CAIRO - Her 30-day visit to Thailand inspired her to bring the country, with its culture, traditions and people, to Cairo. Commissioned by the Thai Embassy in Cairo, young Egyptian photographer Coucla Refaat travelled to their country and visited amazing destinations, from the north to the south. "The Thai Embassy in Cairo commissioned this project, as it wanted to publish a coffee table book about a young professional Arab's experiences of a completely different culture that would interest people in Egypt and the Middle East," she told The Egyptian Gazette. Coucla's book and photo exhibition, both entitled 'Dance of Life – A Young Egyptian Woman's Journey to Thailand', tells of the art, theatre, history and modernity there. "People living in Thailand are awesome. They're very friendly. My favourites were the hill tribes in the north. I love their culture and respect it greatly. Visiting these tribes who are holding on to their traditions and culture made me fall in love with them even more," she explained. "I see this journey as a starting point for bridging the cultural divisions between Asian and Arab cultures. I knew that Thailand was a beautiful country and a popular honeymoon destination for newly married Egyptians. “But I realised that the assignment entrusted to me meant more than capturing the apparent beauty of the country, as it also involved gaining a good understanding of culture, society and traditional values, beyond what the casual visitor to Thailand records with his digital camera." Her 150-page book covers museums, temples, and mosques and different dance styles. "In Thailand, I danced every day with the sounds of nature, the colours of the city, the movement of the dancers and the blossoms on the trees. “I felt that with each step I took, I was collecting pieces of a puzzle depicting my Thai experience," the 27-year-old photographer added. Coucla started specialising in travel documentaries in late 2008. In 2009, she visited Kerala in India and the fruit of her visit was her exhibition, ‘The Art of the Kathakali & Rituals of the Theyyam'. After her exhibition held in Cairo, she became known as Egypt's best Egyptian artistic/documentary photographer. She has also travelled to the beautiful Island of Bali in Indonesia to document the religious ceremonies, including cremations, there. In September 2010, Coucla reached the top of Africa as part of the ‘Right to Climb Expedition', climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity, raising awareness for the mentally challenged in Egypt. Her 2010 exhibition about Balinese cremation rituals, held at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, garnered her the title ‘Ambassador of Art' in Egypt. Coucla's ‘Dance of Life' exhibition is being held at the Palace of Art, Cairo Opera House, from 6pm until 10pm, ending on September 4. Her book of that name, costing LE200, is available at the Opera House.
