Unknown Past by Hanan Hammad;

Author:Hanan Hammad;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2022-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

By the end of 1952, the entertainment industry in Cairo wore patriotic and military uniforms, and performers enlisted themselves in backing the new military elite. Actresses appeared on the covers of celebrity magazines wrapped in the Egyptian flag and chanted the slogan of the new revolutionary regime: “al-Ithad wa al-Nizam wa al-‘Amal” (Unity, discipline, and work).33 Armed Forces sponsored concerts attended by the country’s new leaders, including President Muhammad Nagib, Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasser, and the rest of the RCC (Revolutionary Command Council). These concerts attracted large audiences who celebrated the success of and backed the Free Officers’ Blessed Movement: on January 26, 1953, for example, 3,500 people attended a concert in al-Tahrir Theater in downtown Cairo.34

Layla Murad became the voice of the new regime in terms of celebrating and performing patriotism. In response to the Free Officers’ endorsement, she visited General Muhammad Nagib’s office before the end of the year and handed his secretary, Officer Magdi Hasanayn, a check for 1,000 pounds as a donation to the Egyptian army; the military leaders welcomed the donation and praised Layla as a role model of patriotism among artists.35 She called President Muhammad Nagib “my father” and publicized a photo of her holding a framed picture of Nagib and looking at it with admiration. She became the “official” singing voice of the Free Officers when she performed the liberation anthem (“Nashid al-Tahrir”) widely known as “‘Ala Allah al-Qawiy al-I‘timad” (Upon almighty God we depend). The former head of Egyptian radio, Midhat ‘Asim, had composed the anthem’s melody and lyrics to greet Nagib and the Free Officers during the launch of Mustafa Kamil (Ahmad Badrkhan, 1952), a biopic about the Egyptian nationalist leader Mustafa Kamil (1874–1908)36 that had been banned by the authorities during the monarchy because it strongly denounced the British occupation and was released by the Free Officers once they came to power. To promote its highly patriotic content, Nagib had intended to attend the debut of the film in December 1952, but Officer Anwar Sadat, a member of the RCC, represented him instead. ‘Asim made clear the intensive engagement of the new regime, represented by Officer Wagih Abaza, in formulating the nashid. Abaza visited ‘Asim at his home to discuss the program for the film launch and to review his work-in-progress. ‘Asim readily accepted Abaza’s suggestion to use the musical format of the military march for the anthem “to attract attention and activate senses to listen.”37 He also adopted Abaza’s other suggestion, to add sentences about Sudan to the anthem. More important, Abaza supported Layla Murad’s request to perform the anthem, which ‘Asim welcomed enthusiastically.38 ‘Asim’s account proves that making Layla the voice of the new regime as a result of her close association with Abaza was intentional.

Studio Misr used the anthem in a short film along with Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahab’s “Nashid al-Wadi” “to energize the high values of the liberation movement.”39 The radio broadcast Layla’s “Nashid al-Tahrir” anthem extensively upon its recording in December 1952. Published radio program schedules from

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