3. Various Representations of the Martyred Soldier in the 1967 June War and the Victorious Hero in the 1973 October War

The author discusses a variety of representations of two popular images that recurred in numerous cultural products in the aftermath of the 1967 June War defeat and the 1973 October War victory: those of the martyred soldier on the one hand, and of the victorious war hero on the other. Mostafa focuses on cinema to highlight a new visual language through which the June defeat was critiqued in a number of groundbreaking films made in the late 1960s and early 1970s, yet with a sympathetic outlook towards Nasser and the defeated soldiers, particularly the martyred amongst them. She also examines a number of works in literature, film and song which she considers as ‘counter-narratives’ to the widely spread nationalist discourse, whilst depicting the responsibility of Nasser’s military regime for the June defeat. With the 1973 October War victory, a new mood in the country took over as the faith of the Egyptian people in the army as the protector of the nation was rekindled. The author examines some examples of nationalist stories, songs and films which aimed at glorifying the war victory.