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

Hello
Cairo!

It’s been a
tough week for Egypt; the type that makes everything else seem so trivial,
so frivolous. But Cairo is anything but boring and this weekend sees the
country’s most talented put it all out there.

We begin
Thursday with the Nile Project’s long awaited Cairo concert, which will be held
at Al Azhar Park. The Nile Project’s aim is to raise awareness of the complexities
of Nile Basin conflicts and provide a platform for dialogue. Tonight’s free
concert brings together eighteen musicians from the effected countries together
for an eclectic and unique performance.

Elsewhere,
Jesuits Cultural Centre is hosting the launch of ‘El Faggala Stories’; a book
that has assembled stories and anecdotes from Downtown Cairo’s El Faggala area –
a neighbourhood that has historically been a centre for the Coptic Christian
Church. The evening will include a screening of a short documentary film and a
photography exhibition about the neighbourhood and its inhabitants.

Meanwhile,
the Cairo International Book Fair continues at Nasr City Fairgrounds, while the
Italian Cultural Institute incites all for a screening of Cristo Si e Fermato
Ad Eboli.

As always,
Cairo’s eclectic nightlife scene is full of options to waste the weekend away
to. 4 the Love of House moves to Tamarai, the Cadillacs and Crash Boom Bang perform
live at Cairo Jazz Club and Roof Bar welcomes DJ Zizo for their weekly Weekend
Warm Up, while Paranoia hosts its own edition of Ladies’ Night.

Speaking of
Tamarai, Friday sees the Nile-side club host Adults Only; a reach out to the
more sophisticated crowds of Cairo, while the coolest cats in town, Wetrobots,
are live at Cairo Jazz Club.

Elsewhere,
local electronic musicians, Asmaa Azzouz and Shorouk El Zomour are set to
perform at 100Copies Music Space, while Al Hezb El Comedy convene at the Maadi
branch of Bikya for an open mic night.

More local
music comes in the form of contemporary Oriental musician, Mado, who takes to
the stage of After Eight, while El Sawy Culturewheel hosts another El Sakia Art
market where budding artists will find a variety of materials and tools.

Maadi’s ACE
Club celebrates Egypt’s continental roots with Africa Day and while the Arab Heritage
Music Ensemble returns to El Gomhouria Theatre, Tivoli Dome in Sheikh Zayed’s
main attraction this weekend is a public musical fire show. Yay!

Your
Saturday may take a decidedly chilled turn, with Zamalek bookshop, Sufi,  hosting another Sufi Healing Meditation
session. Alternatively, you might want to engage in intellectual dispute at
Cairo Reading Day, which will be held at Al Azhar Park, or sit back and enjoy
award-winning Lebanese film, Where Do We Go
Now?, (2011) at Jesuits Cultural Centre.

Cairo Opera
House celebrates the work of William Shakespeare as the Cairo Symphony Orchestra performs ‘Shakespeare in Music’.  If you’re looking for something a little
closer to home, shaabi-rap group, No Comment, are live at After Eight and
Nubian-inspired singer, Basheer, performs at Cairo Jazz Club, while Syrian
hip-hop takes over El Sawy Culturewheel with Shams MC.

Daytime fun
is plentiful too, with Nūn Center’s Farmers Market and ACE Club Charity Singathon.
 

Art dominates the Cairo 360 events calendar, with highlights
including Al Masar Gallery’s parallel exhibitions, ‘Dialogue of Mind & Soul’
by Georges Bahgory and Sami Aboul Azm’s ‘Alienation’ both going strong. Other
noteworthy exhibitions in the city include group photography exhibition, ‘Al
Mahrousa’, which explores the changing landscape and architecture of Egypt, and
Mohamed Aba’s politically motivated exhibition, ‘Small Works‘, showing at Art
Corner.

Well, that’s it for another Cairo Weekend Guide. Stay safe.