Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Ghalia Alia Mahmoud (Egypt's Rachel Ray)

Overnight television sensation Ghalia Mahmoud brings practical cooking advice, wit, humor and inspiration to millions of Egyptian home television viewers since this past Ramadan TV season.

How to feed a meal to a family of 15 on less than 10 dollars, words of encouragement for women, and the warm inviting smile typical of Egyptians, Ghalia has an inviting touch. She works in a modest kitchen modeled off of her own, using simple utensils and simple ingredients which every Egyptian can afford. Her producer sees her as a potential Oprah Winfrey.

Source: 25TV Facebook page
It is not exactly a story of from rags to riches however, as Ghalia's family budget even after her show and stardom is still less than $200 a month. Nevertheless, Ghalia has a deep richness which is typical of the majority of Egyptians that goes beyond buck, and her rise to celebrity status and popularity offer a great hope to many Egyptians, who hope to see a more egalitarian society on the horizon.

Source: CNN International Ed.: Inside Africa

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The B+ Bassem Youssef Show

You've all heard of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, but the newest latest political news comedy is not coming out of America, but is made in Egypt. Bassem Youssef is Egypt's newest home-grown media star, who began his career in media during the Egyptian revolution on YouTube (by trade, he is a heart surgeon), when he began broadcasting from his laundry room because of a passion to make a difference and provide alternative media to the trash that the state media (aka Fox news Egypt) was throwing in people's faces. Bassem Youssef is now going from the net to a wider audience on television, with his first show B+ The Bassem Youssef show, which is a riotous look at the upheaval that is Egypt these days.



Check out the Bassem Youssef Channel on Youtube or follow on Twitter.

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.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

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

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

Eid Fireworks

From the early morning of Eid, the fireworks begin to pop off (the sort of "caps" that children are banned from playing with in Canada since I was a child), following the Eid prayer, it is as if a tempestuous storm has traveled through - with the frequent whizzing of fiery crackers and the smoky air they leave in their wake.

Amazing Courage

Striking Colours

Sometimes I believe that the striking intensity and wild mixtures of colors used in Egypt is because of the bold bright hues of the flowers that cover the land.