Latest in Culture Highlight
Latest in Culture
And an ostrich in a palm tree
Maybe El-Brince shares my appreciation of this strange looking, pea-brained, fast running mega bird. Our long-necked, feathered friend is revered for its ability to plunge its head in the sand to avoid seeing what should remain hidden from plain view. And given what purportedly went on is this villa the poor animal must have spent most of its time faced down.
Bergamon: Egypt’s last Rango player
I learned to play the Rango out of love and a dedication to these instruments, the tanboura, the simsemeya and the Rango, which go together as the violin and the cello do in the Western tradition,” Bergamon explained. “There used to be many who had mastered the instrument, but the last of them died last year.
Nahed Salah dissects Egypt’s ‘strongman’ phenomenon
The ‘strongman’, explains Salah, is a phenomenon which has traditionally increased with the decline of central authority and who are often ‘enlightened despots’ who protect the inhabitants of their area and gain legitimacy through them whether by consent or otherwise.
New movies this week: a lot more of the same
Ted Ted tells the story of a teddy bear who comes to life when his young owner, John Bennet, wishes on a star. The walking, talking bear becomes famous for a while, making TV appearances and the like. Mark Wahlberg plays the adult Bennet who is still loyal to his by now bitterly disappointed, pot-smoking, …
Cairo’s Citadel Music Festival to begin tomorrow
The festival is of crucial importance because it is now one of, if not the only, cultural event that is a portal from the artistic towers to the bottom of society. It reaches people who need to be nourished by art, who are thirsty and are finally provided with water.
Utopia’s play El Kelab in El Sawy
Sometimes interesting, sometimes dull, always mediocre.
Markaz: traditional handcrafts with a unique twist
Markaz works with artisans from all over Egypt and although it is a commercial business, they are committed to making a positive social impact by creating a platform in which local artisans can gain financial independence and pass on their skills to younger generations.
Trains in the Cairo nights
The railroad that traverses Maadi seems a relic from a time long past; grass grows between the iron rails and the trees that grow on the sides of the track join high in the air to form a tunnel of leaves.
Cimatheque premieres UK’s Deep State
Mirza commented on the premise of the film, “it is a modern tale of insurrectionary struggles that wants to speak about the term of the ‘deep’ state, the complexity of power, the forces that operate on the state and through the state, which is then internalised by us as citizens.”
Farewell Rocketman
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, remembered.
The Vibe Zone – radio on the net
Shows like World Beat, playing only world music, Mosh Pit Maniacs completely dedicated to metal music and The Vibe Zone featuring funky jazz, acid jazz, old school R&B, soul and funk, Capital Club Radio attracts listeners that are interested in more than the Top 40.
Pyramids of summer deliciousness
Watermelons have little to no calories, are filled with vitamins and minerals and are one of the healthiest ways to re-hydrate on a hot day.
Basata performed at Sun City Mall
There is something genuine about Basata, which is obvious during their concerts whether you are a fan of their music or not. Not many bands formulate a mission statement that leaves nothing to the imagination. Basata makes it very clear that they are undertaking an artistic enterprise for a specific reason, though never with a formalistic attitude, and their music is still heartfelt and spontaneous.
Campaigning Cairo: the ivory tower of academia opens its door to the public
The idea is a welcome change in general academic discourse, whereby academia is, more often than not, limited to its own ivory tower and where disciplines can be somewhat disconnected from reality. A recent example of this would be those disciplines that deal with the Middle East and which did not predict the Arab Spring.
Cairo nights continue as normal
Business as usual on the streets of Cairo
New arrivals
As summer comes to an end, it is time to pack away the entertaining beach-reads and browse through the new arrivals in Cairo’s bookstores. Brand new novels by Arab authors and new translations of treasured tales are vying for shelf space and the attention of the avid reader. Here is our pick for the coming month
Kahk and groping: happy holidays
In a bitter, ironic contrast to the purity of thought and deed that are an integral part of Ramadan, scores of young Egyptian men took to the streets to chase, grope and violate women wherever they could find them.
Egyptian Copts celebrate Virgin Mary’s feast
The celebrations include a mass in church, with chants specific to the occasion, as well as the breaking of the fast in church. On the night prior to the mass, the night prayer, Asheyya in Arabic, prepares the faithful for communion.
Taxi review: Egypt’s once indie becomes new pop?
The lyrics of Taxi are known to challenge the status quo in the country and have attempted to describe the different societal conditions of Egypt with this performance being no exception. The lyrics can be a big hit or miss, with some songs inventive and creative while others become formulaic and verge on the point of being clichéd.
New movie listings
Does one really need to know the plot to the film? What you need to know is that it will play shamelessly on stereotypes of groups to which Cohen does not belong and is not a source of authority on, as with his other films, and that it will feature unrefined humor and no wit.
The miracles of Sufi Sheikhs
Karamat, or miracles, are extraordinary acts that are believed to be performed only by waliyys. A waliyy is a righteous Muslim man, known for his piety, devoutness and closeness to Allah. Many Sufis and other Egyptians believe in the existence of karamat, and many stories are told of otherwise inexplicable phenomena.
Cultural curfew
The concept of time in Egypt is stretchable in ways that defy logic to most recent arrivals, but after a few unfortunate mishaps we usually catch up and adjust accordingly.
Festivity at the end of Ramadan
On the night of 29 Ramadan, ideally with the Eid clothes and kahk bought and ready, Muslims eagerly await the result of the Rou’ya, where the official decision of whether or not the next day is Eid is taken by looking for the crescent of the new lunar moon. If the crescent is spotted, then Eid is announced in the given Islamic country.
Fathy Salama and Sharkiat: The rap project
Salama is known for combining Egyptian traditional rhythms with modern vocals, often leading to unexpected mixes, and the audience on Sunday were treated to yet another innovation of Salama’s musical talent.
Future Shorts returns for its third season
The organisers are discussing future plans to extend the event beyond Cairo and further integrate it within the cultural scene in Egypt with more screenings, varied locations, multiple cities, as well as providing Arabic subtitles and marketing it in Arabic to attract a larger home audience.
Khamsa We Khmesa: A delicious Cairo Iftar
Luckily, Khamsa We Khmesa offered us an unforgettable experience in a quiet, serene environment serving fine, tasty cuisine. The restaurant was a bit tough to find in the chaotic streets of El-Mohandeseen suburb of Giza, but it was worth our while when we got there.
Flash mob in El-Azhar park to promote tourism
As the sun began to make its way down the horizon, and families gathered at the park for Iftar, the signal to start was given. For the next ten seconds everyone scrambled to find a pose, and continued to hold the pose for the next three minutes. A videographer roamed around the still participants.
A special Ramadan evening at Mawwal Souk El Fustat
As the evening advanced, the musicians and entertainers also took advantage of the surrounding stone halls. The music of drums, tablas and oriental flutes filled the halls of the souk as a procession of musicians marched around, occasionally stopping for the crowd following to gather around them.
Yasmine Hamdan delights during performance in Al Azhar park
At the end of the gig I was no longer wondering how to classify her music – it sat comfortably in the sphere of intelligent, inventive collaborative artistic pop.
The rise and ruses of Tawfiq Okasha
Okasha gave answers favourable to Israel and when he was told the show was Israeli he did not seem to mind. He said he believed in Israeli claims to Palestinian land, that the Arabs are entitled to Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem only, the rest of which is Israeli birthright, and that he has good connections with several Israeli Arabs.