The Cairo Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), the Tamasi Collective, Orient Productions and Scotland's Kenmure Productions are collaborating to present an Arab Arts Focus program at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: the biggest arts festival in the world. The project will be the biggest showcase of Arab work on an international stage, featuring works of theatre, visual arts, dance performances and talks. The artworks will be showcased across three of the festival's venues, between 4 and 27 August. The program aims to increase awareness on the diversity of Arab art, challenge stereotypes and encourage discussion surrounding the works of Arab artists, as it is deemed necessary to broaden the world's understanding of the region. It will therefore feature eight performances by artists from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Morocco. Artistic Director of D-CAF and General Manager of Orient Productions, Ahmed El Attar, says the program organisers “hope that this creates room for underrepresented narratives to facilitate the possibility of future exchanges and collaborations between artists and institutions from the Arab world and those from Scotland and the UK.” Both theatre and modern dance performances will tackle topics such as homeland, identity, stereotypes surrounding Muslim people, the experiences of refugees, life in the war-ravaged Syria, and many more complex and sensitive topics. The Arab Arts Focus program will also feature a cabaret, under the title “Chill Habibi”, where audiences can enjoy a mix of theatre, comedy, dance, and music from Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Morocco and Scotland. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
