You’d think the first Egyptian artist to take the stage at Coachella would be cause for national celebration.
Instead, the internet’s on fire and not in the good way.
Mohamed Ramadan, actor, rapper, human headline generator, made his Coachella debut last week. The American press called it “unstoppable energy.” Said he “lit up the stage.” Mentioned that he raised the Egyptian flag and made the Gobi stage “roar with pride.”
Ask Egyptians, though, and you’ll get a very different headline.
Because while Coachella got Future and Massari and a whole production crew, Egyptians got Mohamed Ramadan in a bejewelled belly dancer’s bra.
Yes. Really.
Ramadan came out topless, sporting what looked like a red and gold bra, paired with leather trousers and all the confidence in the world. To Western eyes, maybe it looked bold. Subversive. Camp, even. But to many Egyptians back home, it looked like mockery. Of gender norms. Of tradition. Of Egypt itself.
And this is the crux of it. Representation cuts both ways.
Was he proud to be Egyptian? Sure. He waved the flag. Shouted out the homeland. Told millions he was bringing Arab and African music to the world stage.
But here’s the thing: not everyone asked for that kind of visibility. Not when it comes wrapped in controversy, and not when it feels more like provocation than celebration.
To many Egyptians watching, Ramadan wasn’t honouring the culture. He was distorting it. Feeding into every Orientalist fantasy of Egypt as a chaotic, exotic spectacle.
To others, though, this is what modern Egypt looks like. Loud. Global. Hybrid. Shamelessly individual.
So was Mohamed Ramadan the right choice to represent Egypt?
It depends who you ask. If you ask Coachella, YouTube, or the cheering crowd, maybe yes. If you ask half of Egypt’s internet, probably not.
But maybe that’s the point. Maybe representation is never clean. Never tidy. And maybe we can be proud, embarrassed, confused, and critical—all at the same time.
Because love it or hate it, Ramadan made history. And Egypt, once again, got everyone talking.
Moey writes here. 
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