An anthropomorphic bird sits with its arms outstretched in a protective pose. Beneath the bird is a group of men – what appears to be an Asian, an African, an Egyptian and perhaps a Caucasian figure. Behind them rises a factory belching the charcoal-black smoke of industry. Further to the right is a village lined with date palms, plants and flowers, alongside a Corinthian column and a colossal seated statue of a pharaoh.
The World of Peace and War by Gamal El Sagini was painted in 1952 and is rich with symbolism, much of it tied to a pivotal moment in Egyptian history, when a group of military men known as the Free Officers staged a coup that changed the region.
El Sagini, who trained as a sculptor at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Cairo before continuing his studies in Paris and Rome, was an artist deeply responsive to his time. His sculptural works included depictions of then president Gamal Abdel Nasser and singer Umm Kulthum. He also portrayed the defining political moments of his era, including the 1973 crossing of the Suez Canal.
El Sagini’s decision to use an Egyptian Swift pigeon to represent his country is especially resonant. For millennia, pigeons have appeared on ancient Egyptian tombs and sites as symbols of peace. In Islam, the pigeon is also associated with divine protection, having helped shield the Prophet Mohammed in the Cave of Thawr by nesting and laying eggs at the cave’s entrance, thereby misleading the Quraish search party.
Nor is it unusual in art history for the nation to be personified as female. One might think of Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People (1830), the neoclassical Statue of Liberty or, more recently, Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar’s The Charter (1962).
Yet El Sagini’s Swift pigeon, with her wings spread wide, is not carrying a flag, bearing a torch or holding a charter. Instead, she shelters the people below from incoming bombs and looming threats.
On February 28, Iran was attacked by the US and Israel. Tehran chose to respond by not only hitting Israel, but also launching its fury towards the Gulf Arab states, who had advocated a peaceful resolution. The UAE has borne the brunt of this retaliation, facing more than 2,600 missiles and drones from Iran, compared with hundreds directed at Israel during the first few weeks. Fortunately, the UAE has spent decades building its defence systems and preparing for such a possibility, which explains its high interception rate.
I was reminded of El Sagini’s The World of Peace and War after the start of Iranian aggression. Drones and missiles have damaged infrastructure across the region, including ports, oil refineries, hotels and airports, despite the Gulf states refusing to allow the US to use their bases or airspace to launch attacks on Iran.
The defence systems, the proverbial protective wings – that Gulf Arab states had for decades been criticised for investing in – have, in the end, saved countless lives of people from all over the world who call the Gulf home. These have indeed proved to be unparalleled times.
It is essential that artists from the Gulf document the extraordinary events they are living through. Kuwaiti artist Farah Bastaki issued a call to that effect, writing that “visual arts are the true memories of the individual”. Emirati poet Amal Al Sahlawi similarly urged Gulf citizens to keep journals in order to record this period through personal testimony. It is equally important, however, not only to dwell on what is wrong, but also to pay attention to what remains right.
Such unpredictable times can be tense and unsettling, especially amid the cancellations and postponements of much that we look forward to. Yet these inconveniences, however frustrating, must be kept in perspective. Life in the UAE and across the Gulf has, by and large, continued with a remarkable degree of normality, albeit with disruption and delay. How we choose to act and react during such moments will shape much of who we become once they pass. I, for one, still have faith that we’ll get back on track very soon.
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