C
ulture
Al-Aragouz: An Authentic Folk Art Loved by Children and Adults
It was inscribed in UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018 By Sarah Gamal Al-Aragouz (An Egyptian Puppet) is one of the most important Egyptian folk traditions that inhabit the hearts of children and adults, as it has been living in everyone’s heart since their early childhood. It is an authentic partner in Egyptian drama, especially theatrical drama, whether it targets children or adults. Since ancient times he has been called the “mouthpiece of the people” because he utters what people feared to mention before their rulers. He is a stinging opponent, or as they say about him, the “poor” cinema, because it is a free entertainment outlet for the simple and marginalized people. The puppet was traditionally made out of light wood and cloth. Its hands and head, which bear harsh sarcastic features, are made of wood, with a red dress embroidered in yellow, and a tartur (pointed hat) made of cloth with the same color. The puppeteer controls the Aragouz’s head with his index finger, and moves its hands with his middle finger and thumb. The image of the Aragouz puppet has not has not changed in modern times, although it is now made of plastic instead of wood. The art of Al-Aragouz, which was created by folk artists, later led to the puppet theater, and preceded the art of cartoons and motion pictures that we see today on television. Despite this, the Aragouz segment
is still the favorite part of any party for children and adults.
THE MAN BEHIND ADMISSION ‘ARAGOUZ’ TO UNESCO’S LIST As part of the efforts seeking to preserve “Al-Aragouz” as an authentic folk art, the Supreme Council of Culture released a series of films in a digital documentation project for Egyptian Aragouz art which was carried out by Dr. Nabil Bahgat, Director of the Beit Al-Suhaimi Creativity Center and Professor of Theater at Helwan University. It is the first work of its kind that presents the Al-Aragouz Folk Theater in motion pictures, based on the live performances of seven artists of Al-Aragouz in their usual playhouses. Dr. Bahgat is a passionate Aragouz fan and gave the distinguished art a chance of revival, by fighting for it until it was admitted to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List at the end of November, 2019, at the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mauritius. Dr. Bahgat made many efforts, including the founding of the Wamda Band, with its motto that “We have something that can express us,” after noticing that everything is changing as Egypt “gets out of itself,” as he described it at the time. He added to the band
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