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

We might
be winding down into the last week of Ramadan and already looking forward to
our Eid plans, but there is still too much to do in Cairo this weekend to rest
on our laurels!

There’s
never any shortage of music on a Thursday, and what better way to start off the weekend that with the brilliant Fathy Salama at Cairo Opera House. Or you could opt for rai band Sahra, who will be at
Beit El Harawi, or even Eskenderella at El Sawy Culturewheel. Having
watched her perform on ONTV last night, we’re very excited about 14-year-old
Palestinian Flutist Nai El Barghouthi‘s concert at El Genaina Theatre tonight.
The Bedouin Jerry Can Band will perform their energetic folk songs at Amir Taz
Palace, while singer Osama Ezz El Din will perform at Wikalet El Ghouri. Just
over the road at Al Ghouri Complex will be the closing ceremony of the Sufi
Music Festival, and you can also catch the Tannoura Photography exhibition on
El Ghouri’s grounds.

Rango
have been lighting up venues across Europe this summer, and they will bring
their mystic Sudanese and Nubian sounds to El Tanboura Hall tonight. If you
happen to be having sohour at the Fairmont Nile City’s Bab El Nil tent, make
sure to check out the ‘Om El Donia’ art exhibition, whose proceeds are all
going to the Nebny Foundation.

Or you
can work off your fetar with a night of side-splittingly stand up comedy at El
Sawy Cultuwheel’s ‘Wa7awy Ya Comedy’ night, where several artists such as Adham
El Khorazaty, Ramy Boraie, Noha Kato and Adham Abdel-Salam will perform, as
well as comic-music duo High on Body Fat.

Eftekasat
have been conspicuous in their absence over Ramadan, so their Friday
night gig at Cairo Opera House is one not to miss. Continuing the Cultural
Resource’s Hayy Program, British-Indian musician Susheela Raman will perform at
El Genaina Theatre in a much-anticipated concert.

El Nahda
Association for Scientific and Cultural Renaissance don’t often host music
concerts, but this Friday they welcome the
oriental rock and Egyptian folk music of Baraka.

If
puppetry is your thing, head over to Beit El Suheimi and catch renowned
playwright and director Dr. Nabil Bahgat’s puppet theatre production El Aragoz
we Khayal El Zel (The Clown and the Shadow). Also taking place are several
interesting seminars; El
Sawy Culturewheel will host the Egyptian Civilization Salon, which will discuss
civilization and identity, as well as freethinking Islamic scholar Dr. Omar Abdel Kafi.

For a
little art inspiration, check out Arabic calligraphy artist Khodeir’s
Ramadan-themed calligraphy exhibition in Picasso Gallery. The work is an
interesting blend of the traditional and the modern.

All the
way over in the 5th Settlement, Ultimate Football Champions will be held. This
new competition is of football tournaments for all ages, all sizes and all
skill types. Teams of ten players compete in three different football
tournaments: football, foosball and PES2011 (Pro Evolution Soccer) on PS3.

There’s
plenty of art to keep you busy during the day on Saturday, starting with the
Egyptian Snapshot exhibition featuring traditional art, photography, sculpture
and graphics from a range of Egyptian artists at the Amir Taz Palace. It’s also
worth checking out Hassan Nagaty and Ahmed Refaat’s exhibitions at Mahmoud
Mokhtar Culture Centre before they end on the 28th.

The evergreen El Masreyeen Band will perform at El Sawy Culturewheel on Saturday,
while El Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group will perform at Wikalet El Ghouri as part
of the ongoing Fawanees Festival. Also as part of the festival, Mohamed Rashad will perform
traditional mawwal to the backdrop of rababa and mezmar at El Sawy
Culturewheel.

‘Maspero’
exhibition at Darb 17 18 is in its last few days, and the unique exhibition, in
which artists reflect on how their lives and national identity have been shaped
by the imposing Maspero television building, is well worth checking out before
its closing date of August 30th. Alternatively, you can hit Tache Art Gallery
for ‘The Contemporaries’ which is not to be confused with ‘Contemporary Views IV’
at Al Masar gallery.

There you
have it, Cairo! Happy Weekend!