Mayam Mahmoud

thumb|Mayam Mahmoud Mayam Mahmoud is a rapper and women activist in Egypt. She grew popularity at the age of 18 while performing on the TV talent show Arabs Got Talent in October 2013.Mahmoud's work on the show led her to the semi-finals, where she was then voted off. Nevertheless, Mahmoud continued to rap and perform for audiences.As Egypt's first veiled rapper, Mahmoud's lyrics express the fight for women's rights and condemn the enduring problem of sexual harassment in Egypt. In London, on March 20, 2018, Mahmoud won the Index Arts Award for her work. Quotes I realized all the male rappers must have a track in which they talk about girls and their clothes, blaming girls for everything happening around us. That wasn't right. So I rapped about girls and the problems they face. Mayam Mahmoud explains why she chose to use rap as a platform for women's issues, challenging the way many songs discuss women and shifting attention toward harassment and discrimination. The girls in this field are thought to have bad morals. Mahmoud discusses the difficulties faced by female rappers in Egypt, explaining the social stereotypes attached to women entering hip-hop. Every time we don't say anything, we make the problem bigger. Mahmoud speaks about sexual harassment in Egypt and argues that silence allows harassment to continue. Her music encourages women to speak openly about these experiences. If I’m going to add anything new to my life it has to go with my initial choices. Mahmoud discusses her decision to wear the hijab and explains that her personal choices and her music are connected to her own values. It's got a lot of people talking about whether it's possible for a veiled girl, or even a girl, to do this. Mahmoud reflects on the reaction to a veiled young woman entering the male-dominated world of hip-hop and how her career challenged social expectations. I won't be the shamed one. In her anti-sexual harassment rap, Mayam Mahmoud rejects victim-blaming and declares that women should not bear shame for the abusive behaviour of others. You flirt, you harass and you see nothing wrong with it. But even if it's just words, these are not flirts, these are stones. Through her lyrics, Mahmoud condemns street harassment and argues that verbal harassment can be as harmful as physical violence, challenging the normalization of abuse against women. External links Category:Women activists from Egypt Category:Rappers Category:Women singers Category:Women's rights activists Category:Living people