Puppeteer Mohammed Fawzi believes that his chosen art form is not just about lively dolls – it also includes all kinds of other arts: drawing, sculpture, fashion design, interior decoration, choreography and music. Puppetry also draws on ancient traditions in Egypt as it has played an important political role since as far back as the Middle Ages. It is a means by which artists may transmit certain messages – and without attracting the attention of the ruling authority.

Puppeteer Mohammed Fawzi believes that his chosen art form is not just about lively dolls – it also includes all kinds of other arts: drawing, sculpture, fashion design, interior decoration, choreography and music. Puppetry also draws on ancient traditions in Egypt as it has played an important political role since as far back as the Middle Ages. It is a means by which artists may transmit certain messages – and without attracting the attention of the ruling authority.

We meet Fawzi at the El Sawy Culturewheel, a private arts center in central Cairo. He studied arts at Helwan University in Cairo; he enjoyed drawing ever since he was little and he also used to sculpt animals out of clay. As a child he was also captivated by a play, The Big Night, directed by famous local puppeteer Salah el-Saqa.

All of this is what eventually drew him to the art of puppetry.

“When I finished high school, I decided to leave Cairo and join the Faculty of Art where I had the opportunity to study all kinds of fine arts,” Fawzi says. “This prepared me to get involved in my dream profession.”

“It is not about dealing with puppets as though they are lifeless toys,” he continues. “They represent characters so they have a certain spirit in every show. This spirit comes primarily from the script, but what evolves them into full characters onstage is also my relationship with them. It is not a question of love or hate. Rather it is a partnership between me and the puppet. I listen at the beginning so I can make them obey me during the show,” Fawzi explains.

The young puppeteer believes that the current generation of puppeteers in Egypt is struggling and he fears the art form may become extinct.

“We conduct workshops in Cairo and in other provinces to teach people how to make the puppets and how to understand how to control the marionettes,” Fawzi notes. “We have been fairly successful with this and a number of our trainees have become professional puppeteers. Some of them even conduct marionette workshops now.”

Despite the challenges, Fawzi has faith in the new generation of puppeteers.

“And I hope that the Ministry of Culture will show more interest in the art of puppets by sending young people to Europe to learn more, as happened in the 1960s,” Fawzi concludes. “We also hope that an international marionette festival might be organized.”