By Salma Hamed Everyone in Egypt knows the famous fuul dish, but apparently it now has significance to artists as well. Not only does Meetphool derive its name from the popular dish, but the project's idea itself originated in Egypt. In short, Meetphool is an arts and culture hub that is interested in a wide array of art genres be they theatre, music, dance or even circus. This project, which is co-funded by the European Union, is a “performance hub” that seeks to bring together all those interested in arts from different backgrounds and geographical locations, specifically from Europe and North Africa. Meetphool's main aim is to provide a platform for artists of all backgrounds to participate in creating a community of performers who exchange ideas, experiences and work together on projects. The platform serves as a link between artists and facilitates for them to connect and have access to new and innovative ideas and to showcase their projects easily. It also allows members and organisations to place calls for applications, access funding opportunities, share resources, mark their events on a calendar for others to see and receive updates of the latest in the art scene. The members of Meetphool are from different countries including Egypt, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Lebanon. The website dedicates a section introducing the members and providing access to their projects or events. Members can upload their portfolios to the site and share them with others, making the website in itself a showroom for creative projects and ideas. On the Meetphool site projects for every taste can be found. A project held in 2010 in London comprised of a workshop called “Accent on Acting”, where Londoners came together to learn new acting and performing skills. Another four day project in 2011 called “Euro Arab Youth Music Forum” aimed to bring together 40 youth from European and Arab countries to discuss the function of music in cultural diplomacy and other topics related to music and culture in Cairo. The latest project, a Sufi singing performance, took place last August. The events page is updated with the latest events taking place until November 2012. The event taking place on 26 September is “Shout Freedom!” in Palestine where former Palestinian prisoners share stories of their time of imprisonment. Meethphool is definitely the go-to place for all professional and aspiring artists to find likeminded individuals, create networks based on shared interests and promote their talents inside and outside their countries.
