Thank you for making 'Walls of Freedom' a reality. In case you missed the Indiegogo campaign, you can click here and order the book!

We are Basma Hamdy & Don Karl, the curators of Walls of Freedom. For the past one and a half years we have been working on this project collaborating with 50 photographers, 30 artists and 20 authors. Since the beginning of the revolution, we have been involved in Egypt’s thriving urban art scene. We worked closely with a network of its leading artists on mural projects, events and exhibitions. We started to work on this book in order to professionally document the Egyptian Street Art explosion. The amazing artworks of the two and a half years pieced together, tell the whole story of the Egyptian revolution.

We have worked with many artists, capturing their art, their vision and their stories. We collaborated with Activists, Egyptologists and Historians to accurately tell the story of the changing role of expression in public space.

It has been an amazing journey...

We have put our heart and soul and a staggering amount of work into this book. In order to complete it – and truly do justice to the artists and the story of the revolution- we now need financial support. This will cover parts of the essential costs of production such as printing, and further editing & design.

Check our diagram below for more info:

We have knocked on all doors and windows and managed to get you some mind blowing and exclusive perks. We are offering some very special deals and even original artworks from some of the most influential artists in the region. Check out the list on the right or look in the perk section below for a clear breakdown. We will be adding more perks and updating our page so check back often!

Why you should support us!

The impact of getting this project funded is huge. We believe that what we have is something much more than a graffiti book. This book captures the art, thoughts, dreams and beauty of the revolution. We have collected everything from newspaper clippings to hand-drawn sketches. We have sourced photographs from amateur and professional photographers. The essays range from expert commentary to personal accounts. We honestly did not leave a stone unturned, we dug deep into context, meaning and analysis.

There are many giant publishers our there who may value commercial content over depth, isn't that what sells after all? NO! Lets prove them wrong. Lets make this book epic! Because if we do we are changing the way publishing works, we are prioritizing content, we are proving that people want something beautiful AND meaningful! Everyone who agreed to work with us on this project believed in it, and we know you will believe in it too! Some photographers have risked their lives to get some of the shots that will be published in this book. Artists have been arrested and harassed and continued to paint walls through tear gas and battles. These people deserve to have their voices heard.

Egyptians have been fighting for freedom and social justice, and they continue to do so, this book tells their story but its really everyone's story. Anyone who values freedom will relate to this book and the stories in it and will be inspired.

Don Karl is a cultural activist, graffiti artist, author and publisher from Berlin. He started to paint graffiti in 1983 and runs the publishing house From Here To Fame. He co-wrote the book Arabic Graffiti and curated numerous international urban art projects. Check his Arabic Graffiti Blog for more info on his many projects!

Basma Hamdy is an Egyptian artist, designer & professor who graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1998 and obtained a Master of Fine Arts from MICA (the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003). Her research interests include cultural preservation, Arabic Type Design and Egyptian Pop Culture. Her work was recently featured in the book "Arabic Type Design for Beginners" by the Khatt Foundation. She has been teaching Art & Design in the Middle East for over 9 years.

“This book, is an act within our revolution – our continuing revolution.”
Ahdaf Soueif, Booker prize finalist, Egyptian Novelist, political & Cultural commentator

"Walls of Freedom shows what we as Egyptians have accomplished until today, something we need to appreciate, to know how we should continue.” Hanaa el Degham, Artist

"How many books have been published about Egypt's revolutionary Streetart? This is the only one I wanna read!" Ganzeer, Artist

"We will not understand the Egyptian revolution unless we delve deep into the Graffiti that covers the walls of the country. It is the true chronicle of the revolution. I am certain that "Walls of Freedom"will be an exquisite combination of Art & Intellect that reflects the true spirit of what is unravelling in our nation. Personally I cannot wait to get my copy of this book"- Magdy El-Shafee Author of Metro, the first Arabic Graphic Novel

“Walls of Freedom is the real voice of the Egyptian revolution graffiti scene. It is not the documentation of a solitary point of view on the phenomena but a crowd-sourced collection of testimonies by actual artists who were and are still present daily in the battlefield with nothing but their spray cans. The world finally has a chance to hear our stories and see us through our own lenses.” Bahia Shehab-Ted Fellow, Islamic Art Historian and Artist

“Walls of freedom is a reminder of people's ability to take their destiny into their own hands!” Sondos Shabayek, founder of Tahrir Monologues, political activist

 “I met Don Karl for the first time when I was bombing Alexandria with MaClaim, I was thrilled when he signed me a copy of his book 'Arabic Graffiti' which was a fusion of different styles, concepts and techniques which was carefully chosen and professionally introduced in one of the best graffiti books out there. Now I am honored to be featured in 'Walls of Freedom' which in my opinion is going to be the most honest and professional documentation of the Egyptian graffiti movement in our time.” Aya Tarek, Egyptian graffiti artist

Below are the perks we are offering to contributors, please select a category from below, if your category includes a "CHOICE" please read the instructions after this table. If you are not interested in perks, you can simply select any category from the right then "change perks" and pick the "no perk" option. 

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PERK:(only applicable to perks that include choices we've marked those with an ORANGE STAR): 

If you choose a perk with a poster, print, artwork, t-shirt /tote or graffiti panel you may select from below:

1. Choose your perk category from the list above.
2. Look at the list below and check for the CODE that corresponds with your choice.
3. After you select your perk and enter your details, type the CODE corresponding to your choice in between brackets following your STREET ADDRESS. 
4. Please do not forget to add the shipping amount manually to the total BEFORE you pay otherwise we will not be able to ship your perks.
5. PLEASE NOTE: if you do not enter a CODE we cannot guarantee your choices. Please email us the code if you forget to include it.
6. We will be updating this page marking sold-out perks and adding new ones so check back!

For questions check the FAQ or send us an email at info@wallsoffreedom.com

Below are more detailed images of each individual perk with a clearer description. Please visist www.wallsoffreedom.com for more background stories on each perk and details on the artists.

Posters: 

Type Specimen for SALAM FONT:

Please see the translation of the poem here.

You can see details of the totes here.

ARTISTS PRINTS:

ORIGINAL ARTWORK:

Why do you need money if the book is finished and why isn't the publisher paying the costs?

The book is not finished, we still need to complete the writing, editing, design, final layout and the bulk of the money we are asking for will go to printing. Our publisher is an independent pubishing house who has always been passionate about creating projects that have a meaningful impact. They are not a giant publisher focused on commercial aspects. This project has a limited budget and in order to complete it we need to raise the money. 

How will you know my size for the T-shirts?

if you picked a perk that includes a T-shirt, sizes available are S, M, L, XL. We will be in touch to get your tshirt sizes.

Can I pick more than one perk?

Yes but you must pay for them separately so that we can keep track of what you chose.

Can I contribute more money than a particular category?

Sure, if you chose a perk that is $130 and you want to give $200 go ahead and enter the number manually upon checkout.

If you raise more than you need what will you do with the money?

We have created some amazing projects like: White Wall Beirut, Khaled Said on the Berlin Wall, and Arabic Graffiti & Street Art in Frabkfurt. If we raise more than we need we plan to create graffiti events & exhibitions in Egypt to help promote the artists and the medium.

We also plan to expand the book and include foldout pages to create a more interactive book (similar to the foldout above). The more money we raise the better the book will be and the more events and artists we can support.

Why are there similar designs in the Artwork & Print Perks?

Some artists like ElSeed & Mohamed Gaber are offering original artworks, but we are also offering prints of their work that are more affordable. The Artworks are orginial, meaning they were created by the artist & signed. The prints are copies of the artwork but are high-quality on heavyweight paper suitable for framing.

I don't want a perk, can I still donate?

Sue just click the "contribute" button, enter the sum you want to donate and choose "No perk I just want to donate".

I chose my perk, now what?

Please refer to the REFERENCE DIAGRAM and then choose the perk from the indiegogo menu on the right, check out and enter the code next to your shipping address.

Have more questions?

Info@wallsoffreedom.com

If you feel you cannot give money to our project there are many other ways you can help us! Get the noise around, tell people about this project and how they can help! Tweet, share on facebook, take a snapshot and instagram it, shout it out from the rooftops! You get the drift! Do you know someone who would be interested to give to our project or help in anyway? Let us know! Thank you!

Here's our shortlink again: igg.me/at/wallsoffreedom

Here's our website: www.wallsoffreedom.com

You can also use the links below the video to share!