The winners of the Fair Play global music video competition were announced more than a week ago. Young bands from all over the world sent in their songs about anti-corruption, this year’s theme. The 29 year old Egyptian Youssra El-Hawary won the global music award with her debut video El Soor, or The Wall (Fair Play).

by Charlie Crooijmans

The lyrics of El Soor are written by political cartoonist and poet Waleed Taher.  The song is released in April 2012 and the video is shot in front of a graffiti covered wall, one of the many erected by the army to block the passage between Muhammad Mahmoud street and Tahrir Square and downtown Cairo.

“El Soor” is a biting political commentary about life in Egypt right now. The video is shot in front one of the concrete barriers erected in downtown Cairo by the army during violence in recent months, which are now covered regularly with fresh work from a burgeoning group of graffiti artists. The walls blocking many streets from Mohamed Mahmoud street that leads on one end to Tahrir Square and on the other towards the Egyptian Ministry of Interior El Soor is a kind of revolution song, but it shows that laughing while talking about your problems is a sign of strength (Fair Play)

In the interview with the Voice of America, see video below, she tells about the song, her accordion and the situation after the revolution (Voice of America).