The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The darkness is descending over Cairo
earlier and earlier in the day, but that only means that Cairenes can come out
to play earlier. As always, the city is heaving with things to do.

There’s lots of music this Thursday night, with RashRadio and
NeoByrd’s gig at El Genaina Theatre being particularly exciting. Arabic-reggae
group Meshwar Band are playing at El Sawy Culturewheel, Talta Talet will perform in Downtown’s Rawabet Theatre, while fun-loving band Screwdriver are back at the Cairo Jazz Club for a high-energy gig.
If you don’t mind a packed, smokey room of happy people; head over to After Eight tonight
to enjoy the funky grooves of Salalem.

DJ Feedo and Tony are joining forces to share the DJ decks at Stiletto Lounge in Giza,
but if you fancy something you can wind down to, the legendary composer Omar
Khairat will lead the closing concert for the Mesk El Lil festival at the
French Cultural Centre. Alternatively,
you can enjoy a night of traditional oriental music in El Sawy Culturewheel with Belal El Sheikh
or a night of simsimeya and damma music with El Tanboura.

Mashroo’ Al Mareekh is back and the best amateur
talents can try their luck on stage at Makan. If you’re thinking of going to
Darb 17 18 this weekend, catch the screening of the documentary Cultures of Resistance (2010), which explores
how art and creativity can be ammunition in the battle for peace and justice.

‘Memory
Maps – Art-mazement‘ at Cairo Opera House’s Palace of
Arts is a unique Austrian-Egyptian art exhibition of more than 1000 pieces
created by using maps of various cities as canvases. There are also four simultaneous exhibitions at Gezirah Art Centre that are worth your
time, including Sahar Dorgham’s project ‘Figures’, Nahla Qenawy’s fusion of art and jewellery, Mahmoud Hamdi’s
photography and mono-print work, and the latest work of sculptor Nathan Doss.

On Friday,
international organisation MasterPeace will begin its week-long series of events called ‘Cairo, the
Peace Village’. Today’s event is an arts festival in Mohandiseen, and you can
check out our feature on the week’s events for more information.

Back 2 Back at Cairo Jazz Club will host DJs
Masters at Funk, DJ Mish and DJ Slim for an eclectic mix of fun beats and
infectious rhythms, while Cairo Expats will hold a rooftop party above Borsa
Café. in Downtown.

Nacelle nights are back, and for the month of
September, the parties will be hosted at Stiletto every Friday. For a
bit of fun, make your way to Bikya in Nasr City where musical
comedy group High on Body Fat will perform their witty pop covers.

The Sakkia puppet theatre are reuniting
Paul, George, John and Ringo through the magic of puppetry in this charming
Beatles puppet show at El Sawy Culturewheel, while Miami Theatre in Downtown presents a performance of Hekayat
19; a variety show that takes a unique look at Egypt’s leaders over the years
through small plays, musical numbers and sketches.

An exhibition by award-winning Syrian
cartoonist Ali Ferzat is being held at Cairo Atelier. Ferzat’s internationally recognised
animated political-satire is definitely worth checking out for its timeless
humour and relevance.  

Saturday is a big night for music as Beshir and his band of talented
musicians will deliver an evening of live quality music at Cairo Jazz Club,
while Sahra‘s rai music is bound to guarantee a great night at El Sawy Culturewheel in Zamalek. If that wasn’t enough, jazz musician Ahmed Harfoush will perform at Five Bells, also in Zamalek.

Over at Cairo Opera House, Special guest
conductor Hirofumi Yoshida from Japan will join the Cairo Symphony orchestra for a special concert of classical music.

The end of Ramadan signalled the end of
political satire show El Bernameg, but its ultra-charismatic presenter Bassem
Youssef is still very much at large, and he will be at El Sawy Culturewheel tonight. Youssef
isn’t the only celebrity at El Sawy today; Dr. Moataz Adbel Fattah will host a
seminar featuring influential television preacher Amr Khaled and actor Mohamed
Sobhi.

Egyptologist and author Bassem El Shammaa
will give a lecture on his work in exploring Egypt’s long and varied history,
also at El Sawy Culturewheel. If that interests you, we recommend that you stick around for ‘What
Egyptians Want’; a seminar hosted by the Egyptian Association for
Heritage Preservation.

Finally, head over to the Intercontinental
Cairo Citystars for a day of shopping at the Mingle Bazaar. The bazaar will
feature popular local brands and designers ranging from Nihal Basha to Dina Cantina
with great giveaways from WeWood, Ladybird Magazine and the Giftery.

There you go Cairo, enjoy!