Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Signs of the Times, Egyptian Edition

Although advertising in Egypt, like everywhere else, is shifting to electronic media the dense population still makes for a great deal of simple signage for ads.  I find these an enigmatic window into another culture--one I can peer into and perhaps imperfectly understand what is going on.

Remember this guy?  When the security goons were not around our guide would speak frankly.  He said that among educated Egyptians Mubarrak was referred to as "the fat smiling cow".  Notice how dictators always appear 30 years younger than their true age.
From a box of tomatoes at a street market.  So, what exactly links a Walt Disney pirate (Smee, I think) with produce in Cairo?  I do know the odds of Uncle Walt collecting any royalties on the use of this image.  So I guess we have the piracy angle....
Just plain odd.  So, is the one armed Nordic woman in some kind of extreme gold fish swallowing competition?
This was an ad outside a movie theater.  I think it related to the feature being shown.  There are no Egyptians with hair like this.  None.  The display of intense, retro 70s funk also does not fit any current culture of which I have been made aware.

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