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The encounter of the Arab Pop Culture and the Revolution.
A revolutionary popular imagery of the 21st century?
– Online Collection: https://media.hal.science/STICKERS_25JAN
Collection vbat (Vincent Battesti) --- objects collected (or purchased) in Cairo, Egypt, between March 22nd and April 22nd. Sold in the street by street vendors (hawkers), these stickers are designed and manufactured in Cairo. They all celebrate the revolution of 25 January. Are added to this collection a set of two cards / badges very popular, an Egyptian flag and Kleenex with the national colors.
This appearance of political stickers was unexpected - just as much as the Egyptian revolution was - by not fitting into any national or local tradition of stickers, nor into a recent tradition of political caricatures in the public space. Since then, this phenomenon has been short-lived.
– Call to contribution:
The collection is far from complete, of course. I bought them in Cairo in March-April without first thinking to use them (old compulsion of a collector).
But on the plane back, I thougt that I could write an scientific and graphic article, exploring the “revolution of January 25th” by its stickers (I will propose a translation to French or English).
Here is the state of my collection: who can send me more? I will reimburse of course the purchase costs (which are still quite small) and shipping. Thanking you so much for your help (which I will mention in the article if you do not mind).
Update: A big thanks to Agnes Debiage from the Oum El Dounia Bookshop in Cairo for her contribution, a large addition to this collection with her harvest of June .
Update: I collected by late September during Tahrir Square protests 60 new stickers. I will put them online as soon as I will be back from mission (early November), so that everyone can check how to help with this collection of unreleased stickers ...
Thank you !
– The new stickers… from the end of September 2011
– And for the fun… (Spring 2011)