Ramy Essam

Ramy Essam’s background is rooted in political artistry, with a long career in music: he is an artist, singer, musician, composer, and lyricist. His path began as the voice of the Egyptian revolution and has since expanded to addressing broader global social and political themes through his work. Ramy’s music has reached hundreds of millions of streams worldwide, and he has toured in Europe, MENA region and North America. He has received several awards for his work as a musical artist and activist.

Ramy is also a visual artist, a practice he came to through his own trauma history: his silkscreen and litography printed Bogeys have been exhibited since 2024.

In addition to his artistic career, Ramy is a multidisciplinary leader, consultant, and change-maker: he is working at the intersection of art, culture, social transformation, and politics on a global scale. He currently serves as Artistic Director at Kawaakibi Foundation and its KULNA platform, building spaces and coordinating activism campaigns, and leads SHEFA project focused on trauma-informed work with activists. He also works as a public speaker and practices as an artist across music, theater and visual arts. Alongside this, he consults on the development of cultural and impact-driven strategies and practices.

Ramy’s work focuses on creating independent platforms for sharing knowledge, perspectives, and artistic expression, and on reaching and engaging diverse audiences. The aim is to amplify the voices of people and marginalized communities, and to bring different cultures and forms of art into dialogue. A particular focus lies in fostering connections between the SWANA region and the rest of the world. At the center of this work is the diaspora in Europe and globally, with an emphasis on supporting inclusion while respecting cultural background and identity. This includes advancing awareness of rights, strengthening belonging, and enabling meaningful participation in society and community life.

The SHEFA project, which Ramy leads, brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts with the shared goal of providing relief, healing, and peer support to trauma survivors, including activists and migrants, as well as survivors of war, imprisonment, violence, and torture.

Ramy’s lived and professional experience across music, revolution, social change, visual art, and trauma recovery informs both his perspective and his long-term commitment to this work.