The Puppet Troup

During the 16th century a form of street performance appeared in Egypt , the “Aragoz”. A protagonist in a mobile puppet theatre, which was a perfect vehicle for Egyptian criticism and mockery of the government, politics, and the social status quo. This special puppet was the treat for so many children in very common districts of Cairo. Upon hearing his whistle, people would gather around and an eager audience would cluster at windows to watch his endless acts. Nevertheless, starting the 1970’s, the puppet became less popular in Egypt due to a sharp decline in the number of skilled and experienced puppeteers, and because of the spread of competing TV programs, satellite channels, and other means of entertainment On the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, 25th of January 2012, Nassef; a puppet creator and puppeteer; saw a over sized puppet marching amongst the people in Mostafa Mahmoud square dressed in military uniform mocking general Tantawy. He introduced himself to its creators and was excited to see a group of young people who don’t belong to any political parties or movements. He gave them his number and said “If you want to make puppets, come and I’ll teach you”.
 A month later the group went to Nassef’s workshop in Fayoum, where he already had started creating three triple life sized puppets. The group stayed in Fayoum for more than a month until they finished the puppets.