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

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With thousands of well-dressed and sequin-emblazoned celebrities uniting and basking in the warmth of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been a megalopolis harbouring more than just music but also fashion, arts, and camping ever since its inauguration in 1999. From Deftones to Kid Cudi, Coachella is considered the ultimate bastion of chic festival fun with an all-embracing lineup. This edition of Coachella embraced a remarkable lineup, including none other than Palestinian artist Saint Levant and Egyptian artist Bayou.

Within a jam-packed Gobi Tent at the festival, Marwan Abdelhamid, better known as Saint Levant, the Palestinian-French-Algerian-Serbian rapper, brought Palestinian solidarity to the stage. Performing Deira and 5 am in Paris, Saint Levant has officially marked his status as one of the first Palestinians to perform in Coachella.

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In a communiqué to his keffiyeh-festooned audience, Saint Levant explained that his song Deira draws on inspiration from a personal, profound narrative about a hotel, originally built by his father and named “Deira”, that was destroyed in the recent bombings.

Before his performance, he went vocal about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, explaining that he represents not just Palestine but the whole Arab world. Honestly, we don’t think we’ll ever be able to stop bragging about him, and we really shouldn’t!

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As for Bayou, within that same mosh pit of Palestine-supporting audience squished together like sardines, albeit gladly, he has sealed the debut of Egyptian performances in Coachella. As one of the ghost performers with Saint Levant, the stage was teeming with a utopian spirit in support of Palestine.

Lastly, the most memorable part of this performance was arguably Sol Band’s virtual appearance. Born and Based in Gaza, this is a band that embodies not only the spirit of the strip, but Palestine as a whole. Saint Levant, having dedicated his Coachella debut to Gaza, could not have picked a more soul-stirring way for us to think of Gaza, making him far more than just an artist. Having sung the  Sawfa Nabqa Hona (“We Will Remain Here”), Sol Band’s magnificent acoustic rendition was a tear-jerker.

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