes

Authors: Laura Schmid, Nehal El-Sherif

   Hurghada, Egypt (dpa) - The beaches are almost empty and taxi drivers jockey for customers in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Hurghada, once a bustling city, now desperately struggling to revive its tourism sector a year after the country's political revolution.

   "No tourists simply means no money," said diving instructor Mohamed, standing under a palm tree on a stretch of golden sand by the sea, where he spends his time pursuing water sports hobbies.

   Tourism was a key pillar of Egypt's economy before the popular uprising that forced Hosny Mubarak to resign last year. It used to generate some 12.5 billion dollars in 2010. This figure fell by 30 per cent to 8.8 billion dollars in 2011.

   Tourism businesses, which have slashed prices to attract tourists, says the drop is much higher.

   "At the beginning of the winter season, the occupancy rate at our hotel was over 50 per cent," said Mohamed Eiweida, sales manager at a five-star resort in Hurghada. "At the moment, occupancy hardly stands at 15 per cent," he added, saying that images of deadly clashes in Cairo three months ago had scared off many tourists.

   Thousands of European holidaymakers used to visit resorts along the Red Sea in December and January, attracted by the sunshine and temperatures that reach as high as 25 degrees Celsius.

   The tourism industry says the government's figures are not accurate - they argue the drop is sharper than the 30 per cent estimated for 2011 - because any foreign national who stays in Egypt longer than 24 hours is counted as a tourist.

   This includes tens of thousands of Libyans who fled to Egypt to escape last year's civil war, as well as thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

   "What keeps the hotel alive are the Russian tourists," said Ibrahim Mazhar, who works as a public relations manager at a hotel. "They do not care about politics or clashes, as long as the prices are low. Europeans are more careful."

   European tourists, who make up the largest group of visitors to Egypt, fell by 35 per cent to 7.2 million last year, compared to 11.1 million in 2010, according to government figures.

   Tourism accounts for 11.3 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product, and many of the country's 80 million inhabitants rely on the sector for a living.

   "With all this mayhem, Egypt attracted over 9 million tourists in 2011, which proves the country is still a top tourist destination," Tourism Minister Munir Fakhri Abdul Nur said recently.

   However, many are sceptical.

   Islamists won almost 70 per cent of the seats in Egypt's freest parliamentary elections and some parties, like the hardline Salafist Al-Nour, want to enforce gender-segregated beaches with restrictions on bikinis and alcohol. This could spell disaster for an industry that relies on European tourists.

   "It is our fourth visit to the Red Sea and we hope to return next year," said an English tourist. "But vacation under Islamic rules is not what we have in mind."

   There are also fears of violence between police and liberal and secular activists who have vowed to continue protesting until Egypt's military rulers hand over power to a civilian government.

   Ahmed Tomoum, an entrepreneur who owns a bar in Hurghada's posh New Marina area, says that he will be forced to shut down if business remains weak.

   "I recently began another project to export textile. If tourism does not pick up in the coming months, I will sell the bar and concentrate on my other project," he said.

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One year on, Egyptians pursue an unending revolution

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) – Wearing a T-shirt with the words “The Revolution Continues,” Mohammed Ghanem stands in the middle of Tahrir Square with his friends to mark the first anniversary of the January 25 uprising that forced long-time president Hosny Mubarak out of power.

   “Down with the Military Rule,” Ghanem chanted, with a group of protesters, and “The Blood of the Martyrs Will Not Go in Vain."

   “One year has passed since the revolution. But have we achieved the demands we were pursuing? Not really,” Ghanem says, as he takes a break from the protest.

   Egypt recently held its first free elections in decades, in which Islamist parties made massive gains. The new parliament convened its first session just this week.

   "Yes, elections were a good step. Still, it is still too early to judge the parliament, which in itself is not enough," Ghanem told dpa.

   Ghanem is a business graduate who has been unable to find a permanent job since he graduated 18 months ago.

   “I am joining thousands of the people who want a decent living, and most importantly to feel they are dealt with respect in their country. If we cannot achieve the demands made during the revolution, then those who sacrificed their lives would not rest in peace,” he says, before rising to his feet to join the protest again.

   The protesters gathering in Tahrir on Wednesday were not happy at the slow pace of trials for former officials, including Mubarak, charged with killing hundreds of people during the revolt last year.

   A huge black banner showed photos of Mubarak, his ex-interior minister Habib al-Adli and Egypt’s military ruler, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, with the noose around them. Tantawi was Mubarak’s defence minister for 20 years.

   The opposition criticizes the junta, which took charge of the country after Mubarak’s stepping down last February, for suspected involvement in the killing of around 90 people since the former president’s overthrow.

   “We need to fight for the freedom of the revolutionary army officers who are now detained for taking the side of the revolution,” a protester, himself as a former officer, said. “We need to save these heroes from punishment.”

   Around 20 army officers have joined protesters in Tahrir in several protests over 2011. They were reportedly sentenced to two-to-three years in prison by military courts.

   Their families say they are on a hunger strike to protest maltreatment inside the military prison.

   Thousands of protesters flocked to Tahrir from the early hours of Wednesday from different parts of Egypt, rallying to the call that the demands of the revolution have not been fully achieved.

   As the military and security forces stayed away from Tahrir, which has been the scene of fatal clashes with anti-military protesters in the past two months, groups of activists were positioned at the entrances to the square to search demonstrators for suspicious items including weapons and knives.

   The protesters gave short shrift to the military ruler’s decision to partially lift the country's 30-year-old emergency laws, starting Wednesday morning.

   In what was seen as a concession to appease protesters, Tantawi said in a televised address on Tuesday the state of emergency would be lifted except in cases of “thuggery.”

   “What does thuggery mean? They previously arrested many protesters on charges of thuggery,” said Amal Hassan, a mother of two, who brought along her children to take part in the rally.

   “I support the revolution because I want a better life for my children. But nothing has changed after Mubarak,” she said, as she adjusted her blue veil.

   “There are still a lot of Mubaraks we should be put on trial before we can celebrate the revolution," she added.

Egypt's post-Mubarak parliament convenes

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
23.01.2012

   Cairo (dpa) - Egypt's newly-elected parliament, in which Islamists hold two-third of the seats, held its inaugural session on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the January 25 revolution that ousted president Hosny Mubarak.

   The composition of the parliament, which is seen as a first step towards democratic rule in the country, reflects the fact that Islamist parties have become the strongest political force in Egypt after years of suppression under Mubarak.

   The Freedom and Justice Party won the largest number of seats, with 47 per cent, followed by the hardline Salafist party Al-Nour.

   The prime task of the lower house of parliament, or the People's Assembly, will be to pick a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution.

   Saad al-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party was elected as Parliament Speaker, with 399 votes.

   Essam Sultan, of the moderate Islamist al-Wasat Party, came second with just 87 votes.

   "We announce to the Egyptian people and the whole world that our revolution continues," al-Katatni told the assembly after he was elected.

   "We will not rest until there is retribution for the martyrs by fair, rapid trials and rebuild Egypt," he said.

   Al-Katani, a university professor and political pragmatist, was the Secretary-General for the Freedom and Justice Party. He promised to resign from his post in the party after becoming speaker.

   From 2005 to 2010, al-Katatni served as the head of the Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc when brotherhood members, running as independents under Mubarak, won a fifth of parliamentary seats.

   The session took place as Mubarak's defence lawyers continued to expose their closing arguments in the trial, in which the ousted leader and other co-defendants are accused of involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the January 25 revolution.

   The parliament's session was marred by heated disputes between its members. Arguments began as soon as some members refused to stick to the wording of the official oath.

   Mamdouh Ismail, member of the Salafist al-Asala Party, added "as long as it does not violate the law of God" while he was being sworn in. Another lawmaker vowed to fulfill the revolutionary demands and defend the “blood of the martyrs."

   A heated argument later erupted as some candidates wanted to give a short speech to introduce themselves ahead of the vote for the post of Parliament Speaker.

   Several members were wearing yellow scarves around their necks with the slogan "No to military trials for civilians," in a protest against the ruling military council, which has tried more than 12,000 people in military courts since Mubarak's ouster.

   Tight security was imposed around the parliament building, which is located near Tahrir Square, the epicentre of protests that forced Mubarak out of power.

   Thousands of protesters marched on the parliament building, demonstrating against the military trials of civilians and the military rulers.

   Others were calling for the release of all political prisoners, defending the creative freedoms and preserving the freedom of the press, film director and activist Khaled Youssef told dpa.

   They were chanting “Creativity, freedom and social justice," activists said.

   Elections for the 498-seat assembly began in November and ended in January. Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi appointed 10 more members, raising the total to 508.

   Elections for the less powerful Shura Council, or upper house of parliament, are to be held in two stages, with voting taking place between January 29 and February 22.

   The military council will hand over power to a civil administration after presidential elections scheduled for June.

IMF: Libya could be driver of Mideast economy

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - Libya could drive economic activity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2012-13, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Tuesday, despite recent challenges to the country's political stability.

   Libya was not included in the IMF's September 2011 projections due to the uncertain political situation at the time.

   Excluding Libya, MENA growth projections for 2012 and 2013 are lower than the IMF predicted in September, the organization said Tuesday.

   However if Libya is included, economic activity in the region is expected to accelerate, driven by the country's recovery and the continued strong performance of other oil exporters.

   According to Daniel J Graeber, a senior analyst for Oil Price energy news site, "even the most pessimistic oil analysts are surprised at how fast Libyan oil production is back online."

   However, observers have said that damage to Libya's infrastructure could impede an increase in oil export capacity, while internal political rivalries are a challenge for the country's economic development.

   Libya has witnessed several protests and clashes since the fall of slain leader Moamer Gaddafi.

   On Monday, four people were killed when clashes erupted in the key oil town of Bani Walid, south-east of Tripoli.

   A day before that, dozens of Libyans stormed the ruling National Transitional Council's headquarters, in the eastern city of Benghazi, in protest at the perceived slow pace of reform.

   In December, OPEC's Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri said Libya's "strong comeback" would have a large impact on the oil market.

   On a regional level, the IMF said that most oil-importing countries, such as Egypt and Tunisia, faced muted growth prospects due to "longer-than-expected political transitions and an adverse external environment."

HRW urges West to get over fear of rising Islamists in Arab world

Authors: Laura Schmid, Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) – The international community should overcome its fear of political Islam in the Middle East and instead embrace the preference of the majority, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday.

   Ignoring the increasing popular Islamist parties in the region would violate democratic principles, the rights group said while launching its annual World Report 2012 in Cairo.

   After facing repression for years, Islamist parties have gained wide support in the aftermath of the uprisings that toppled long-time Arab leaders, especially in the North African countries of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

   "Coming to terms with Islamist parties does not mean rejecting human rights but nurturing the right-respecting elements of political Islam," said Kenneth Roth, HRW executive director.

   "Human Rights Watch encourages the Western leaders to pressure the newly emerging Islamist governments to respect basic human rights and stand firm against the repression of political freedoms, when needed," he added.

   Roth expressed overall satisfaction with the rhetoric of the Islamists in Egypt but said that their democratic intentions will be exposed through the way the Muslim Brotherhood governs the country.

   Egypt's Islamist parties, all licensed after the ouster of president Hosny Mubarak in February, have secured two-thirds of the newly elected parliament. Egypt's most influential group, the Muslim Brotherhood, won the largest number of seats with 47 per cent of the assembly.

   "We are foremost concerned about women's and minority rights in the region," said Heba Morayef, HRW researcher for Egypt, adding that the demand of Islamists to withdraw certain laws promoting women's rights is an "extremely worrying development."

   The New York-based group also urged Western leaders to "step away from their autocratic friends and side with reformers to build genuine democracies and extend human rights as well as the rule of law."

   Roth called on Europe and the United States to stop the "Arab exception" and become as outspoken against autocratic leaders who are politically attached to them as they had been in standing up to the repression in Libya and Syria.

   The group also criticized the "leading southern democracies of India, Brazil and South Africa" for backing Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's regime, and called on them to support the Arab people's quest for democracy.

   Roth said a stronger position of these three countries at the United Nations Security Council against Syria could help to isolate China and Russia, whose leaders fear a spread of the protests and would force them to withdraw their veto. This would pave the way for  more targeted sanctions and an arms embargo, he said.

   "Rights-respecting governments should support international justice regardless of political considerations," said Roth, pressing the international community to abandon its traditional policy of containment towards the Arab world.

ElBaradei pulls out of Egyptian presidential race

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei withdrew Saturday from the presidency race, in protest at the country's military rule - in a move that is expected to further divide activists ahead of the revolution's first anniversary.

   The former head of the UN nuclear watchdog said he had made the decision because the ruling military council "chooses to continue along the old road, as if no revolution took place, and as if the regime has not fallen."

   "Instead of uniting the nation through an organized political process ... (the council) has taken all decisions alone in a way that reflects confusion, and exacerbated divisions in the society while we are in dire need of solidarity," ElBaradei said in a statement.

   While the army was credited for its support of the January 25 revolution, the ruling military council has since been criticized for using force against demonstrators and dragging its feet over reforms.

   "I reviewed the best ways to serve the goals of the revolution amid this reality, and I found no position within the official framework, including the post of the president ," Elbaradei said.

   Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in June.

   The 69-year-old Nobel laureate, has been one of the country's most influential figures, and his criticisms of Mubarak in 2010 were seen as a catalyst for the revolt that ousted the president last year.

   He received a hero's welcome at the airport when he returned to Egypt early 2010.

   "My decision is not a withdrawal from the scene, but a continuation to serve this country more effectively, away from power and free from all restrictions," he added.

   ElBaradei's decision comes just over 10 days before the first anniversary of the January 25 revolution.

   His announcement has highlighted the division between activists, where some support ElBaradei and his repeated calls to write a new constitution before the parliamentary elections, while others support the timeline set up by the military council in order to hand over power to a civilians administration.

   Ongoing parliamentary elections in Egypt have sparked concerns among Christians and liberals that a new legislature will likely have an Islamist bent, as supporters of conservative Muslim groups have scored well in the country's first elections after Mubarak's departure from politics.

   "I ask each presidential candidate to follow ElBaradei and back the revolution until it is complete," activist Nawara Negm said on her Twitter account.

   However, writer and activist Belal Fadl described ElBaradei's withdrawal from the presidential race as an "intelligent, wise decision" taken by a seasoned politician.

  "If ElBaradei knew that his chances to win are huge, he would not have pulled out. This is not a revolutionary decision, it is the right political one," Fadl said.

   Former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a former senior figure in the influential Muslim Brotherhood group, are now the front-runners in the upcoming presidential elections.

Amnesty urges Saudi Arabia to investigate protester's death

Author: Nehal El-Sherif
13.01.2012

   Cairo/Riyadh (dpa) - Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabian authorities on Friday to investigate the death of a Shiite protester in the eastern part of the kingdom after he was shot by security forces.

   The Saudi Ministry of Interior said that one person was killed late Thursday in clashes between security forces and members of the Shiite minority in the kingdom's eastern Qatif province.

   "While security forces were patrolling al-Awamiya village ... they were attacked by petrol bombs," ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki said in a statement.

   The London-based rights group identified the protester killed as Issam Mohamed Ali Abu Abdullah, aged 22.

   “This is the latest of several disturbing protester deaths in Saudi Arabia in the last couple of months,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s interim Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

   “The need to immediately launch an independent investigation into the death of Issam Abu Abdullah is underlined by the fact that investigations that were announced into previous protester deaths in similar incidents do not appear to have gone anywhere,” he added.

   Amnesty International quoted sources as saying that riot police opened fire on the protesters, some of whom were also carrying firearms.

   The incident came as British Prime Minister David Cameron was in Riyadh for talks with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and other officials to discuss trade and developments in the Middle East.

   Oil-rich Qatif province has been a central point for protests by the Shiite minority against the Sunni ruling family. The government usually refers to them as "rioters."

   Riyadh has repeatedly accused "foreign instigators," a reference to Tehran, of paying protesters to confront government security forces.

   In November, four people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Qatif.

   Saudi authorities recently published a list of 23 suspects wanted on charges of carrying out a "foreign agenda" in Shiite districts in the east.

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Al-Assad claims popular support as 31 killed in Syria

By Weedah Hamzah and Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Beirut/Damascus (dpa) – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday vowed to stay in power, and in a rambling speech that lasted more than one-and-a-half hours blamed Syria's 10-month unrest on "foreign conspiracies" and promised a referendum on a new constitution.

   "I am not the one to run away from my responsibility," al-Assad said to resounding applause at Damascus University. "There is no value for any post without the popular support."

   "We're fighting an unprecedented battle in the history of Syria, but victory is near," he said. "The priority is to retain order and we will (deal with) terrorists with an iron fist."

   It was his fourth public address since the anti-government uprising began in March. The United Nations estimates that 5,000 people have since died in the government's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

   On Tuesday, security forces killed 31 protesters, most of them in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, activists said.

   Protests erupted in the central province of Homs as al-Assad was speaking, prompting his troops to fire at the demonstrators, Omar Homsi, a Syrian activist, told dpa by phone from the area.

   "Death to the devil," Homsi quoted the protesters as chanting.

   In demonstrations in other parts of the country people were heard chanting: "We want freedom."

   Al-Assad denied giving orders to shoot at protesters.

   "Some say that officials who committed murders were not arrested," he said. "This is not true. Security forces were not allowed to shoot at citizens, unless in certain cases such as self-defence or if the person was armed."

   He also used the forum to repeat his claim that a "foreign conspiracy" was behind the unrest.

   In an attempt to appease his domestic audience, the president assured them that a decree had been issued to establish a committee to draft a new constitution. He also promised to hold a national referendum in March on the new constitution.

   "I have great confidence in the future and this all comes from the people's will and belief in the sovereignty of Syria," he said.

   The speech was also his first after Damascus agreed in December to allow an Arab League observer mission in the country.

   Al-Assad accused the 22-member organization of worsening the situation in the region, but said that he "will not close the door in front of any Arab initiative as long as it respects Syria's sovereignty."

   About 165 Arab League monitors are in the country to determine whether Damascus is abiding by the plan to stop violence and pull weapons off the streets.

   Several observers were injured in attacks Tuesday in the port city of Latakia and the eastern city Deir al-Zour, and their equipment was damaged.

   The bloc's secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi, said: "The Arab League denounces the irresponsible action and acts of violence against the League's observers.

   "It considers the Syrian government totally responsible for the protection of the members of the observer mission."

  UN Under Secretary General Lynn Pascoe said in New York that it was particularly unsettling that the violence has not subsided in spite of the mission.

   Germany’s UN ambassador Peter Wittig called on Russia to revive negotiations on a Security Council resolution that condemns the government of Syria for engaging in violence against its citizens.

   The United Arab Emirates also criticized Syria for not facilitating the work of the observers.

   "The job of the observers is getting more difficult day after day ... We do not see a commitment from the Syrian side that would allow them to do their job," said the UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

   In his speech, al-Assad said Syria was open to dialogue. "We do not have a problem with dialogue and ... we are open to it. When we see everyone is ready to engage in talks, then we are ready to begin dialogue right away."

   Sheikh Anas Airout, a member of the Syrian opposition, told dpa by phone that al-Assad's regime was living "on another planet and all its policies and promises are just pure lies."

   "We the opposition will never accept to sit with this killer on the same table for dialogue," opposition member Bassam al-Imadi told broadcaster Al Jazeera.

   Burhan Ghalyoun, the chief of Syria's National Council - a diaspora group of 140 leaders, said al-Assad's speech was an "incitement to more violence."

Yemenis organize "a day without khat" to fight corruption

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) – Yemeni activists have launched a campaign urging people to stop chewing khat, a mildly narcotic plant, for one day on January 12 to protest corruption in the impoverished Gulf country.

   The campaign, called "I want Yemen to change, I will not store khat," was quickly spreading across several cities and on various social networking websites.

   For thousands of years khat leaves have been chewed in the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa. It is an intrinsic part of Yemeni culture, and millions of men, women and children chew the leaves on a daily basis.

   Once chewed, khat leaves release chemicals that are structurally related to amphetamines and the user experiences a mild high.

   Activist Abdel Rahim Alsamei said: "The plan is to fight all the corruption that has spread in the country because of khat."

   Alsamei, who is based in the southern city of Taiz, said that protesters were planning to hold meetings to raise awareness of the negative consequences of chewing khat. They will also visit markets where the plants are sold, and use loudspeakers to discourage people from buying them.

Yemeni protesters chewing khat (qat)/epa

   "Anyone chewing khat will not be allowed to enter the squares where protesters gather in Taiz," Alsamei told dpa by phone.

   Similar activities are expected to be organized in the capital Sana'a, activists said.

   "It is a main artery of bribery in our country. For example, employees ask citizens for khat, or money to buy it, before getting their work done," Alsamei added. "I am hopeful about this day."

   An estimated 90 per cent of adult Yemeni males chew khat for three to four hours a day, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2008. The same year, a World Bank study found that 73 per cent of Yemeni women consume the leaves frequently; while 15-20 per cent of children under 12 years are daily users.

   WHO does not consider khat to be a seriously addictive drug, but its impact is widespread in Yemen - on users' psychological and physical health, agriculture and the economy.

    For economists and ecologists, khat has become a symbol of all that ails Yemen. The plants consume vast quantities of scarce water supplies and exacerbate food shortages, as many farmers have replaced their crops with the more-lucrative khat. In this largely arid country, khat accounts for nearly half of all agricultural water usage.

   "Khat has detrimental effects on Yemen's agriculture, economy, health, society, and needs to be eradicated," activist Noon Arabia posted on Twitter.

   It can cause persistent hallucinations, affect sleep cycles, raise blood pressure and disrupt households, as a significant portion of monthly incomes are allocated to feed people's khat habit.

   Many activists blame outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh for the khat menace, saying he "worked on spreading the khat culture in all areas" to drive people away from politics.

   A government employee said that a breakdown for costs for any committee set up to follow a particular project, shows that part of the money is paid to get khat for the committee members.

   After the year-long uprising against Saleh, activists are shifting gear to focus on issues such as corruption, which they see as hindering Yemen's economic growth and path to democracy.

   Unlike its wealthy neighbour Saudi Arabia, which has banned it, Yemen keeps the cultivation and selling of the plant legal. It is common to find a khat corner in every market, where bundles of the plant are wrapped in cloth or plastic to keep the leaves fresh and tender.

   The anti-khat campaign comes ahead of presidential elections scheduled for February 21, when Saleh will officially be out of power following the terms of a Gulf-brokered transition deal.

   Activist Hamza al-Adini posted on Twitter: "The cursed khat trees have taken wisdom away from Yemen and pushed it from wealth to poverty and corruption."

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After political censorship, Arab artists fear new barriers

Authors: Laura Schmid and Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - The final scene of Ein Shams, an independent award-winning Egyptian film, was supposed to show an old car rolling through central Cairo's Tahrir Square, carrying away the middle class family, with the protagonist Shams, towards their unknown future.

   While shooting this last scene, reality blended with fiction, creating a different tale. The 2006 movie ended with depictions of real policemen arresting the crew for filming without permission and script approval from the Interior Ministry.

   But artists now are hopeful they will not have to face similar restrictions in post-revolutionary Egypt.

   "The creative suffocation of the Egyptian art scene ended with the ousting of (Hosny) Mubarak," says Yasser Naeim, an aspiring young producer.

   "The Egyptian revolution spawned new artistic freedoms and now our duty as artists is to ensure that incidents like the arrest of Ibrahim al-Batout (the director of Shams) will not happen again," stressed Naeim, who filmed a short movie in 2010 about the difficulties of making Ein Shams.

   Liberated by the revolutionary fervour, the Arab uprisings spearheaded an explosion of creativity throughout the region, says Basma al-Husseiny, manager of al-Mawred al-Thaqafy, a cultural exchange centre seeking to support artistic creativity.

   Despite the "unprecedented mobilization of the art scene in the Arab world" many independent artists in Tunisia and Egypt have to deal with being an artist and a political activist at the same time - a duality that provides little time for reflection and partly prevents artists from performing, said Viola Shafik, a renowned scholar and filmmaker.

   "There had not been enough time for artists to take a step back and to develop new art forms, which is why, until now, the uprising itself is the dominating source of inspiration," she told dpa.

   Tunisia and Egypt were the first countries to overthrow their leaders in early 2011. The rest of the year was spent in political debates on how to move forward towards democracy.

   Several books were printed since the January 25 revolution in Egypt, most of them documenting the events. Others were only pictures taken during the 18 days of protests that forced Mubarak out of power.

   In cinema, one documentary was shown. Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Politician, which touched upon different aspects of the uprising over three parts. The Good gives voice to the everyday heroes of the revolution, the Bad tells the story of four internal security officers assigned to crack down on protesters, while the Politician is a satirical deconstruction of Mubarak.

   In Tunisia, revolutionary art did not go much further than in Egypt. Artocracy in Tunisia - a photo exhibition held in Tunis displaying 100 portraits taken during the protests - is one example of how visual artists dealt with the popular uprising.

   "Currently, the actual change in culture is coming from the streets, because mainstream arts funded by the government are more rejected than ever," said Rana Yazji, a Syrian activist and curator.

   However, the rise of the Islamists parties in the Arab region have left artists wondering if they will be given the freedom to transform the cultural landscape.

   In Morocco, where the Islamist Justice and Development Party celebrated an election win in November, creative freedoms are already deteriorating, according to Mourad Kadiri, a Moroccan poet and cultural activist.

   Islamist politicians had demanded the 11th Marrakesh Film Festival in December be in line with Islamic values and have objected to a showing of Amours Voilees, an independent movie, that portrays the extramarital pregnancy of a veiled woman.

   Kadiri told a recent cultural forum in Cairo that this kind of censorship is an alarming signal of a deteriorating artistic freedoms in the country.

   "With a parliament of mostly Islamists, the newly gained artistic freedoms might be short-lived," Egyptian visual artist Huda Lufti said, adding that artists should protect their revolutionary achievements by creating a lobby to pressure the Islamists.

   Despite these growing concerns, renowned Egyptian novelist Bahaa Taher is optimistic that the regional art scene will thrive.

   "The new creative generation personifies our hopes to stand against certain worrying developments that are taking place right now," Taher said.