Mohamed Kenawy (Cairo)
The artist Mahmoud Shukoku drew a form for himself that distinguished him from all the stars of comedy in his era and the following eras. He is the owner of the municipal robes, the cap and the stick, a singer and monologue with a special taste, until he was called “Charlie Chaplin of the Arabs.” He enriched the art with many songs and simple popular monologues, and presented a number One of the most successful movie roles.
Mahmoud Shukoku Ibrahim was born in the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar district of Cairo, and worked at the beginning of his life as a carpenter, like his father, who opposed his work in art. There was a small café next to the workshop, where a band would come to play some songs, so he memorized them and began to go with their members to weddings and birthdays.
Shokoko met Ali Al-Kassar and joined his band to work as a monologist, and he became famous following working with Mohamed Al-Kahlawy’s band, until he was discovered by the Egyptian broadcaster, Mohamed Fathi, while he was singing at a birthday party, to begin his artistic breakthrough.
Shokoko presented more than 600 monologues and composed most of them by instinct. As for his first film, it was “I Love the Municipality”, during which he sang “Reply to You” and “God’s Guardian”. His most famous film is “Antar and Bulbul”, in which he played the role of his life.
Shokoko was passionate regarding puppet art, as he performed some puppet plays such as “The Municipal Sinbad”, and “The Count de Mont Shokoku”. During his artistic career, he presented more than 100 works, most notably: “A Thousand and One Nights,” “Bahbah in Baghdad,” “Hassan and Hassan,” “Jamal and Dalal,” “The Teacher Bulbul,” and “Antar and Bulbul.”
Shokoko passed away on February 21, 1985, at the age of 72, leaving a distinctive mark on Arab art.
