A dozen individuals huddle in a closed space on a cool night in Cairo. Before them, loitering on the floor, a pile of precious possessions including house keys, mobile phones, and intimate jewelry accessories. The participants have chosen to place these items there, as a sign of goodwill and trust, and most of all, as a sign of letting in the others in their vulnerabilities. This is the first soft launch of Taboo Talk, a space for difficult conversations, one especially needed in Egypt considering the dire phobia of talking about sensitive topics in the aims of promoting tolerance and understanding. The first actual Taboo Talk event will be launched in Cairo on 12th October 2019 at NWT House in Maadi with intended talk to be Arabic and English, with primary focus on Arabic. The topic for the launch talk will be is “As a society, do we view masculinity as toxic?”. An ambitious project, the talks will be facilitated with enthusiastic volunteers trained by the program ‘Ambassadors for Dialogue’ which aims at promoting coexistence through means of dialogue. Men and women alike will gather, as they have before, under…
Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Death on the Nile’ to Be Filmed in Egypt
Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile, the sequel to his 2017 box office hit Murder on the Orient Express, has finally been cleared for production, Den of Geek reports. Filming is already underway at Longcross Studios outside London and on location in Egypt, according to the magazine, and is slated for release in October 2020. The film is adapted from Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel of the same name and will see Branagh reprise his role as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Death on the Nile is set in 1930s Egypt, aboard the Karnak, a luxury cruise ship, and follows the beloved detective on another murder mystery when a passenger, heiress and socialite Linnet Ridgeway Doyle (Gal Gadot), is killed during the voyage. In addition to Gadot and Branagh, who will also be directing and producing the film, Death on the Nile will also star Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, Oscar nominee Annette Bening, Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Ali Fazal, Armie Hammer, Sophie Okonedo, and British comedian Russel Brand. This is the second film adaption of Christie’s popular crime mystery novel, the first being the 1978 John Guillermin-directed Death on…
‘I’m Protesting for My Rights’: Iraqis Protest Despite Crackdown, Internet Blackout
Protests erupted in Iraq last Tuesday amid frustration over poor public services, corruption, and high unemployment rates among the country’s youth. Dissidents online rallied around the hashtags #العراق_ينتفض and #نازل_اخذ_حقي, which translate to “Iraq revolts” and “I’m protesting for my rights,” respectively, to express their criticisms of the government and support protesters. https://twitter.com/thestevennabil/status/1180425142939160576 Nearly 4,000 people have been injured and 93 were killed during the heavy crackdown against protesters over the past few days, according to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights committee. Iraqis have also had difficulties accessing the internet since Thursday, with several cities locked down as security forces try to control the unrest. https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1180159849943969793 In a speech broadcast on state television early on Friday, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi called the protesters’ demands for work opportunities and comprehensive reforms “righteous,” adding that the government would “soon” present a new project to offer a basic wage for the poor. “Everyone should respect the rule of law by which everyone can live in security and stability,” he added. Meanwhile, Moqtada Al Sadr, a Shia cleric who leads the largest opposition bloc in parliament, urged the Iraqi government to resign and called…
How Tahrir Square Evolved from a Symbol of Colonization to Liberation
Across time, Tahrir square has been at the heart of all the political transformations that Cairo has witnessed in its modern history – from colonialism, to nationalism and independence. Since the 25 January protests in particular, Tahrir, which means liberation in Arabic, became a symbol of freedom and rebellion of the Egyptian people, and also a controversial site that could spark a lot of unrest in the region. From west to east, the square is surrounded with one of the most historical buildings in modern Cairo. The Cairo tower, representing the nationalist period of former president Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 50s, the Arab League and the Egyptian Museum of the colonial/Ismail Pasha era and the headquarters for President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) – all which cover the entirety of modern Egyptian history. However, the status of this public square has changed dramatically since it was first constructed during the colonial era. It was also not intended to become historical or used for political and gathering purposes, but was originally built as a high-class residential neighborhood inspired by European urban planning and Isma‘il Pasha’s hopes of modernizing the…
Eight Garden Spaces for a Green Fix in Cairo
It is difficult to spend one’s outings merely in cafes and restaurants. On top of this routine possibly being unhealthy, due to the fact that modern day city-dwellers already spend too much time leading sedentary lives, spending enough time connecting with nature can help alleviate anxiety and stress according to various studies. Despite the fact that Egypt is largely a desert country, it is an undeniable truth that the land surrounded the Nile is incredibly lush and green. Cairo residents are often annoyed that the city lacks green spaces, but there are some options to consider, without having to resort to far-away farms and excursions to Aswan. 1. THE CHILD MUSEUM An easily overlooked space in Heliopolis, the Children’s museum is actually an impressive establishment with a beautiful garden. The garden space alone can be accessed after the purchase of a ticket. During spring, families and school trips are often spotted on the premises of the museum’s garden. The garden has a small zoo in which there are ostriches and a ‘butterfly tent’. Designed to provide an educational purpose as well, the garden has various statuettes of the living animals…
This Band of Egyptian Children Plays Music With Recycled Trash Only
Local initiative Rabab Luxor launched its first music video ‘Belle Mama’ in which Egyptian children perform and play trash recycled into musical instruments. The music instruments, fabricated from disposed waste, were made by children aged 12 to 16 as a result of a waste-repurposing efforts which culminated in the creation of a musical ensemble: The Garbage Music Band. In the music video, young boys and girls are seen interacting with waste which was then transformed into an assortment of percussion, blowing and string instruments. Rabab Luxor is run by Shady Rabab, an Egyptian self-taught musician whose innovative and world-changing waste management project was selected by the United Nations Environment Program, in the 2018 “Young Champions Of The Earth Project.” The Garbage Music Project uses art and music to not only effectively recycle waste but to also raise awareness on the arms of pollution, empower communities to reduce consumption and to significantly reduce plastic pollution; the latter being at the center of environmental activists’ efforts. Egypt uses 12 billion plastic bags annually which not only constitutes an economic strain as raw material for plastic bag production are imported, but an environmental…
Five Egyptian Films Participating in Arab Film Festival in Germany
This year’s edition of the Arab Film Festival sees the participation five Egyptian films that will be screened during the 15th edition of the nine day festival in Germany. As one of the biggest and oldest platforms for Arab films in a German-speaking country, this festival is screening over 100 films including feature films, documentaries and short films from the 4th of October to the 13th of October in Tübingen und Stuttgart. The Arabic Film Festival will host films from across the Arab region including Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Somalia and Djibouti. Said to provide a podium for Arab filmmakers across the world, the festival is described as an “intercultural platform for diversity and tolerance.” The Guest – ‘Al Daif’ directed by Hadi Elbagoury This feature film directed by Hadi El Bagoury sheds light on the experience of women introducing their potential partners to their parents. When the daughter Farida brings home her partner Osama (Ahmed Malek) to meet her parents Yehia (Khaled El Sawy) and Mimi (Shereen Reda), a very interesting discussion about Islam develops between the guest and…
Egypt to Implement ‘Green Fins’ UN Initiative to Protect its Coral Reef
In a bit to become more environmentally conscious. Egypt will be joining the United Nation’s environmental initiative, Green Fins, to protect the country’s coral reefs from the impact of diving and snorkeling has on marine life. With 10 other countries implementing this initiative, Egypt became the first country in the region. Egypt plans on piloting the initiative in South Sinai Governorate before being adopted by all dive and snorkel operators across Egypt by March 2020. According to the press release, at least 11.3 million tourists visited Egypt in 2018 with almost three million divers visiting the country’s Red Sea each year. To accommodate for that number, around 500 businesses host diving and snorkeling activities. The local tourism industry negatively impacts the marine life due to the diving and snorkeling activities. “Reducing diving and snorkeling-related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, helps to make them more resilient to other stressors such as those associated with climate change,” the press release reads. The UN’s initiative was founded is internationally coordinated by The Reef-World Foundation, an organization committed to preserve coral reefs by establishing environmentally friendly guidelines for sustainable diving and…
Egypt Parliament Vows to Hold Government Accountable, Praises Opposition
In an address during parliament’s 5th and final session, which began yesterday, speaker Ali Abdel Aal announced that the coming period will see a number of political, media, and party reforms, Al Arabiya reports. Abdel Aal praised the Egyptian people for their ongoing support for the current administration and the reforms it has embarked on, saying the leadership will reward the nation. He announced that the current session will see members discussing bills relevant to political and public life in Egypt, adding that parliament is keen on a social discourse where all Egyptians are represented, regardless of their political views. Abdel Aal also stressed that both supporters and critics of the current regime are motivated by promoting Egypt’s interests. “I vow that we will discuss these laws only after we hold a national dialogue on them, and that all forces, including opposition elements, participate in this dialogue and voice their opinions,” he said, according to Al Ahram Online. The speaker’s address also included a stern rebuke of the executive branch. “My message to this government, including cabinet ministers and provincial governors, please do not export problems to the president of…