Every Ramadan, when Egyptian TV shows enjoy their prime season, at least one series about Upper Egypt is produced and millions of viewers across the country get hooked on it. Those popular dramas usually include a southern hero who is a good-hearted yet poor young man, and his reluctant turn to crime to stand up against corruption and oppression. With romantic depictions of dark and handsome outlaws, the protagonists of these shows always win the deep sympathy of their fans as they rebel against unfortunate conditions and resist local officials, rich elites, and/or corrupt police officers. One of the most iconic and memorable shows, which came out in 1992, was titled Dhiʾab al-Jabal (Wolves of the Mountain, Fig. 1). It narrated the story of Badri, a young man from Qena province, who faced police injustice and escaped to the mountains on the west bank of the Nile River to hide, and then joined a gang of bandits. The honest and kind mountain fugitives aided him until he proved his innocence, reunited with his lost sister, and married his sweetheart. For many viewers across the country, Badri and other lawless idols embody the only glimpse of resistance they experience in their repressed lives—albeit virtually on a TV screen.

每个斋月，当埃及电视节目享受黄金季节时，都会制作至少一个有关上埃及的电视连续剧，全国各地的数百万观众都被它吸引住了。这些受欢迎的电视剧通常都包括一个南方的英雄，他是一个善良却贫穷的年轻人，他不情愿地转向犯罪以抵制腐败和压迫。这些表演的主人公以浪漫的方式描写黑暗和英俊的不法之徒，总是赢得歌迷的深切同情，因为他们反抗不幸的条件并抵制地方官员，富有的精英和/或腐败的警察。1992年发行的最具标志性和最令人难忘的节目之一，名为Dhiʾab al-Jabal（山狼，图1）。它讲述了来自Qena省的年轻人Badri的故事，他面对警察的不公正待遇，逃到了尼罗河西岸的山上躲藏，然后加入了一群匪徒。诚实善良的山区逃犯一直帮助他，直到他证明自己无罪，与失散的妹妹团聚并嫁给了他的爱人。对于全国各地的许多观众来说，巴德里（Badri）和其他无法无天的偶像都是他们在被压抑的生活中所经历的抵抗的唯一一瞥-尽管实际上是在电视屏幕上。