More questions than answers, as Egypt allows tourist snaps but bans 'offensive' photography

In a move viewed as promising for tourism, Cairo said it will soon allow photography and videos on Egypt's streets and tourist sites without prior consent.

Yet there was more ambiguity for professional photographers, filmmakers, and journalists, with a ban on shooting scenes "deemed offensive to the country" in a country where media workers are routinely harassed and jailed.

In a phone interview with MBC Masr's 'El-Hekaya' talk show this week, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anani Anani told host Amr Adeeb that some aspects of Egyptian society should not be captured on video or in photos, without adding more detail.

The comments led to confusion, and some fears, for filmmakers and photographers, with no clarification on what scenes would be deemed "offensive" by officials creating another grey area for professionals to operate in.

"The words the minister used are very evasive, what does the government mean exactly by 'offensive'?" one prominent filmmaker told The New Arab on condition of anonymity.

"Almost one-third of the Egyptian population is living under the poverty line, are they expecting cinema or TV to only show only rich people living in mansions while ignoring slums and poor people everywhere around us? What about the cinematic school of realism? Shall we ignore it?"

The regulatory decision divides photography into three sections with different laws governing each - photography for private use which needs no official prior permission; foreign media and news photography, which requires a permit from the Press Center at the State Information Service (SIS) 15 days ahead; and cinematography.

The minister said a new law will be passed for promoting cinematography at tourist and archeological sites and will only require a permit to be applied for online.

Egypt is one of the strictest countries for photographers and filmmakers to operate in with many choosing other Middle Eastern countries, where red tape is less, to shoot from.

In January, popular YouTuber Will Sonbuchner was detained and interrogated by authorities for attempting to film reviews of local food on the streets of Cairo, even though he had already acquired the necessary permits.

Other social media influencers and journalists have also been detained for their work.