Tiktok dispatch #1 Welcome to the Jungle

Lately, I have been spending more and more time on Tiktok.

I have become addicted to the short video-sharing Chinese media platform that took the world by storm. Tiktok has had its own storm in Egypt’s legal system after its endless controversy whether the sad Tiktok girls saga or the Tiktok racist bullies. It earned a bad reputation.

Older generations still consider it the social media platform of vice where women pimp themselves thanks to the endless Tiktok girls arrested in the media every couple of weeks whereas older Upper classes look at it as a vulgar social media platform of lower classes sing and dance on awful Mahraganat music that should be banned altogether.

Ironically those old Upper classes do not realize that their young actually are active on the platform like any youth in the world nowadays and present interesting content.

For me, as I dig more and I change my choice algorithm, it became another way for me to see that other Egypt usually ignored or forgotten in the mainstream media.

I remember seeing that small protest organized by a group of angry high school students against the Education Minister in front of the Education Ministry in Downtown Cairo following the announcement of the Thanaweya Amma results of the 2020/21 academic year. Almost all news websites ignored this small protest.

I knew through it about great talents.

Like Mr Sayed who used to work in a simple poor workshop but Tiktok and social media changed his life thanks to some Tweets. This is the first video I have ever seen for him and I could not ignore it.

@ahmed_hamada33

انساك ازاي

♬ الصوت الأصلي - Ahmed hamada

I mean it is just crazy, a diamond in the rough technically.

Now Mr Sayed is going to play with Egypt’s legendary composer Hany Shnounda who will support him.

To that amazing granny singing in her very simple house in the heart of the Egyptian Nile Delta countryside that folk song which I have never heard before.

@ahmadshataa01060060 ♬ الصوت الأصلي - اوعدنا بزياره النبي صلى الله ع

Those cheerful grannies from Egypt’s countryside keeping the tradition of celebrating their pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Mecca and Medina. Amazingly I discovered they made songs about their flights while they are praising Prophet Mohamed “PBUH”.

@saudialnajmi3 ♬ الصوت الأصلي - Saudi

it is just cheerful. This Saudi Tiktoker uploaded the video unfortunately to mock those ladies but it fired back and all Egyptian commentators were so happy but it is a cheerful video and it is great to know that this folklore embedded in us is still alive.

It is worth to mention for the second year all the mass Omra and Hajj trips from Egypt to KSA are not allowed. Hopefully, when more Egyptians are vaccinated, the Saudi authorities will allow those trips again.

I love the dancing horses of Egypt. Do you know them? We have a long tradition of dancing horses whether in the Nile Delta or Upper Egypt.

@mohamed_farag57

##خيل_عربي_اصيل بسم الله مشاء الله فرحه الخيل بصحبه الله واكبر❤

♬ الصوت الأصلي - Abo farag

These shows are usually held at weddings. This seems to be an early celebration of a wedding in some Nile Delta

Now to more other stuff I stumbled upon on Tiktok.

Supposedly this video is shot from the under-construction Iconic Tower located in the under-construction Administrative Capital.

@gamal.485

من أعلاا برج في افرقيا موجود في مصر العاصمه الأدريه

♬ الصوت الأصلي - جمال رفعت

This topic is always covered in the mainstream media especially that this building has become already Africa’s tallest building according to the government despite it is not finished yet.

It won’t be the tallest in the world thought

It is interesting angle thought. Workers and engineers share similar videos from similar national megaprojects.

At the same Tiktok showed the demolition and evacuation process taking place in areas in Egypt whether undergoing current redevelopment like Nazlet Al-Semman.

@ahmedragab527

خلصت الحكايه نزله السمان

♬ الصوت الأصلي - Ahmed Ragab

Or the demolition works of the unlicensed irregular buildings which are removed due to this huge ongoing “bridges/highways" construction movement.

@el.loooz

#شارع_المشروع ازاله #اكسبلور #عزبه_النخل #عين_شمس_بلد_الرجاله #viralvideo

♬ الصوت الأصلي - mahmoud soliman

Moving to lighter content

I knew how young people from lower social classes mock their counterparts from the upper social class when they later brag about the brands they wear. Egyptian sarcasm is not dead yet. “in Arabic”

@shehap3ed

#stitch with @kusuu98 اي حد عاوز استفسار عن اللبس نواشي موجوده✊

♬ original sound - ⚓شهاب_عيد ⚓

Recently I stumbled upon a bunch of Tiktokers from the Upper Class who made a huge discovery by going to the second hand imported clothes market in Boulaq aka Wekalat El Balah and spoke about it in an American English accent.

I am launching this series of posts hoping it will be a constant part of Egyptian Chronicles. I am already doing it on my Twitter account in Arabic but here I will add more info in English.