A body of work that inspires generations of artists in various fields and continues to provide enjoyment to millions of people, more than seven decades after his death, is the enduring legacy of the Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. We are (...)
“There is God between me and every breath that I take.” With such profound lyrics and enchanting music, the fourth edition of the Sufi Music and Chanting Festival got off to a captivating start.
Eleven troupes from 11 different countries, with (...)
Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Nobel Laureate in Literature, is no stranger to Egypt; he was great friends with renowned Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi and the words that he penned for Egypt seem almost prophetic in the aftermath of the January 25 (...)
The art exhibition to commemorate the second anniversary of Darb 1718 provokes a dialogue on how the definition of what can be classified as art has changed over the years.
From video installations and animation to collages, a puppet and even a (...)
Traversing the crowded pedestrian bridge of Al-Azhar, one comes to the mashrabiya (latticework) exterior of Qubbet Al-Ghouri. As you enter the open courtyard of this 16th century complex, the cacophony of voices is left behind and you are engulfed (...)
As far as the eye can see, from Al-Tonssy flyover (the Autostrad), there is, or more correctly was, the chaotic sprawl of Souq El-Gomaa (or the Friday Market). One would be hard-pressed to find any beauty in the profusion of wooden crates, rusted (...)
CAIRO: Relocating to Cairo recently, with its high levels of air pollution, spurred me to scout for environmentally-friendly products that could easily be incorporated into one's lifestyle. And I was pleasantly surprised by the plethora of products (...)
The Cairo Refugee Film Festival started last year as an initiative to celebrate World Refugee Day in June in a much more coherent and meaningful way. This week, the festival is back for its second edition, featuring screenings scheduled from June (...)
Though the soaring mercury may well announce the arrival of summer, the exhibition titled “Tomorrow”, organized by Al Mawred Al Thaqafi as part of its Spring Festival, offers some respite.
The exhibition — held at the Viennoise hotel — aims at (...)
A single word can evoke different reactions, interpretations and feelings in different people, a fact amply demonstrated at the ongoing exhibition at Darb 1718 Contemporary Art and Culture Center.
Centered on the word “SPLIT,” the exhibition (...)
It is the thinnest and the most beautiful. These words are used to describe the fiber extracted from the Ganpi shrub that is the primary raw material for making Washi, traditional Japanese handmade paper.
And the admirer is Kyoko Ibe, who has (...)
Cinema El-Fourn is a very unlikely name for an open-air film theater, but this is exactly what the new initiative from the Darb 1718 Contemporary Art and Cultural Center is called.
Located in Fustat, or the pottery area of Cairo, Darb has (...)
What are human rights? is a question that the Cairo Human Rights Film Festival attempts to answer, hoping also to provoke a dialogue on human rights within Egypt.
The gross violations of human rights during the Second World War served as the (...)
Films offer an opportunity to escape from reality, to be transported into a dream world, but Indian filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar takes the road less traveled by, his films often a raw, gritty and realistic portrayal of society.
Often accused of (...)
Eleven feature films in 37 years - the filmography of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the head of the Cairo International Film Festival's international competition jury and renowned Indian filmmaker, may seem an anomaly in this era of highly prolific (...)
It is like stepping from a dark room into the arc lights, says Vikas Swarup, the author of the book "Q&A on which the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire is based, describing his two distinct and often contradictory worlds of a diplomat and an (...)
Indian smash "New York, the opening film of the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival, looks at the United States post 9/11 and deals with the issue of ethnic profiling and prejudices that emerged in its aftermath.
Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a (...)
Egypt is not unfamiliar with Indian films and Bollywood stars. Amitabh Bachchan, the living legend of Indian cinema, enjoys the same iconic status in India as in Egypt. His movies from 70s and early 80s are still screened on Egyptian television, a (...)
Standing at the "crossroads of the four-channel video projection titled "Darb El-Arbaeen (Forty Days Road) can be overpowering; the simultaneous projection on the four large screens is overwhelming and engages the viewer completely.
Part of Wael (...)
Festivals and celebrations are a way of reaffirming our roots and recalling our customs, traditions and culture. Each one us has that special memory of a festival that we most enjoyed, a celebration that we most looked forward to every year, a (...)
As a newcomer to Cairo, I had been surprised when my Pilates class was conducted to the Bollywood hit single "Kabhie Kabhie. Indian music in Egypt? Months later, I am no longer surprised by the enthusiasm of the multitude of appreciative audiences (...)
There was a time when drums were the foremost vehicle for communicating and reaching out to others. Over long distances, the beating of drums carried messages of birth, marriage, death and warnings.
A group sits clutching the hourglass shaped (...)
On a balmy summer evening, the audience listens in rapt attention to the storyteller, as he leads the group on a walk from the Sultan Hassan Mosque through Darb Al-Ahmar road, through the Tentmakers' market and back to the mosque; recounting the (...)
The huge number of Sri Lankans who have been uprooted due to the crackdown on the Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the government has made headlines recently. So has the plight of the Pakistani refugees streaming out of the Swat valley.
In today's (...)
Relocating to Cairo recently, with its high levels of air pollution, spurred me to scout for environmentally-friendly products that could easily be incorporated into one's lifestyle. And I was pleasantly surprised by the plethora of products and (...)