On a red background, a two-faced Statue of Liberty graces the cover of the single. This image encapsulates the essence of “Telk Qadeya” (“This is a Case,” in Arabic), a disenchanted three-part song by the Egyptian group Cairokee. Without ever mentioning Gaza, Israel, or the United States, the song criticizes the double standards of the “free world” regarding the atrocities committed in the war triggered by the deadly Hamas attack on Israel past October 7.
The track, released on major online music platforms since November 30, has reached 1.8 million views on YouTube alone. Broadcast first in December on the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen, it reflects the mindset of an entire generation in Egypt and beyond — particularly, those who demonstrated their boldness in Tahrir Square, Cairo, during the Arab revolutions of 2011, when this now legendary rock formation was voicing protest.
“Since that time, Cairokee has always spoken about problems and knows how to translate our feelings like no one else,” says an Egyptian fan, among the 4,300 comments on the social network associated with the song. The hit is also circulating among Palestinians in Gaza. “We love your voice that reaches the world, we love humanity, we love all of Egypt,” declares one of them, trapped in the south of the enclave.
The lyrics point to a West with universal values but selectively outraged at major injustices. “How to become a white angel? / Have half a conscience / Fight for freedom movements / Annihilate liberation movements / Distribute your compassion and tenderness / The dead are more numerous according to nationality / But this is one case, and that is another,” begins the first verse.
Sense of guilt
Messages are flowing in from Egypt, as well as Algeria, Turkey, France, and even India, without specifically targeting the United States or the West. Instead, a sense of helplessness prevails, each from their own country of origin. “We would like to do more (…) We are preparing for the day when we will all be held accountable for this horror,” says a Turkish internet user.
Cairokee, which does not escape the censorship of Abdel Fattah Al Sissi’s authoritarian regime, was unable to release its 2017 album “No’ta Beeda” (“White Point”). Therefore, it was out of the question this time to question in song the ambiguities of Egypt and those of other state signatories of the Abraham Accords that normalized their relations with Israel. But the well-understood message of the lyrics reveals a sense of guilt, even in the Muslim world. “Forgive us, Palestinians, we are ashamed, and we know the disappointment you feel, forgive us,” pleads an Algerian fan.
This theme of selective outrage among states finds an audience far beyond the borders of the Arab world. In its global report for the year 2023, published on January 11, the Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in nearly 100 countries, denouncing the contradictions of world leaders on the subject, particularly regarding Gaza. The song “Telk Qadeya,” which is starting to be translated into other languages, including English and French, resonates with this theme and continues to provoke reactions far and wide.
