"It's the most playful ground I've ever trodden." She laughs, explaining how her latest novel Misk al-Tal (Musk of the Hill) was extremely hard yet quite revealing to write. "I started with fictional characters but didn't have a plot, and each (...)
Playing on the wording of the famous Egyptian proverb “convivial times are priceless” Hassan El-Geretly, prominent director of El-Warsha theatre troupe, surprises his audience with a new performance that plays on a timeless enchanting element: (...)
Recent months have seen many initiatives by young Egyptian women concerned about the future of books and stories in the lives of their children. A move against only digital materials and to emphasise the importance of nourishing the imagination (...)
At the premises of the Tahrir Cultural Centre, as part of the Hakawy Festival, Ewart Hall was packed with eager young faces who flocked to listen to artist Samia Jaheen as she shared her folk story gems with the audience once again.
A truly talented (...)
How to greet your family, when to form orderly lines, and who should be allowed to speak first – small skills such as these that many parents spend hours telling their children, together with their essential rationale, have long been part of (...)
Coinciding with the Christmas season, the Ministry of Finance's Mint Authority has recently released its Jesus Christ Collection of 12 souvenir coins featuring 12 major events in the life of Christ on one side and a matching verse from the Bible on (...)
“He who forsakes his past is lost,” goes the Egyptian proverb, and it has been reused this year as the slogan of the annual Handicrafts Festival held at the Beit Al-Sennary in Cairo and organised by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Ministry of (...)
In Cairo, bringing up a child can mean you bring up the entire neighbourhood. Between the Internet groups, the literature, and the experiences of family, friends and anybody who feels like teaching you about your child, being a parent can be (...)
It is sometimes said that if you really want to know about a nation, look at the attention it pays to its children.
As people flock to see the relics of ancient Egyptian civilisation at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo they could do (...)
“A house is not a home until a woman lives in it” goes a local saying, and three historic houses in Cairo once owned by women certainly have some enchanting tales hidden behind the mashrabia and ancient tiles.
The first is the Beit al-Keritleya, or (...)
The summer vacation can be dull if you are stuck in Cairo, but there are many fun outdoor activities that can help you enjoy the hot summer weather.
First stop is Lego Mania, which is not only about Lego. Tucked between several restaurants in New (...)
“Everybody in this room is different. It makes us all unique, and it's something to celebrate,” said Bob Nolan, head of subsurface and wells support for Shell Global, the multinational oil company.
Nolan has worn hearing aids all his life. Ten years (...)
Racing cars, robots, miniature jet engines and many more creative ideas built with a 3D scanner were put on display last month at the launch of Fab Lab Egypt in New Cairo.
Fab Lab Egypt is a non-profit and community group founded in 2012 by young (...)
Last weekend some 150 viewers flocked to Lewa't ‘Oza (For a time of need), the Doum storytelling event at the Rawabet Theatre. Written and performed by participants in the celebrated novelist Sahar Al-Mougy's Seshet creative writing workshop, part (...)
On the contrary, Egypt's young people have a capacity to turn the hardest of times into a creative opportunity, amazing those who have witnessed it. Young scientists and entrepreneurs have been developing all kinds of gadgets and innovations that (...)
“I just want my daughter back” said a sobbing mother as she laid her seven-year-old daughter's clothes and books on her bed. “She was playing in the garden and then just disappeared,” she added. This mother's experience has been just one instance of (...)
You know it is summertime when you get a heatstroke in the shade, when you eat grilled corn despite the fact that its smoke makes it hard to breath, and when street noise continues through midnight despite frequent power cuts. Welcome to summer in (...)
Students from the French University in Cairo will represent Egypt at one of the biggest student competitions in the world next month, the Enactus World Cup, held this year in China. The annual event exhibits what the freshest minds have to offer to (...)
Egypt is the land of civil society, and from the 19th century onwards Egyptians have taken their social responsibilities very seriously. Now boasting over 20,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the country has a wealth of non-profit (...)
Last week Doum Cultural Foundation celebrated its first publication. Entitled “When did the Egyptians inhabit Egypt,” it is the first in the foundation's Bebassata series (simply) written by young writers and tackling ideas that promote critical (...)
Five-year-old Hala Mohamed is showing off her T-shirt with a big bee printed on it. “This is the traffic bee,” she boasted, explaining how the bee teaches us about road safety and traffic lights. “Red means stop, yellow get ready and green go.” She (...)
Clashes between the army and protesters in front of the Defence Ministry in Abbasiya made the headlines last week, pushing the district and its residents into the limelight. But this is a district that has been equally shaped by history, culture and (...)
Amira El-Noshokaty reviews efforts to document the Egyptian revolution
There is no doubt that last year's 25 January Revolution has seen an almost unprecedented effort at documentation. From prestigious cultural institutions, such as the Centre for (...)
The January Revolution has had a dramatic influence on Egyptian musicians and songwriters this year. Amira El-Noshokaty reviews a handful of revolution-inspired bands, while Sara Mourad asks people in Tahrir Square what they really feel about the (...)
The January Revolution has had a dramatic influence on Egyptian musicians and songwriters this year. Amira El-Noshokaty reviews a handful of revolution-inspired bands, while Sara Mourad asks people in Tahrir Square what they really feel about the (...)