As the countdown for Eid begins, we decided to celebrate with one of the most iconic pop culture figures in the Arab world in one of her most memorable, outfits, expressions and just plain camp fabulousness.
Sherihan.
Even if you don’t know all of her work by heart, her face, her voice, an image of her in a Met Gala worthy outfit will spark something in your memory.
Sherihan is an Egyptian actress, singer and classically trained dancer. Although she officially retired in 2002 she came out of retirement in 2016 in a rather dramatic way (of course) – but more on that later.
For now let’s get a bit nostalgic.
Other than her memorable work on the stage and screen, one of the roles that cemented Sherihan as a generational icon for Arabs all over the world, was her work in the Ramadan sketch / variety shows that she starred in between 1985-87 during the month of Ramadan.
The Ramadan variety show started with another iconic Egyptian actress Nelly who starred in the series from 1975 to 1981.
However, during Sherihan’s run, the most popular of the three series she starred in, was Fawazeer Al Amthal or Fawazeer Ramadan (Riddles of proverbs or Riddles of Ramadan) a month long sketch show that aired during Ramadan in 1986.
Directed by Fahmy Abdel Hameed, each episode centered around a particular riddle and a number of sketches that saw Sherihan dance, sing, act and dressed in a manner to put any 1980s beauty queen and drag queen to shame.
No shock, but given the OTT of it all, the show was hugely popular and remains to be a massive pop cultural moment in the Arab world worthy of a nostalgic throwback for all Arabs of all faiths.
So, what better way to celebrate the countdown to Eid Al Fitr then to share our favourite moments from the very popular intro song to Fawazeer Ramadan by Sherihan and GIF and MEME them up for you all.
And here’s our Eid gift to you:
We’ll be posting one of these GIFs a day on our social media platforms so don’t forget to share the ones you like!
And, you can watch the full intro to the show with music, in the video at the bottom of the page.
