Egypt cracks down on unlicenced statues

On Wednesday the Egyptian government cracked down on the state of unlicensed statues in public squares. The move follows widespread dismay at some recent constructions.

A recent creation, in Balyana, Sohag province, has proven particularly controversial as it appears to present a woman being sexually harassed by a male. The construction shows a soldier embracing a woman from behind. According to Adli Abu Aqeel, the mayor of Balyana, the statue was intended to depict “martyred soldier hugging his mother”.

On the topic of statues, Sherif Ismail, the Prime Minister of Egypt stated:

It is forbidden to set up or renovate statues, murals or sculptures in Egypt’s public squares except after a thorough review by the ministries of antiquities and culture,

Another statue in Minya was recently removed due to its inadequate depiction of Queen Nefertiti, who governed ancient Egypt alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, in the mid-1300s B.C.

The issue of public art gained some significance during the period of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, when protesters used graffiti – among other means – to undermine the military dictator Hosni Mubarak.