Egyptian rapper Myam Mahmoud, who was a contestant on the Middle East television program “Arabs Got Talent,” recently spoke about her decision to rap about social issues while on the popular series. 

“I wanted to tell girls in Egypt and everywhere else that they are not alone,” Mahmoud, who is 18 years old, said in an interview with The Associated Press, as per abcnews.go.com. “We all have the same problems, but we cannot stay silent. We have to speak up.”

According to Mahmoud, who lost in the semi-finals of “Arabs Got Talent,” some rappers in Egypt have rhymed about political problems in the country, but she says her focus can often lie in the social issues.

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“Everybody speaks about politics, but nobody tackles the topics that relate to me the most,” Mahmoud said. “Many girls want to say what I rap about, but they cannot for many reasons. I speak for them.”

One issue Mahmoud raps about is sexual harassment. An April United Nations report said 99.3 percent of women in Egypt reported that they have been subjected to sexual harassment, as per AP. 

“There is no single female in Egypt that has not been harassed, regardless of her looks,” Mahmoud said in the interview. “As soon as a girl is born in Egypt, she is repressed with many pressures.”

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AP also reports that initiatives have been made to help protect women in the past year. Still, Mahmoud says people must be proactive for change. 

“I wish we would not be silent about our problems,” Mahmoud said. “We have to snatch our freedoms, nobody will just offer them.”

Photo By: Maya Alleruzzo

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