ARTINFO - As Egyptian protesters dig in at Tahrir Square for a "Week of Steadfastness" against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak,
poetry, theater, and even visual arts have become a tool to maintain
spirits. The outburst of impromptu culture in the heart of the uprising ?
in which pro-Mubarak thugs have used concern for the country's ancient
heritage, and chants of "no more vandalism," as pretexts for savage
assaults ? provides a glimpse into a society where free expression, long
bottled under the dictatorship, has become suddenly uncorked.�
In one instance, protester Hatem Abdel Razek created an impromptu experiment in interactive art while living in the Square for the last thirteen days, making a
giant portrait of Mubarak with trash bag hair and vampire fangs.
"Everyone protests in the way that they are comfortable with, and this
is what I am comfortable with," Abdel Razek told the Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum.
"I am here because I can be here, because Mubarak, bless him, has made
it possible for me to be here by keeping me unemployed for the past
seven years."
