'Asrar el Nagah': Zilzal's Playful Satire on Gender Roles in Egypt
Written by Amina El-Sheikh, edited by Evar Hussayni
“Asrar el Nagah” or “Secrets to Success” is Zilzal’s ironic take on some of the gender roles imposed on women in Egypt, and around West Asia and North Africa. The two-part video series addresses some of the pre and post-marital pressures that are widely experienced by women in the region.
Zilzal is a platform that is in constant exploration of all things art, culture, and community. We make our own art in house but also love collaborating and learning from others in the community. We aim to put out work that celebrates culture while also being critical of what needs change. Our intention is to make space for community and open up much needed conversation. Zilzal was founded by Jannah Rizk, an art director and illustrator based out of Paris and me (Amina), a production coordinator based out of Los Angeles, over our shared love for culture and the need to make sense of the world around us.
“Asrar el Nagah” is Zilzal’s second project after the launch of “Bent Nas” in 2020. “Bent Nas” was an exploration of what it means for a woman to be viable in Egyptian society. We picked apart the term’s classist and stereotypical roots through illustration and graphics. For the most part, this was received well by our audience. We did have some opposition to it which was expected and welcomed. We loved seeing debates unfold in the comments, our hope is for this to allow people to understand each other better and for change to occur.
Our video series came to fruition when Jannah and I wanted to take on something more collaborative. We particularly liked Zeina Aref’s work because it deals with themes that are similar to what we wanted to explore, and aesthetically, our visual identities felt quite harmonious. Zeina’s current focus and practice is in directing, film making and photography. Much of her work explores identity and culture through fashion and set design. The three of us came together in November 2020 and the “Asrar el Nagah” seed was planted.
We wanted to create something fun, visually striking, relatable and accessible. Drawing on our own experiences growing up in Egypt, the idea for the theme of this project stemmed out of the frustration of feeling like true independence is unattainable for women. In the majority of West Asian and North African cultures, it’s still perceived by many that independence comes when a woman settles down with her husband and moves out of her parents’ home but that is only met with more duties and expectations to maintain a ‘proper’ home and keep a happy husband.
This debate about traditional gender roles is one that has been going on for decades. We felt that the best way to approach this project would be through satire to highlight the absurdity of such recurring stereotypical conversations between different generations of women. There’s nothing new about these ideas or conversations. They’ve been going on forever so in that sense we’re not bringing anything new to the table or telling women how they should or shouldn’t be treated. It is merely an expression of the deep frustration that we experience from what feels like a never-ending conversation about how a woman is defined solely in relation to a man.
Our fictional characters, the all-knowing Anesa Amina and Madame Mona deliver their satirical monologues sharing their expertise on the matter in a tone that might seem a bit over the top, but in reality, is not far from the truth. Their tone is a reflection of the absurdity of the advice they are giving. The inspiration for this was drawn from classic Arabic television commercials advertising various household items to achieve a tone that feels omniscient and entitled. The actors convey that sense of authority in their tone, their posture, the way they make eye contact, and through gestures like finger-pointing.
It was important for us to explore the points of view of two women who are at different stages in their lives. Anesa Amina is searching for a husband, and Madame Mona is trying to maintain her household and keep her husband happy. Having them dish out their tips and tricks so proudly and eccentrically with absolutely no nuance is representative of how both women are victims of the perpetual nature of societal norms that are placed on them starting from a young age.
The first thing that was established was the visual identity of the project. That came very quickly and easily and laid the foundation for everything else to come. We knew we wanted it to be super kitschy and bold. Every aspect of it was carefully crafted; the graphics, the font, the set design, and the editing style were all chosen to portray the absurdity and the extravagance of what is expected from women.
There are recurring shots of tarot-like cards in the videos which were a core part of our ideation process. Our intention with these cards was to add a more playful element to our central theme. The idea is that we are all trying to collect keys to success in this big game of life. At different points in womanhood, the keys to success evolve. Anesa Amina’s keys include hair removal, straightened hair and curfews while Madame Mona’s include gateaux, lingerie and a baby. These are a few examples of what might be deemed necessary to score a husband and keep him. In one sense it seems absurd to be chasing after such material possessions but on the other hand, may provide a sense of protection and security.
We had so much fun experimenting with every aspect of this project and collaborating with friends to make this come to life. It was a very exciting process for us to see it grow and the way in which each person involved brought something new and unique to the table. The majority of this project was done virtually because we all had to be in different places while it was coming together so there were many moving parts and Zoom calls but it's beautiful to see how everything came together so harmoniously in the end.
“Asrar el Nagah” has been in the works for over two years now and it's super exciting to finally be sharing it. Zilzal looks forward to launching more projects in the future and exploring different mediums and ways to create art that feels relevant and important to us.
Credit List
Director: Zeina Aref @zeinaaref
Creative: Amina El Sheikh, Jannah Rizk @aminaelsheikh @jannahrizk
Writer: Youssef El Sheikh @youssefsh
Art Direction: Youssef El Sayed, Zeina Aref @useflsay @zeinaaref
Styline: Youssef El Sayed @useflsay
Dop: Zeina Aref @zeinaaref
Music & Sound Design: Ramez Naguib @rameznaguib
Editor: Zeina Aref @zeinaaref
Cast: Nourine Abou Saeda, Laila Yacoub
Colourist: Seif Ragheb, Barbershop Studios @seifraghebcolorist @barbershop.studios
Graphics & Illustrations: Jannah Rizk @jannahrizk
Make up: Dina Harby @dianaharby
Production: Zilzal Studio, Amina El Sheikh, Jannah Rizk @zilzalstudio @aminaelsheikh @jannahrizk