Sherihan…a dominant presence of the icon of Egyptian art

It was not surprising the amount of celebration that Egyptian star Sherihan received when she appeared at the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum, as she is the artistic icon who lives in people’s memories, one of the pioneers of Egyptian performing arts, and the icon of Ramadan feasts during the eighties and nineties.

Sherihan’s absence enhances her artistic standing:

Sherihan’s voluntary absence increased the importance of her first public appearance, since her appearance in a television advertisement, which embodied her story in the Ramadan 2021 season, after being away from the artistic scene due to illness since 2002, when she announced that she had salivary gland cancer, which is considered a rare disease, but one of the most ferocious types of cancer, as she continued for many years resisting its malice, which affected her body and ate part of her face, but she did not surrender to it, and continued to fight a fierce battle. With him, she regained some of her health, but she preferred to stay away from art.

Cancer was not the first obstacle that separated Sherihan from her fans. In 1990, she was involved in a horrific car accident, which broke her back and severely injured her spine, to the point that doctors predicted, at the time, that she would never walk again, but her iron will overcame these difficult circumstances, and she returned at the end of the 1990s. To present the play “Muhammad Ali Street” in 1994, starring in a group of television fawazeers.

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Sherihan is present in memory:

In light of the spread of social media platforms, the Arab public only remembers Sherihan, in general, her old artistic presence, and her large archive that fills the screens of Egyptian stations, or what was made available on the “YouTube” platform, but they were able to watch a new artistic version of Sherihan in 2021, as well, after the Egyptian producer and screenwriter Dr. Medhat El Adl brought her back, through the play “Coco Chanel”, produced, written and directed by Hadi El Bagoury, where it was shown. The play ran for several weeks, before it was filmed on television, and was broadcast on one of the digital platforms, as part of a large project led by Al-Adl, which aimed to present Sherihan again in several works on stage, including a play entitled “Rabaa Al-Adawiya,” but the project stopped completely, and did not see the light of day, and it was said: There are reasons for this to be kept by its makers.

Sherihan’s words and her appearance at the “Grand Egyptian Museum” ceremony brought back the Arab public’s old memory. Despite her few appearances, for a few minutes, her brilliance was not extinguished, as the pages of websites and social media platforms were filled with her pictures, words, and outfits. She was met with great enthusiasm by the public, and it did not care about evaluating her presence or its duration. Rather, her presence was sufficient reason to bring people back to their ancient past, which they had forgotten under The age of speed and technology.

New appearance:

In her new appearance, Sherihan expressed her pride in participating in the opening ceremony of the “Grand Egyptian Museum,” and described the event as historic, which brought the world together on the land of Egypt, and said: “Peace from the land of peace, from here the story began, the story of a civilization that taught humanity that our destiny is one, no matter how different we are… and today, from all the continents of the world, we are playing one tune.”

She added: “I don’t know how to express my feelings. Sherihan now wants to pray for the rest of her life in thanks and gratitude to God. Thank you for this coronation and this honor, because it is an honor that comes after it, on the land of my country.”

A rich history…and exceptional achievements:

Sherihan Ahmed Abdel Fattah Al-Shalakani (born December 6, 1964) began her artistic career at the age of four, playing roles that fit her artistic talent.

Sherihan studied “law” to help her father, but her love for art led her to head to the French capital, Paris, to learn professional acting and dancing, until she had the opportunity of a lifetime, by presenting the movie “Bitter Bread,” in 1982, opposite the great artist Farid Shawqi.

The big turning point in Sherihan’s life began in 1985, when she performed Al-Fawazir for the first time in her life, where she shined and became the number one performer in Egypt and the Arab world. For her high performance for successive years, she and the artist Nelly were seen as the two most important show artists and performers in the Arab world.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sherihan Sherihan (@sherihanofficial)

Her family life:

Sherihan is a descendant of a prominent family. Her father is lawyer Ahmed Abdel Fattah Al-Shalakani, one of the most famous Egyptian law doctors, and her mother is Awatif Mahmoud Hashem, a businesswoman and former model. Sherihan is the half-sister on the mother’s side of the Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Jihan is the widow of sports commentator Fayez Al-Zumar, and Mrs. Howaida is the wife of director Karim Diaa El-Din.

Sherihan was married for the first time to the Saudi businessman, Allal Al-Fassi, but she separated from him, before she married again, to the Jordanian businessman, Alaa Al-Khawaja, with whom she gave birth to two daughters: “Luloa” and “Talia Al-Qur’an.” Not everyone may know that Alaa Al-Khawaja is still married, until now, to Sherihan, and to the well-known Egyptian artist and producer, Esaad Younis.

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In general, Sherihan remains the icon of art and the witch of Fawazir. When she attends, her artistic history engraved in the archives of Arab art is restored, and the ideal for many young female artists who see her as an artistic role model.

 

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