Music everywhere

Romantic, lovely, heartbreaking, heart-throbbing, music videos in all cafes, people singing on the bus, playing ringtones from their phones, humming to themselves...

The Art of Storytelling

Egyptians weave brilliant stories all the time. They have a history of doing so dating back to Ancient times and are now being reinvented by a new generation of Egyptians to suit modern times.

The below is taken from a UNESCO Survey on Egyptian Storyteller's Heritage and its instruments and tools, which describes the importance of preserving this heritage for future generations:

"In its expressive singing, stylized speech, motion, repertoire of narratives and mimetic gestures, it is one of the unique expressions of Egyptian’s rich performing arts tradition and folk culture. In addition to its significance as a foremost literary and musical expression, this heritage represents a repository for the rich spectrum of Egyptian folk history, customs, beliefs, symbolism and traditions not only in its intangible form but also in its instruments and movable assets.

1. In its musical form, there are different storytellings performed by vocalists and poets accompanied by various musical instruments.
2. In the theatrical form, another sort of storytellers’ tool has been used, It features handicraft puppets, made of wood and textile. The puppeteer hides behind a textile and wooden screen, tells or sings his story and moves the puppets in the front of the attendance.
3. In its cinematic form, the storytellers, for narrating the stories accompanied by images, scenes and music, used a wooden box. People used to look at the picture inside the box through some lenses while the artist told the stories and changes the images.

The traditional Egyptian storytellers’ heritage consists in many stories including stories of popular heroes and epic poems such as Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyya and its characters such as Abu Zeid Al-Hilali, El-Zenaty Kalepha and Zayab Ibn Ganem....There are several other stories regarding popular resistance and fight against foreign colonialism, as well as many other political and emotional stories, such as the story of Sayf Ibn Ze El-Yazen, the story of Antra Ibn Shadad and Abla and Antra’s partner Shaybob.

Laylet el Eid (the Night of Eid) by Umm Khoultum

The diva does it again. Festive song for a festive season.

Amazing Street Festivals

Street festivals in Egypt are really incredible. The below pictures were both taken from the Korba district in Heliopolis. The street gets super-packed with youth, music-makers, face-painters, food n' drink vendors, book-sellers, craftspeople, parents with kids, sidewalk artists, drummers and booty shakers. As the day progresses and the sun wanes, the crowds spill in overflowing in a jittery chattery loud but peace-loving rabble, standing room only.

Rockin' Christmas Parties

Since it is currently Ramadan, and I've made quite a lot of Ramadan posts, I wanted to balance the blog with a post about Christmas which is also a major time of celebration here in Egypt. The below pic is from a Christmas party hosted at a club just after New Years. As with every fabulous Egyptian party - loud music and lots of dance are involved.

Egyptian Rappers

Love rap. Love Egypt. together = fabulousness.

A nice list of top 10 Egyptian Rappers

Children's Fanoos (Lantern)

Each year during Ramadan, kids get given toy lanterns. They have loud music and bright alternating lights. Fabulous fun.

Umm Khultum as a Cultural Bridge?

As I was writing my previous blog post, I came across the following fantastic article about Umm Khultum on the Huffington post, wherein the author describes the richness of Umm Kulthum's contribution to Arab (and world) culture. The "Nightingale of the East", Umm Kulthum gave the world "magic", "ecstasy", "feminine consciousness", and was a paradigmatic example of "the central artistic reality that has animated the Arab world for many centuries".

The author argues that her music can serve as a launchpad for dialogue between Arabs and Israelis - with emphasis on the common cultural traditions of Sephardic Jewry who originated from the Arab world. He goes so far as to suggest that anyone seriously interested in the middle east peace process is not seeing the full picture unless they familiarize themselves better with the rich cultural landscape of which Umm Khultum was invariably a magical and magnificent ingredient.

Read the article here:
Huffington Post: The Voice of Um Kulthum: A Place to Start the Dialogue

Enta Omri performed by Umm Khultum

There is too much to say about Umm Khultum to limit her to a single post in the Fabulous things about Egypt, so I will just start here with Enta Omri, one of her most famous songs and the first she performed written by Abdel Wahab.

There is something so emotional that just resonates so deeply with the listener, as if a piece of your own heart is being unfolded in front of you. But enough talk... let's listen,

Al Azhar Park

Al Azhar Park was a project by the Aga Khan foundation, a fabulous undertaking, a gorgeous reclaimed green space in Cairo. Beautiful proximity to the Citadel, Khan el Khalili and the heart of Cairo - from Al Azhar park you have a stunning view of Cairo, and on a clear day you can even see the pyramids. Great restaurants and cafes, children's playgrounds, beautiful gardens filled with fresh herbs, summer plays and music concerts, and even statues made of out of the recycled waste from the previous dump that was in the location. Fa-bu-lous.

El Sawy Culture Wheel

El Sawy Culture Wheel is at the heart of Egyptian arts and music. It's melody rings not just of guitars but of the pulse of the people (the name of the center comes from a novel "El Sakia" the water wheel. Indeed, the place is like a reflection in water of the Egyptian soul). Concerts, yoga lessons, drumming sessions, dance classes, children's art classes, science fairs, are a few of the events held in the location. Previously an abandoned disused area that was literally a dump, the organization's founder cleaned up the area and transformed the urban landscape into a thriving cultural hotspot and hub. Love you culturewheel.

http://culturewheel.com/

http://www.soundofsakia.com/radio/AudioPlayer.php

Helwa ya baladi (beautiful, my country)

In 1979, Dalida gave Egypt a fabulous tribute in what is probably the most captivating and memorable national song ever performed. Note: the meaning of Helwa in Arabic is much more than just beautiful in English, it is something more like sweetness, like honey.

Saying "I love you" with your car horn

Music  and poetry is everywhere,
even in honking your car

In Cairo, the roadways are the very pulse of the city and are as musical as the rest of Egypt. 

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Well, fair enough. On the roadways here, the drivers have their own system of messages conveyed just through the beats of the car horn. 

If you beat it out to: ba-ha-bak (I love you), then you are saying thank you to the car ahead of you for being nice, maybe letting you pass. There is also a wedding march that echoes across Cairo streets from throngs of cars every weekend from all of the regular wedding festivities.