Ramadan the violinist: From Alexandria's streets to Model EU

In December 2014, Alexandria-based photographer Ahmed al-Anany saw 27-year-old Ramadan playing the violin on the street by the sea, with a selection of candy, pocket tissues, and lighters spread in front of him for sale to passersby, along with a sketchbook full of his own drawings to keep him busy when business was slow.

Intrigued by the unusual sight, the young photographer decided to speak to Ramadan, and brought his story to the world's attention through social media.

"I ran up to my house, brought my camera, and got back to where he was staying," Anany told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

"I never imagined this could happen," he said after his photos of Ramadan went viral on Facebook and other social media platforms, prompting local and even international media to get involved.

Since then, Ramadan's story has become a source of inspiration in the Mediterranean city and beyond.

Ramadan's story

Ramadan grew up in an orphanage in Alexandria following his parents' early death. He was violently bullied there for more than 15 years.

"When I finally left the orphanage, I wanted to test myself and prove to the world that I was strong," he said. "So I decided to embark on my first journey - walking from Alexandria all the way to Cairo."

In Cairo, Ramadan worked in a jewelry shop. One day, the shop owner's daughter lost a diamond ring, which Ramadan found and returned to her. The shop owner rewarded him with 1,000 Egyptian Pounds ($127) in appreciation of his integrity.

	Along with the usual candy and pocket tissues, Ramadan also sells short personalised poems [Ahmed al-Anany]

Ramadan returned to Alexandria and used the reward money to rent a room and buy some basic merchandise to sell in the street.

"I had always loved music, singing, acting, drawing, and poetry," he said. "I used to sit by the sea and imagine myself playing the violin."

"So, I borrowed money to buy a violin and started taking lessons," he added.

However, Ramadan did not find the lessons useful, and he went on playing on his own and improvising in the street.

Along with the usual candy and pocket tissues, Ramadan also sells short personalised poems. "You can write a poem with the name of anyone you love," reads a sign on his cart, donated to him by a charity organisation after his story went viral.

From the street to stage

"I had always dreamed of playing the violin in front of a live audience," Ramadan told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Ramadan's dream was fulfilled a few months after Anany first introduced him to the world, when the prestigious Library of Alexandria contacted him to perform during its annual Model European Union event - once again proving how social media can be a powerful tool for changing lives.

	Ramadan's dream was fulfilled when he performed  in front of a live audience at the annual MEU event hosted by the Library of Alexandria [AlexMEU]

"I spent three months training after they contacted me," he said. "I even bought a suit to wear to the event.

"On the big day, I was too nervous, and I was out of tune for half of the performance," Ramadan added. "But the people were still happy and they applauded for me."

Ramadan's photo is posted on the Model European Union's Facebook page, with the caption: "MEU is where dreams come true."

MEU is an annual international simulation of the European Union's legislative process, where young participants assume roles from EU Council ministers to members of the European Parliament, as well as interpreters, journalists and lobbyists. The first Alexandria MEU took place in 2010, and has run yearly ever since.

Broken promises

When Anany first posted his photos, Ramadan was contacted and interviewed by media outlets, community outreach programmes, and charity organisations - all of whom promised to help him in different ways, with offers ranging from free violin lessons to steady jobs.

However, while Ramadan's 15 minutes of fame stretched to a few months, as his prominence faded, so did his hopes of anyone keeping their promises - with a few exceptions.

Ramadan's 15 minutes of fame ended a few months later, and with them ended his hopes of anyone keeping their promises to him.

"Most of them abandoned me", he said.

Anany agreed: "It's true; most people who approached him were seeking self-benefit and to catch the media's eye, so they kept making promises to him."

Amro Ali, an Alexandrian PhD scholar at Sydney University and the founder of the Facebook group Alexandria Scholars, described the media attention that surrounded Ramadan as "dangerous", as it negatively affected his self-esteem when the attention was gone.

"Ramadan was very depressed when I went to see him in March 2015," Ali told al-Araby. "But he seems to be forgiving of all those who harmed him."

Social media 'success'

Despite all the attention that surrounded him, Ramadan's actual violin talent remains open to debate. The media was highly selective, opting to ignore certain facts that many thought would ruin a beautiful inspiring success story.

For example, many of those who listened to him play the violin or recite his own poetry said his talent level was "intermediate" at best, yet the media still chose to portray him as an underrated prodigy.

He was emblematic of many social problems in Egypt, and his story broke the country's morbid status quo - Amro Ali

This is not to underestimate Ramadan's admirable passion for what he loves, or his determination to follow his dreams - but one must try to understand why his story made it this far, despite his questionable talent.

"He was emblematic of many social problems in Egypt," Ali said. "And his story broke the country's morbid status quo.

"It also restored the idea of public space, which was diluted by the protest law," he added.

Another reason why Ramadan's story spread was, according to Anany, because "people search for hope".

"This is why he received that much attention and people started to visit him and offered him help."

What's next for Ramadan?

After his live performance in the Library of Alexandria, Ramadan is back to selling candy and other goods on the pavement by the sea, but his dreams remain the same - if not bigger.

"I dream of having my poetry published and sold in bookstores," he said. "I dream of acting and drawing and learning how to play music."

What caught the hearts and minds of Egypt's social media users was not Ramadan's skill, but people everywhere could identify with and latch onto his hope, determination and optimism as a real source of inspiration.

"Any other person would have let go of their dreams under the same circumstances," said Anany. "But he didn't."

"I believe that God puts some people in our path to change it to for own good," he added. "I'm just happy that I was part of it."