The issue of 'artistic unemployment' has once again come to the forefront in Egypt, and the debate has resurfaced about some artists turning to other professions. This appeared in the announcement by artist Rami Nader of his desire to work outside the artistic field, stressing that he is looking for a stable opportunity for an office job, and asked his followers on Facebook to help him find a job opportunity.

Artist Rami Nader topped the trend on Google in Egypt on Friday after he wrote on his Facebook account that he is looking for an office or home-based job for any number of hours, and showcased his skills and the work he is good at, especially related to computers and technology, and his level of English.

Rami Nader has participated in more than 20 drama works and films, in addition to dozens of theater works. Among the works he participated in are films 'Alf Mabrouk', 'Tek Tek Boom', 'Taweetha Two', 'Harg wa Marg', and series 'Ragel wa Set Setat', 'Hikayat al-Banat', 'Haramt ya Baba', 'Al-Lo'ba', 'Al-Saffara', 'Karetha Tabee'ya', and 'Tamer wa Shawqeya'.

The specter of unemployment continues to haunt artists, as has been evident in many cases and complaints declared by other artists before, due to the scarcity or lack of opportunities offered to them. Among them are Maha Ahmed, Fadi Khafaja, and Rida Hamed. Artist Tawfiq Abdel Hamid announced his retirement in rejection of playing repetitive roles, and there was uproar over rumors that he was forced to turn his car into a taxi, which he denied in televised statements, saying that the incident dates back to the 1990s.

Artist Sharif Khairallah had announced his intention to work as a taxi driver for fear of accumulating debts, as he stayed away from art for several years after being ignored, and no artistic work was offered to him.

Egyptian art critic Tarek El-Shinawy believes that this phenomenon is not new, as many artists in all fields—whether actors, singers, directors, cinematographers, or editors—have suffered from this before. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'But the phenomenon has become more present now due to the spread of social media, and the follow-up of these complaints on it and their prominence in public interest.'

He continued that the problem comes from the fact that 'some artists stay away from the scene for reasons related to themselves or the artistic state that does not accommodate, contain, or welcome them at a certain moment, while demand increases for existing names that have already achieved popularity, and they are repeated out of laziness from some production companies or directors, or a kind of betting on what is popular among the audience at that time.'

El-Shinawy cites the example of artists like Mustafa Gharib and Michel Milad, saying that they are in demand these days, and thus other names of comedians who achieved remarkable successes fade away simply because the current artistic state demands specific names. El-Shinawy rules out that there is intentional exclusion of artists by production companies, given the multiplicity of production entities, and although one entity controls the largest share, diversity still exists.

In this context, previous statements by the head of the Egyptian Actors Syndicate, Ashraf Zaki, came, in which he affirmed that he has taken many measures to solve the problem of employing actors, despite the fact that the syndicate is not obligated to employ its members. The United Media Services Company had earlier announced the signing of a cooperation protocol with the Egyptian Company for Media Production City and the Syndicate of Acting Professions to produce a group of historical and religious works, and to implement a mechanism to benefit from artists who have not had opportunities to participate in works in recent years, and to involve them in television and radio drama works.

Ashraf Zaki, head of the Actors Syndicate (Instagram)

Egyptian art critic Mohamed Abdel Rahman believes that 'this crisis never ends; it has existed since the beginnings of the artistic movement in Egypt.' He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'Some artists, when the spotlight fades on them, face financial crises, and thus turn to other professions. Some artists do not have other skills to work outside art, and here the tragedy begins.' He continued: 'This is a message to young artists to have financial security because roles may decline. The matter touches the heart, but it is a reality in all creative professions. Its solutions are not about finding job opportunities, because supply exceeds demand. Moreover, granting roles is primarily subject to the vision of direction and production, to the extent that one actor may be requested for 10 roles, while these roles could be distributed to 10 actors. But this is ultimately the decision of the producer and director. Therefore, actors must be cautious about this matter and the fluctuations of the artistic field.'

The Syndicate of Acting Professions in Egypt includes about 4,000 members and undertakes important service roles, including health care for artists and establishing a home for elderly artists. It also makes vigorous moves to approve actors' right to public performance, claiming that it will ensure a continuous and almost fixed income for actors and directors to face any periods of recession they may experience.