CAIRO – The title of the classic US song, first heard in a New York 1927 musical, certainly applies in Cairo, where some of the best things are free, and not only during Ramadan, when they are at their most plentiful and varied, but also offered throughout the year. They are the rich array of cultural events, exhibitions and concerts held under the auspices of the understated but achieving Cultural Development Fund (CDF) a wing of the Ministry of Culture. A particularly popular and longstanding show is that of the Egyptian-style Sufi Tannoura Troupe, presented in the wikala (caravanserai) of al-Ghouri in Mohamed Abdou Street, Al-Azhar. It is enthusiastically attended by many Egyptian and foreign residents, as well as tourists, who rarely will have heard of CDF but know that you have to get there early not just to get a seat but sometimes just to get in! The accompanying singers and dancers dressed in pure white contrasting with the whirling dancers in their brilliantly coloured skirts (tannoura means skirt) are accompanied by a group drawn from of Egypt's finest singers and musicians, playing a range of traditional instruments. Some are strategically placed overlooking the stage and the open courtyard of the imposing 16th century Mamluk building. (Their next performance in Ramadan is tomorrow, Wednesday 17 August at 9:30pm) The Cultural Development Fund is situated in the Cairo Opera House grounds in the first building on the left of the car park. The monthly programme may be collected here at the reception desk. It is written in Arabic, as is the website (www.cdf.gov.eg), so foreign non-Arabic speakers are dependent on their friends and English language listings, such as appear daily in The Egyptian Gazette and Mail, so as not to miss out on CDF presentations. A perennial favourite performance of mine and resident and visiting friends that of members of the Egyptian flagship Nile Troupe of traditional musicians and singers held at Beit el-Seheimy on Sunday evenings throughout the year, including this Ramadan (but starting later than usual at 9.30pm). An essential Egyptian experience, it is enhanced by the warm and welcoming audience, most of whom are local residents of all ages, including tiny tots wearing their fancy clothes. Part of the pleasure is the walk to and from Beit el-Seheimy though the illuminated evocative street known as Muezz li-din Allah after the founder of Fatimid Cairo or Bayn al-Qasreen (between the two palaces). The world's richest juxtaposition of Islamic architecture from the 10th to the 19th century is found here. The Ottoman Beit el-Seheimy is situated in Al-Darb Al-Asfar (the yellow lane), which is on the right-hand side of the left fork of Muezz li-din Allah Street, shortly after it divides in two. The house actually comprises three adjoining 16th to 18th century houses, exemplifying the aesthetic and functional charms of Islamic domestic architecture built around a large and leafy courtyard with fountain. I have imagined the presence of the former occupants, out of sight behind the mashrabiya (Arabesque wooden latticework) of the windows, enjoying the occasion with the rest of us. And what a fine concert, moving and exciting in turn, the Nile Troupe give of singing, often Sufi influenced, with their mastery of string, wind and percussion instruments, some of Pharaonic origin. And what rhythm! The evening ends on a whirling note with a performance by the troupe's young Tannoura dancer. The numerous CDF venues throughout Cairo with their varied Ramadan presentations – classical, popular, traditional and religious – include the Amir Taz Palace in Suyufiya Street in the Khalifa area. This magnificent palace was built in the 14th century by the Mamluk Amir Taz and some later but harmonious additions. Damaged by the 1992 earthquake, the palace was later restored and presents permanent exhibitions of its own history, and temporary exhibitions, including the highly successful recent ‘Coptic Art Revealed'. The beautiful building is magical at night with the moon shining above the palm trees in the courtyard, where concerts are held, overlooked by an elegant loggia with three gently swinging circular lamps. It is one of CDF's most eclectic venues, as exemplified on Thursday, 25 August (at 9:30pm) when the Bedouin Jerry Can Band brings tribal songs and poetry from Sinai, traditional and topical, with some humorous twists as well. The band is a collective of Bedouin musicians, poets and, storytellers from the Mediterranean post and town of Al-Arish and a Sufi sect of the Suwarka tribe in the nearby settlement of Abo el-Hossain. As well as the simsimiya (a traditional Egyptian lyre), desert flutes and reed pipes the percussion instruments include tabla, drums and clay jugs – plus ammunition boxes and jerry cans salvaged from the former battlegrounds of the Six-Day War of 1967 with Israel, hence the band's intriguing name. The Bedouin Jerry Can Band is one of the varied groups managed by El-Mastaba Centre for traditional music, founded by Zakaria Ibrahim, who is the founder of the legendary El-Tanboura group from Port Said. El-Tanboura is performing at El-Mastaba Centre, 30A El-Balaqsa Street, Abdin, Downtown Cairo, Thursday 18 August at 9.30pm, tickets at door LE20. El-Tanboura is a collective of ‘veteran Egyptian master musicians, singers, fishermen and philosophers' and players par excellence of the simsimiya, who are also sharp dancers, at their best when less skilled and over-zealous followers don't get in their way!)
