The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Jennifer Cardini, a veteran DJ of the European
electronic dance music circuit, will be at the French Cultural Institute, while
AUC New Cairo will be greeting Hamza Namira for a special concert.

Cairo Opera House is also holding ‘Backstage
Musical’ featuring music by jazz musician Ahmed Harfoush, as well ‘Most Famous
Opera Scenes’ ; a performance medley of scenes from classics such as Rossini’s
‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’,Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’ and ‘die Fledermause’ from Johan
Strauss.

New exhibitions have launched
this week: ‘This is Not Graffiti’ at Townhouse Gallery explores the perception
of graffiti when you take it off of the streets and relocate it in a private
space. It features works from graffiti artists Keizer, Sad Panda, El Teneen and
many more. ‘Echoes’ at the Photographic Gallery showcases a range of work from
various Egyptian photographers who have captured the culture and history of
Egypt; everything from the January 25th revolution to the country’s rich
Pharoanic heritage. The gallery is closed over the weekend, so it’s worth checking
out tonight.

If you fancy doing something useful with
your Friday morning; head over to Merryland Park in Heliopolis where Mashroo’
Al Mareekh is lending a hand to a march through streets of Cairo to demand a
clean energy future for Egypt. Mashroo’ Al Mareekh will host a selection of
performances at the destination spot in Korba to round off the day.  In a related project, MasterPeace’s week-long
celebration of International Peace Day will be holding a Peace March that will start
at Abdeen Square in Downtown with the same goals.

But walking is hard, and if you’d rather
conserve energy for some evening frolics, you can head over to Nacelle at Stiletto
for some bumping and grinding. More bumping and grinding can be found at Purple
with DJ Feedo, or at Cairo jazz Club with DJ Amr Mohey.

If you’d just rather stay away from those risqué
crowds all together, Syrian singer Khater Dawa will perform all kinds of
Arabic songs from styles that span from Egypt to the Levant at El Sawy Culturewheel.

The Art Café in Maadi will host an exhibition of Philippe Devlay’s personal collection. The
fanatical art collector will be displaying a unique collection of artworks by
various artists including Fathi Afifi, Gamal El Segini, Khaled El Samahy, and
Roushdi Eskandar.

Saturday is a big day for Salalem. Six
years after they first imparted their music on Cairo, the group have released
their first album. They will mark the occasion with a special concert at El
Genaina Theatre. Other live music comes in the form of Alexandrian band Massar
Egbari at Cairo Jazz Club, as well as City Band and the Amr Salah Jazz Trio both
at El Sawy Culturewheel.

Saturday also marks the last of the
MasterPeace events. The day will amass people to Wadi Degla
Club in Maadi for Peace Day; a day of hiking, outdoor games and other
activities.

If you want to unwind before returning to
work, college or school on Sunday, why not check out a gallery or two? ‘On
Edge’ is a group exhibition that will showcase the work of artists Ahmed
Askalany, Raquel Colón, Amr Fekry, Azza Mostafa and Qarm Qart at Mashrabia
Gallery. Said gallery is also working with the Residence of the Delegation of
the European Union in Zamalek on exhibition ‘On the Move’ which brings together
the works of contemporary artists Georges Bahgory, Salah El Mur, Amr Heiba, Xavier
Puigmarti and more.

There you go Cairo! Have a great weekend.