Ramy Essam and Paleface on stage at Cafe Mascot on Thursday, 25 September at 8 pm.
You’re warmly welcome!

Ramy Essam is best known for his appearances in Tahrir Square in Cairo during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. His song irhal (إرحل), in which Mubarak is urged to resign, is referred to as the anthem of the revolution. Ramy will perform and talk about the violent turmoil of the years 2011-12 together with the Professor of World Politics, Teivo Teivainen, Director of Finnish Peace Committee, Teemu Matinpuro and Curator of Perpetuum Mobile, Marita Muukkonen. What does the future hold for the activists of Tahrir and other squares of the world? After the discussion Paleface and Panda & Tim ja muut uhanalaiset eläimet band will take over the stage and warm up Ramy’s gig starting at 10 pm.

Art as a weapon! This motto still holds true in Cairo. The revolution is no more romantic than this underground art, whose aim is to provoke and take risks, is accommodating. The artists and activists taking part in the revolution of 2011 and the violent years that followed, are under great threat as the power has shifted to the hands of Al-Sisi. Ramy is currently in residence on Suomenlinna in the framework of HIAP and Perpetuum Mobile’s residency programme On the Move. The programme is targeted for artists whose freedom of expression is being violated. Ramy Essam first arrived to Helsinki in the context of the project To the Square 2, which was curated by Perpetuum Mobile for Checkpoint Helsinki in collaboration with HIAP.

The event at Mascot Café is organised by Perpetuum Mobilε, HIAP, Finnish Peace Committee and Le Monde Diplomatique.