Lights, laughs and applause would always flood one of Zamalek’s most beloved and well-known cultural venues, El Sawy Culture Wheel (or El Sakkia). Since its opening in February 2003, El Sawy Culture Wheel has held numerous cultural events, from musical concerts of all sorts to puppet and comedy shows. A venue centred around the gathering of large crowds, this gem of a place tucked away under the 15th of May bridge had to close its doors mid-March following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. Founder of El Sakkia, Mohamed Abdel Moneim El Sawy, explains that they had to shut down the venue in accordance with the situation at hand, but they never failed to keep a positive and hopeful attitude. “We closed our doors, but kept our hands on the handles ready to open at any time once the atmosphere permits,” El Sawy tells Egyptian Streets, “no matter what precautions would need to be taken with our re-opening – in terms of number of people permitted in the venue and the like – we stayed hopeful and ready to welcome people back at any time.” As the period of closure kept extending…
El Sawy Culture Wheel: “We Closed Our Doors, with Our Hands on the Handles”
July 9, 2020
