Cairokee's new single Telk Qadeya supports Palestinian cause, questions US double standards

Laila Ahmed, Sunday 3 Dec 2023

Popular Egyptian band Cairokee released a new single Telk Qadeya (This Cause) on its official YouTube channel last week, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause and highlighting US double standards that ignore the plight of Palestinians.

Cairokee

 

The song's lyrics are written by one of the best-known young Egyptian poets, Mostafa Ibrahim.

“How can you be a white angel? Your consciousness remains a half-consciousness," the lyrics read.

They continue: "You do justice to freedom movements, you destroy liberation movements. You distribute your kindness and compassion to the murdered according to their nationalities."

In typical Cairokee fashion, the song questions the credibility of those who claim to be angelic or noble while turning a blind eye to the principles of justice and equality. As the song progresses, Cairokee frontman Amir Eid's voice fuses with guitars, some strings, and occasional backing vocals, with percussive sounds laying the rhythmic carpet all the way through the compositions.

The spotlight on darbouka, a traditional Egyptian drum, becomes stronger in the second half of the composition and supports the prolonged electric guitar solo that closes the song.

The visuals accompanying the song on YouTube are a simple yet powerful illustration created by Mohamed Mustafa.

It presents two faces of the famed American Statue of Liberty: on one side, we see the statue as a symbol of freedom, justice, and democracy, while on the other side, the lady of the statue appears in the form of a devil, in a clear reference to double standards of the United States and the rest of Western countries, which ignore the rights of the Palestinian people.

Cairokee's song comes within a series of songs that support the Palestinian cause and/or talk about the current war on Gaza, presented by several Egyptian and other Arab artists.

Amir Eid, Cairokee's lead vocalist, has recently appeared in Rajieen (We Are Coming Back) a song that brought together 25 artists from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region standing in support of the Palestinian people’s resilience amid the brutal war on Gaza.

Short link: