Egyptian Artist Bayoumi Fouad Condemns Injustice and Insults During ‘Artificial Marriage’ Play in Riyadh Season

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Egyptian artist Bayoumi Fouad said that the team of the play “Artificial Marriage” presented in the “Riyadh Season” was subjected to “insult and great injustice.” He added that they came to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present their art, and swore that they “don’t have money,” and criticized his fellow artist, Muhammad Salam, who withdrew from the play, without mentioning his name.
A video clip of Bayoumi Fouad was widely circulated on social media platforms, in which he addressed the audience at the end of one of the performances of the play “Artificial Marriage,” in which he appeared emotional while emphasizing the “injustice” that the play’s team was subjected to, as he put it.
Fouad said in the video: “We have been aggrieved, by God, we have been insulted, and we are coming to present art. We do not have money, I swear to God, and by God Almighty, I do not have money. By God Almighty, if this show sat for another 15 days without pay – His Excellency the Chancellor knows – We are honored, and we remain very happy.”
He added: “I came to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I have honor, to present our art. We are not coming to laugh. We respect you and you respect us.”
Fouad addressed his colleague Mohamed Salam without mentioning his name, saying: “You have the right to apologize for the play, but you do not have the right to make mistakes in your art. We cannot make you laugh, we present our art.”
Reactions to Bayoumi Fouad’s words in the circulating video varied, and ranged from Saudi followers saluting him, while Egyptians criticized Fouad’s style and emphasized their appreciation for Mohamed Salam.
Salam had posted a video on his official Instagram account, in which he announced his withdrawal from participating in the theatrical show “Artificial Marriage,” scheduled to be presented during the “Riyadh Season,” a day before he was scheduled to travel to Riyadh, out of sympathy for the civilian victims in Gaza.
The head of the Entertainment Authority in the Kingdom, Turki Al-Sheikh, responded strongly to those he described as “bidders” who use “the name of the Kingdom, his name, or the name of the Riyadh Season as a peg to divert attention from another event, or another situation.”
Egyptian artist Mohamed Anwar was replaced by his colleague Salam, and Al-Sheikh was keen to visit the rehearsals of the show, which started on time.