Kefaya
كفاية

Type	Pressure group Political group
Founded	2004
Key people	Abdelgelil Mostafa[1]
Area served	Egypt
Focus	Liberal democracy Social justice Free and fair election
Website	Kefaya Website

Kefaya (Egyptian Arabic: كفاية kefāya, IPA: [keˈfæːjæ], “enough”) is the unofficial moniker of the Egyptian Movement for Change (Arabic: الحركة المصرية من أجل التغيير‎ el-Haraka el-Masreyya men agl el-Taghyeer), a grassroots coalition which prior to the 2011 revolution drew its support from across Egypt’s political spectrum. It was a platform for protest against Hosni Mubarak’s presidency and the possibility he might seek to transfer power directly to his son Gamal; political corruption and stagnation; "the blurring of the lines between power and wealth; and the regime's cruelty, coercion and disregard for human rights."^[2]

While it first came to public attention in the summer of 2004, and achieved a much greater profile during the 2005 constitutional referendum and presidential election campaigns, it subsequently lost momentum, suffering from internal dissent, leadership change, and a more general frustration at the apparent inability of Egypt’s political opposition to force the pace of reform.

Origins[link]

While Kefaya first emerged in 2004, its origins can be found in earlier strands of political protest, beginning with the solidarity committees that spread throughout Egypt following the start of the Second Intifada in October 2000.^[3] The pro-Intifada demonstrations were particularly notable as they involved a new generation of previously non-politicised youth and, as a direct consequence, resulted in a revival of Egyptian street politics.^{[citation needed]}

Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, these protesters formed the backbone of Egypt’s highly vocal anti-war movement,^[4] and their protests in turn developed into the first public demonstrations against President Mubarak since he had taken office.^[5] The anti-war protest of 20 March 2003 – from which the anti-war movement 20 March derived its name – was one of the biggest spontaneous demonstrations in Egypt’s history.^[6]

The evolution of this protest movement into Kefaya occurred during the summer of 2004. Speculation, fuelled by state-controlled media, had been mounting that major changes in top-level political personnel were to be announced. The much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle in July resulted in only cosmetic changes, however, and saw the installation of a number of supporters of the President’s son, Gamal Mubarak, in important government posts.^[7]

Fearing a hereditary transfer of power similar to that which had occurred in Syria, opposition activists and intellectuals were galvanised into action. In August, a petition was circulated which demanded fundamental constitutional and economic reforms, but most importantly direct presidential elections with competing candidates.^[7] The 300 signatories of what became Kefaya’s founding declaration called for “democracy and reform to take root in Egypt.” ^[8] Then in October 2004, Tariq al-Bishri, one of Egypt’s most respected judges, presented what soon came to be regarded as the movement’s first manifesto in which he exhorted his fellow citizens to “withdraw their long-abused consent to be governed” – in effect, a call for civil disobedience.^[7]

Kefaya’s first rally, held on 12 December, was an historic event, being the first occasion a protest had been organised solely to demand that the President step down. Surrounded by riot police, between 500 and 1000 activists gathered on the steps of the High Court in Cairo. They “remained mostly silent and taped over their mouths a large yellow sticker emblazoned with “Kefaya”.” ^[7]

Support-base[link]

Described as a “loose knit umbrella of diverse political trends,”^[7] Kefaya represents a “new style” of opposition in Egypt, with parallels to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution and Poland’s Solidarity movement.^[9] It draws its support from a cosmopolitan range of sources including Nasserists, Islamists, Liberals, Marxists, Secularists etc., some of which have deep-rooted ideological differences, and have even clashed in the past. Activists frequently stress that it is not a political party aiming to achieve power, but a “national coalition movement” united by the common goal of seeking an end to President Mubarak’s rule.^[8]

Abdel-Halim Qandil, the editor of the Nasserist newspaper Al-Arabi who was spokesman for the movement until the beginning of 2007, emphasised that the use of the word “Kefaya” was designed to connect with the general public: “Our movement targets Egyptians. We want them to put away their fears, and demand their political and economic rights.”^[10] Another member, Dr Mohamed Al-Saed Idris, an academic, called it “a national cry against the status quo.”^[8]

Key events[link]

Kefaya came of age in 2005, a year which saw two events of great significance in Egyptian politics. The first was a referendum on 25 May to approve changes to the constitution that would allow the first ever direct, multi-candidate elections for the presidency. The second was the Presidential election itself, held on 7 September.

Constitutional amendments[link]

Kefaya had continued its campaign for political reform since its December demonstration, attracting increasing attention from the government. A rally planned for 18 January was banned, while in the same month political scientist and leading activist Mohamed El-Sayed Said, was removed from a panel discussion at Cairo’s Book Fair.^[7]

Then on 26 February 2005, President Mubarak caused consternation when he announced a proposal to amend Article 76 of the Constitution to enable multiple candidates to contest presidential elections directly for the first time. Under the old system, the election process was indirect: the candidate was nominated and confirmed by the People’s Assembly (Majlis al-Sha’b), controlled by the National Democratic Party (NDP), before being approved in a nation-wide “yes” or “no” referendum.^[11]

The immediate repercussion to this announcement was the decision by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to cancel a proposed visit to the country in protest at the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Ayman Nour, leader of the al-Ghad (Tomorrow) Party.^[12] More generally, American President George W. Bush had been putting pressure on key regional allies, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to introduce some form of electoral reform as part of efforts to spread democracy – the so-called “forward strategy for freedom.”^[13] The Washington Post described President Mubarak’s plans as “an act of minimalism intended to deflect domestic and international pressure.”^[14] Kefaya immediately denounced the proposals as “theatrics” and a “fake reform” designed merely as a "reformulation of the dictatorship".^[9]

The timing of the President’s announcement was significant, coming only a few weeks after the close of the annual voter registration period (1 November to 31 January) specified under Article 5 of Egypt’s constitution.^[7] When the specifics of the constitutional amendment were presented by law-makers, the opposition’s fears seemed justified. Under the new rules, each candidate would require the support of at least 250 elected officials from national or local bodies. As these were controlled by the NDP, it would be virtually impossible for signatures to be collected.^[11] In addition, political parties that wished to put their candidates on the ballot would need to have been licensed for a minimum of 5 years and have at least 5% of seats in the lower and upper house.^[11] This move seemed designed to place even greater pressure on established opposition parties, in particular the already-proscribed Muslim Brotherhood.

The opposition were scathing in their criticism of the NDP. Hussein Abderazzek of the left-wing Tagammu party declared: “The NDP will not only choose its own candidate but also his competitors,”^[5] while Kefaya accused the party of “aborting people’s hopes for freedom and democracy.”^[15]

The referendum campaign[link]

The run-up to the referendum saw popular demands for reform “skyrocket.”^[16] Kefaya held regular protests, calling for the “cancellation of the state of emergency law and all special laws that restrict freedoms” (ilgha’halat al-tawari‘wa kafat al-qawanin al-istithna ’iyya al-muqayyada lil-hurriyat).^[17] In addition, they attacked the government for its record on social welfare, job creation and education.^[11] In April, simultaneous demonstrations were planned in 13 cities under a banner of “No Constitution Without Freedom”.^[11]

Kefaya’s activities served as a catalyst for other opposition groups.^[10] Egypt’s largest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, held its own demonstrations calling for political reform, while university professors held a silent protest on 19 April calling for an end to state control of campuses.^[18] The previous month Misr Digital, the country’s first independent digital newspaper, was launched quickly becoming the main source of information on Kefaya’s activities.^[18]

Egypt’s judiciary, regarded as having almost replaced the opposition in the past,^[19] put additional pressure on the government over the issue of the domestic monitoring of elections. At a meeting on 15 April of the Alexandria Judges Club, 1200 judges threatened to withdraw their supervision of presidential and parliamentary elections unless they were guaranteed independence and control of all stages of elections.^[18]

Throughout this period, while police and security forces continued to harass Kefaya and other opposition activists, there was no full-scale crackdown. In effect, a stand-off had developed: while the opposition was not strong enough to topple the government, the government was equally unable to stamp-out the opposition, at least partly in fear of the international outcry that would follow. Egyptians described the situation as “political congestion”.^[20]

25 May 2005[link]

On 25 May, the day of the referendum, demonstrations organised by Kefaya in front of the Press Syndicate headquarters and Sa ‘d Zaghlul Shrine in Cairo were attacked by Mubarak supporters and plain-clothes policemen, whilst riot police looked on. A reporter gave an eyewitness account of what happened in front of the press building:

“The steps were full of Kefaya people and I was on the edge of the crowd. There was a cordon of security and riot policemen on the street. I saw a group of NDP people come down the streets – they had Mubarak posters – and there were at least 20 riot police walking with them, looking like they were protecting them. The police at the bottom of the steps opened the cordon to let the NDP gang through to the demonstrators. The next thing I knew a gang of about 20 or 30 NDP guys came at us from the left.”^[21]

Amongst the victims of the brutality were two women who were beaten and sexually molested.^[18] The opposition were unified in their condemnation and demanded the resignation of the Interior Minister, Habib al-‘Adli. In addition, Kefaya held protests every Wednesday for the rest of the summer.^[7]

Despite these incidents, there was no serious violence on voting day, which George Ishak, Kefaya’s co-ordinator at the time, attributed to international attention on Egypt: “There are 1,800 foreign correspondents watching the elections; do you think the regime would should show its hideous face to the world? They behaved the way they did because of the huge media presence.”^[11]

The referendum approved the proposed constitutional amendments, but Egyptian judges challenged a government turnout figure of 52%, saying it was closer to 5%.^[11]

The Presidential election[link]

Despite the setback of the constitutional referendum, Kefaya sought to maintain the pressure on the government ahead of the presidential poll on 7 September. On 8 June, 2,000 people representing a cross-section of the Egyptian opposition took part in a candle-lit vigil in front of the mausoleum of Saad Zaghoul, one of Egypt’s national heroes. It was described as “the most organised and impressive demonstration by the reform movement to date.”^[18]

Throughout the summer, inspired by Kefaya’s example, a series of opposition groups sprang up, all seeking to expand freedoms in specific areas of society. They included Journalists for Change, Doctors for Change, Workers for Change and Youth for Change, which had been founded on the eve of the referendum and became Kefaya’s unofficial youth arm.^[18]

However, the government was emboldened by its May success, and increased its pressure on Kefaya and the other opposition parties. At a rally held in Cairo on 30 July to protest against President Mubarak’s intention to seek a fifth term, 200 activists were attacked by uniformed and plain clothed police wielding truncheons.^[22] The decision to do this was described by Human Rights Watch as “not just to prevent a demonstration, but also to physically punish those daring to protest President Mubarak’s candidacy.”^[8] The tactics seemed to have an effect when Kefaya was forced to abandon its plan of inviting several prominent figures to run against the President when no names were forthcoming.^[10] Instead, it adopted a strategy of boycotting the elections.^[23] One of Kefaya’s founding members, Hany Anan, declared:

“We are showing Egyptians that we can challenge the ruler, we can tell him we don’t want you, that’s enough, you go, and we can do this in public and still go back to our homes, maybe with some wounds or some bruises, but we still go home.”^[24]

Although ten candidates stood for the presidency, the election results came as little surprise. President Mubarak won with 88.6% of the vote. However, of 32 million eligible voters, only seven million cast their ballot, meaning just six million had voted to re-elect the President for a further six years. Most of the defeated candidates challenged these results on the grounds of fraud and other irregularities.^[23]

Following the elections, it was predicted in some quarters that Kefaya would disappear from the political scene.^[23] In response to this, a huge rally was organised in Cairo to coincide with the President’s swearing-in ceremony on 27 September which organisers claimed was attended by over 5000 people. They carried banners and chanted slogans attacking the President and his regime, including “6 millions voted yes, 70 millions say no.” The rally culminated in a mass oath by Kefaya members, promising to continue their opposition to the President and his plans to pass power to his son.^[23]

In the autumn, Kefaya joined a group of other opposition parties to form the National Front for Change to fight parliamentary elections that took place between November and December. The joint effort resulted in only 12 seats, however.^[10] While the NDP dominated Assembly with 388 seats, the big opposition winners were the Muslim Brotherhood whose candidates, running as independents because of the ban on the party, won 88 seats.^[25] Talking about the coalition’s disappointing showing, Kefaya spokesman Abdel-Halim Qandil said “it will take time and effort for the public to believe in its effectiveness.”^[10]

Criticism[link]

Despite its importance in becoming a “model of dissent”,^[10] Kefaya has been criticised on a number of levels. It promised both mass “civil disobedience” and a strong opposition network to press the regime, neither of which have materialised.^[10] Moreover, in the aftermath of the 2005 Presidential elections, the International Crisis Group stated: “Kefaya has remained essentially a protest movement, targeting Mubarak personally and articulating a bitter rejection of the status quo rather than a constructive vision of how it might be transformed.”^[26]

It has also been criticised for failing to reach beyond “an exclusive, Cairo-based intellectual crowd,” offering a “lofty discourse on human rights and democracy” but no practical solutions to the problems Egyptians face on a daily basis, such as poverty, unemployment, poor access to education and public services, etc.^[6] Thus, according to Abdel Fattah, an academic at Cairo University, Kefaya “are not effective among the masses and they will not reach the point where we see millions of Egyptians take to the streets…instead of slogans I want practical solutions to problems.”^[27] Unless they can broaden their base of support into key urban and rural areas, they may indeed remain “a group of intellectuals screaming and shouting in political forums and magazines....”^[28]

Future prospects[link]

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After the high-profile campaigns of 2005, Kefaya has found itself in the political doldrums. Its challenge became how to operate in what had apparently become a largely “apolitical society”.^[19] A culture of fear remained among ordinary Egyptian people as a result of 53 years of bans on protests, along with crackdowns on and detentions of opposition activists.^[8] Mohammed El-Sayed Said described Kefaya’s problem thus: “Ordinary Egyptians want democracy but will not fight for it.”^[7]

Moreover, recently Kefaya has been described as suffering from an “identity crisis”.^[29] There have been disputes over tactics between the movement and Youth for Change, particularly over what have been termed the latter’s “vigilante street tactics.”^[6] Then, at the end of 2006, a more serious split occurred after an anonymous article was posted on Kefaya’s website apparently supporting an anti-veil stance advocated by Farouk Hosni, the Minister of Culture. Although the article was subsequently removed, seven key figures, all pro-Islamist, announced their intention to quit the movement. One, Magdi Ahmed Hussein, declared that Kefaya had “failed to find the middle ground between the Islamists and liberals…”^[29]

The movement’s co-ordinator since 2004, George Ishak, stepped down in January 2007 to be replaced by Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri, a renowned anti-zionist scholar and former member of both the Egyptian Communist Party and Muslim Brotherhood. He faces the difficult task of renewing the movement following further constitutional changes approved by a referendum in March 2007. The changes, which make it even harder for political parties to operate and extend the state’s security powers, are described by Amnesty International as the “greatest erosion of human rights” since the introduction of emergency powers in 1981.^[30]

Having successfully broken the taboo on directly criticising and challenging the President, it remains to be seen whether unity within such a disparate movement can be maintained long enough for it to broaden its appeal beyond its urban roots and become a genuine popular movement.

At the time of the 2011 Egyptian protests the movement joined the protests that had been initiated by younger internet-savvy agitators via Facebook, and were described by international media interviewers as the 'opposition'.^[31][32]

See also[link]

• Ayman Nour an Egyptian opposition leader, formerly head of the Tomorrow Party and currently leading the Ghad El-Thawra Party
• Asmaa Mahfouz
• Saad Eddin Ibrahim
• Nonviolent resistance
• April 6 Youth Movement
• Wafd Party
• New Wafd Party

References[link]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (April 2010)

External links[link]

	Egypt portal
	Human rights portal

• Kefaya Website
• Middle East Report Online
• Al-Ahram English Edition
• openDemocracy
• Cafebabel
• Daily Star
• International Crisis Group
• Human Rights Watch
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Editorial on 'kifaya' in the Washington Post
• Op-ed discussing 'kifaya' in the Washington Post
• Egypt's next vote: How different? from the Christian Science Monitor
• Baheyya Blogspot
• Al Ahram Article by Jailan Halawi about recent Kifaya demonstrations in Egypt.
• An unofficial "Kefaya, Kifaya" song and video on Youtube. Does not contain Explicit Content or Foul language. Related links might contain explicit content.

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Samira Said سميرة سعيد
File:SamiraSaid.jpg
Background information
Birth name	Samira Bensaïd
Also known as	Samira Said
Born	(1962-01-10) January 10, 1962 (age 50) Rabat, Morocco
Origin	Morocco
Genres	Arabic music, pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, entrepreneur
Years active	1975–present
Labels	MegaStar Mazzika EMI Arabia Alam El Phan Rotana Golden Cassette Moriphone Sawt El Emarat Al Forsan
Website	SamiraSaid.com

Samira Said (Arabic: سميرة سعيد‎, native name: Samira Bensaïd; born January 10 1962 in Rabat, Morocco) is a Moroccan^[1] singer.

Biography[link]

Early career[link]

Samira Said was born and raised in Rabat, Morocco. She began singing at the age of 9 and she was discovered on a music program on Royal Moroccan TV, "Mawaheb," alongside another popular singer, Aziza Jalal, when she was 17. She was quickly recognized as a young prodigy. She began singing professionally, encouraged by her family and backed up by important people in the Moroccan music scene like Al Rashdi and others.

In a short time, Samira Said became one of the leading names in her home country, recording many popular Arab songs such as "Kifash Tlakina" ("How we Met"), "Fayetli sheftek shi marra" ("I've seen you once") and "Sarkouh" ("They Stole Him"), not to mention "Al Behhara" ("Mariners"). Her best known singles at this time included "Maghlouba" ("Beaten") and "Wa'ady" ("My Love").

Samira represented Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 singing 'Bitaqat Khub', a song that was a messenger of peace in the midst of Arab-Israeli tensions. The song placed 18th out of 19 contestants, and so far, has been the only entry by Morocco (or any other Arab country) at Eurovision.

Thriving in the Moroccan music scene, Samira decided to turn her past failure into a constructive experience. Already an authority in the Moroccan music scene and with good personal savings, Samira Bensaid traveled to Egypt, the epicentre of art and Arab songs in the pre-oil era. There, she started another chapter of her singing and artistic career.

Samira connected with the Arab singer Abdul Halim Hafez and Abdul Wahhab, to finally meet Baligh Hamdi. Her financial status also made her transition to Egypt a smooth one. In Egypt, she could choose the right composers for her songs. But her transition to Egypt was welcomed with some unease amongst the Moroccan public. She stayed a regular visitor to Moroccan music festivals and sung fully in Egyptian.

International career[link]

Once in Cairo, In the early 1975s, Said recorded "Al hob Elli Ana Aichah", a song composed by Mohamad Sultan. She went on to record with significant influences in the Egyptian music scene, including Baligh Hamdi, Helmi Bakr and Mohamad Al-Mouji.

Said's idol and close friend Abdel Halim Hafez encouraged Said to expand her career in which she followed and did.

In 1980 Said sang Morocco's only entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song, "Bitaqat Khub" ("Love Message"), written by Malou Rouanne and composed by Abdel Ati Amenna came 18th out of the 19 competing countries.

Said's performance of "Alemnah Al hob", on Layali Television in 1980, is credited with making her well known in Egypt. Said is known for her selectivity of both songs and accompanists, having worked with several well known composers and lyricists. As a result, many of her songs have won critical acclaim, including "Asmar malak", "Malak moch zay aweydak", "Sayidati anissati sadati", "Ech gab li gab", "El Leila dee", "Min ghir sabab", "Amrak ajib", "Al gani Baad Yomeen", "Mosh Hatnazel Anak" and "Alf Leila wal Leila".

She continued to release material including “Aiwa Bashta’lak Sa’at” ("Yes, sometimes I miss you"), a sultry jazz track and “Oyoonak Alit” ("Your eyes say so") and Al Gani Ba’d yomein ("He came two days later").

Said's work drew upon and crossed many musical styles and genres ensuring the continued expasion of her fanbase. A significant change in direction came with the release of “Al Bal” ("On my mind"). The title track was popular in the Arab world along with other tracks such as “Halit Malal” ("Situation of Boredom") and the “Beteegee witimshee” ("You come and you go".) On the subsequent "Rohi" ("My soul") album, Said continued to collaborate with new producers and lyricists experimenting with sounds influenced by her Moroccan heritage.

In 2000, she released the single “Lailah Habibi,” ("One night, my love") which went on to win the best video award in the Arab world for 2001^{[citation needed]}. The album of the same name contained ballads such as “Te’dar Te’oli” ("Can you tell me?"), jazz influenced numbers like “Malee,” ("What's it got to do with me?") and traditional Arab songs including “Beyban Alaya” ("It shows in me").

Her popularity continued to rise in 2002 with the release of “Youm Wara Youm” ("Day after Day") by the commercial “Alam El Phan” record company. The title track of the same name, is a collaboration with Cheb Mami. Launched in Virgin Megastores in Dubai and Beirut, the album went on to achieve further international recognition.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, Samira Said won a World Music Awards. The 2003 World Music Awards (15th annual 2003 World Music Awards) were held on 12 October 2003 in Monaco. Awards are given based on worldwide sales figures for that year. Samira won also the BBC Awards for world music^[2] for the best artist in the Middle East with her album 'Youm Wara Youm'.^{[citation needed]} In fact, Samira Said has won more than 40 awards around the Arab World.^{[citation needed]}

In the summer of 2005 Said performed at the Carthage Festival in Tunisia, singing a collection of songs in dialects varying from Moroccan to Egyptian and Lebanese. She followed this success with 'Aweeny Beek' ("Make me stronger") which had its title track shot in Barcelona (Spain) and went on to sell more than 5,600,000 copies.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2006, she sang 'Kollena Ensan' ("We are all human") in French, English, and Arabic during the African Cup Of Nations in Cairo.^[3] Samira Said has significantly supported AIDS awareness in the Arab world, as well as rallying European and African stars to raise funds for earthquake victims across North Africa.

Samira has performed across the world, raising awareness of significant issues, the latest being HIV/AIDS. She performed in front of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican and gave support to out-of-status immigrants in ill-served suburbs in France. She has also sung for the people of Gaza and supported a Jewish-Arab understanding. Samira Said is a proud custodian of peace and intercultural, interreligious understanding and has throughout adopted a neutral stand towards Egyptian papparazzi. She's also respected and strongly admired by her host country Egypt where she's become almost at home and to whom she has shown a lot of love, attachment and gratitude. This country has shaped her international career and has boosted her international career, rounding off her musical talents emerging since her very young age.

Diva^[4] of Arabic Music is what Samira Said Fans like to call her. This is due to her ever changing style and image in her music and appearance. Today, she is loved and respected by people from all over the Arab world from Tangiers to Damascus. She has lately been the recipient of a worldwide award in London for best singer in North Africa/ the Middle East and model humanitarian artist. In Morocco today, Samira is viewed as the strong model of womanhood that stood as a great ambassador for her country overseas. The Moroccan public admire her and respect the guts she has had to trace her gigantic paths in the Mashreq (the Eastern hemisphere of the Arab world.) After all, as Abdul Wahhab the genius composer and singer of Egypt once said in a TV interview,

"Samira is the epitome of extreme intelligence in her ability to assimilate Mashriqi singing, even though bathed in a somehow different tradition."

Personal life[link]

Samira Said has been married twice, previously to musician Hani Mhanna. She married for a second time in 1994, to an American-established Moroccan businessman, Mustapha Ennaboulssi. She has one son, Shady (b. 1995).

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• Arabic pop music
• Eurovision Song Contest 1980

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Women of Fes: Ambiguities of Urban Life in Morocco, by Rachel Newcomb, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009 - 236 pages. ISBN 0-8122-4124-X, 9780812241242. (English)
• La religion de la vie quotidienne chez des Marocains musulmans: rites, règles et routine: de Jean-Noël Ferrié, by Jean-Noël Ferrié, KARTHALA Editions, 2004 - 242 pages. ISBN 2-84586-565-1, ISBN 978-2-84586-565-5 . (French)
• Égypte de Jean-Paul Labourdette, Dominique Auzias, by Jean-Paul Labourdette, Dominique Auzias, Petit Futé, 2007 - 472 pages. ISBN 2-7469-1972-9, ISBN 978-2-7469-1972-3. (French)
• The hustle and women and little-known writer, by Badr Ali, by Badr Ali, AIRP, 2005 - 222 pages. ISBN 9953-36-714-0, ISBN 978-9953-36-714-9. (Arabic)
• Iraqi Maqam voices of women: an analytical study of the critical technical experience of Iraqi women in singing Almqami, by Hussein Azami, by Hussein Azami, AIRP, 2005 - 316 pages. ISBN 9953-36-677-2, ISBN 978-9953-36-677-7. (Arabic)
• Songs and stories, by Karīm Irāqī, by Karīm Irāqī, Company Whites of Arts and Letters, Volume 1 de Aghānī wa-ḥikāyātuhā, Karīm ʻIrāqī - . (Arabic)

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (April 2012)

• SamiraSaid.com, All about Samira Said (English)(French)(Arabic)
• Facebook.com, Samira Said's Official Facebook Page
• MySpace.com, Samira Said Myspace Site (English)
• SamiraSaid Tweets, Samira Said Tweets (English)(French)(Arabic)
• (English) Diva.vze.com
• Ayamhayati-Samirasaid.blogspot.com, Ayaam Hayati Album (English)(French)(Arabic)
• BBC.co.uk, Awards for World Music 2003: Samira Said Artist Profile BBC Radio
• BBC.co.uk, Samira Said: Youm Wara Youm, Review by Garth Cartwright, 16 November 2007, BBC
• Mazzika.tv, Mazzika Alam El Phan
• Awards 2003, Listen to the sounds of all the nominees for the BBC Awards for World Music at the BBC website

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Mohamed Hamaki
Mohamed Hamaki
Background information
Birth name	Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed El-Hamaki
Also known as	Master Pop Music
Born	(1975-11-04) November 4, 1975 (age 36) Cairo, Egypt
Genres	Pop Music
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Guitar & Piano
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Voice Of Delta

Mohamed Hamaki (Arabic: محمد حماقي‎; born Mohamed Ibrahim Hamaki in Cairo, on November 4, 1975) is an Egyptian singer. In 2010 he won the award "Best Arabia Act" in the MTV Europe Music Awards and music award in 2006 for "Ahla Haga Fiki"

Biography[link]

Mohamed Hamaki's mother is from Aswan, Egypt. His first appearance was through his song "El Helw Yeheb El Heneya" which was released in 1996 in the album "Leqaa Al Nogoom". The album was the work of Hamid El Shari who discovered and introduced young Hamaky to the music business and to the public. Hamaky's first album "Khallena N'eesh" (Let us Live) in 2003 featured 10 songs all arranged by the famous arranger Tarek Madkour. Hamaki shot one song included in this first album "Betedhak" (You laughing?).

Hamaki stayed nearly 2 years after the release of his first album that is produced by DeltaSound - that was a great success - not releasing any new songs until he released his single "Yana Yanta" (Either Me or You!) and shot it. After that it was reported that he decided to break up with audio producer Tarek Madkour and working on his own without him and with his same producer Nassif Kauzman the owner of DeltaSound because Madkour has been always busy working on songs for other famous singers. However, these rumors have been denied as Madkour stated on his official site that he will cooperate with Hamaki again on his new album.

Months later, he released his second album "Kheles El Kalam" (All The Words Have Finished!) in 2006 and was awarded with the Platinum CD for being the best selling middle eastern artist for year 2006. Hamaki worked mainly in this album with his friend Hatem Abdel-Aziz or "Tooma" as he used to be called, who replaced Madkour's leading role in Hamaki's work under the umbrella of DeltaSound.

The song "Wahda Wahda" (One By One) which was included in the album and was the soundtrack song of the movie "Ga'alatny Mogreman" was shot featuring the movie star Ahmed Helmy and aired on TV as soon as the album was released. It achieved a great success and wide popularity among different audiences. The song "Ahla Haga Feki" (Best Thing About You) was remixed by DJ.Idriss and shot some time after the album release. In the clip, the Rapper Perry Mystique was there with Hamaki. The clip is also produced by DeltaSound and was shot in Dubai, UAE.

Hamaki released his newest album 18 July 2010, Haga Mosh Tabe3eya (Something Isn't real ) . This album included 11 songs. Hamaki use traditional Arabic musical instruments in this album too. Also Hamaki used techno style in this album firstly.

Hamaki released his newest song for an Arabic movie, November 2010, Zekrayatak Meeh .

On 3 July 2011, Hamaki was rushed to hospital after suffering multiple heart attacks whilst recording his latest album.^[1] He underwent several cardiac catheterisation procedures, to insert three stents into his coronary arteries. Following several days of uncertainty, his health stabilised. Doctors are quoted as saying, that "Hamaki escaped death narrowly".

Discography[link]

• Leqa2 El Nogoom - 1997
• el 7elw - 1997
• welak welak - 1998
• Soltan jmalek - 1999
• Ro7i (ana 3aref) - 2000
• S2ltak 7abibi - 2000
• 5allena N3eesh - 2003
• 2alo lina shajar el lamon - 2003
• Gaylak fe el Kalam - 2004
• Yana Yanta (Delta Hits) - 2005
• Wa7da Wa7da - 2005
• 5eles El Kalam - 2006
• Ba7ebak Kol Youm Aktar - 2007
• Naweeha - 2008
• 2ali kalam - 2008
• ab3ed tigini - 2009
• Kol lela - 2009
• Haga Mosh Tabe3eya - 2010
• Zekrayatak Meeh - November 2010
• [[Ede fe Edek 2011
• sh5bata 3ala el 7eet - 2012

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Karim (2008). "A blog about Hamaki; Hamaki started working on his next album". Waleg.com. http://www.waleg.com/archives/010452.html. Retrieved 2008-02-11. 

External links[link]

• Hamaki Albums on Mazika
• Hamaki's Page on Nogomi
• Mohamed Hamaki on Ghaneli