AUC Tahrir CultureFest to launch its 2nd edition - Stage & Street - Arts & Culture

Al-Ahram Weekly

07-04-2025

The second edition of the American University in Cairo's (AUC) Tahrir Culture Festival will run from 10 to 12 April at the Tahrir Cultural Centre.
The annual festival will include book talks, panel discussions, performances and concerts, exhibitions, a bazaar, children's activities, and a food fair.
The events will be held at the AUC Tahrir campus in the Oriental Hall, Ewart Memorial Hall, Margo Veillon Gallery, the open-air main garden, the outdoor stage, and university rooms.
On the opening day, senior students of AUC's visual arts programme will hold the Heels Over Head exhibition, followed by a variety of events catering to all tastes and generations.
Moreover, the festival includes Nile kayaking, where individuals will paddle in a guided tour, and a food tour in Downtown Cairo, where participants will walk and try eight different international cuisines.
The book fair will be held on the grounds of AUC and feature a huge collection of books, from history and politics to children's literature, art, and fiction.
Performing arts
The festival will present a diverse assortment of Egyptian and international musicians.
Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo's concert on the opening day will be among the best-known performances.
With many international performances, the Alexandria-born rapper has become one of the most recognized rappers in recent years.
The festival will also feature the Cairo Steps, a renowned ensemble led by composer and oud player Bassem Darwisch. In this ensemble, he collaborates with German pianist Matthias Frey and numerous other musicians.
The Cairo Steps, founded in 2002, performed on dozens of stages in Egypt and internationally. They blended musical traditions from Egypt and other Arab countries, topping them with Sufi traditions, Western classical music, European ethnic music, and jazz improvisation.
Another performance in the lineup is caPop, a choir group, presented by the AUC Music Programme.
The group was founded and directed by prominent singer Nesma Mahgoub, an AUC graduate, a well-known singer, and an assistant professor in the university's music programme.
CaPop will sing a number of famous songs from the international repertoire.
In addition, two singer-songwriters, Nadya Shanab from Egypt and Fadhilee Itulya from Kenya, will perform together as Cairobi, capturing a blend of Afro-Egyptian influences.
A performance titled "Nostalgic Notes of Cairo" will feature students from the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) and the Arabic Language Intensive Programme (ALIN) at AUC.
Guided by the Cairo Opera House musician Mohei Salah, the group will sing classic Arabic songs, including Al-Qahira w Nilha, El-Helwa Di, and Touba.
AUC students will also perform Egyptian folk dances and other regional dances to celebrate Middle Eastern culture.
Children will be treated to a number of activities, including an origami workshop, a theatrical performance by the Sitara Theatre, painting on canvas, face painting, and pottery making.
Meeting of cultures
The festival will bring together representatives of different cultures, showcasing their arts.
Palestine is represented with a performance by the Salute to Gaza youth choir, a moving musical initiative by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music.
The choir brings together 31 displaced Palestinian children from Gaza to sing songs of Palestinian and Arab heritage, celebrating culture and resilience.
Japanese traditional dance nihon buyō will be presented on stage with its fluid movements to the dynamic Japanese beats.
This will be topped with a presentation of Japanese calligraphy (Shodō) performance, in addition to a Yukata, a traditional summer kimono, that individuals can try on.
Furthermore, the festival's lineup includes an Indian dance workshop, where instructors will teach movements from India's diverse dance traditions, and a yoga class led by a professional instructor from the Indian embassy.
As a tribute to Armenian heritage, the festival will showcase the Armenian room where the first recorded Armenian proverb and the newly redesigned 38 Armenian alphabet letters are kept.
Talks and discussions
During the festival, various discussions on diverse topics will be held.
A talk titled "Reflections on the Nile: Sustainability, Innovation and Action" will focus on protecting water bodies from plastic waste and how education, technology, and entrepreneurship can drive change.
A discussion titled "Foreign Egyptians and Egyptian Foreigners" will delve into the impact of foreigners on Egyptian society.
Additionally, "Cairo's Architecture: A Cosmopolitan Canvas" will explore how the colonial, postcolonial, and neoliberal eras influenced Cairo's urban fabric and architectural styles.
Also, a panel discussion on entrepreneurship will feature Egyptian entrepreneurs and investors sharing strategies for creating technology that transcends borders, building a brand across cultures, exporting products, and attracting international investment.
The entrepreneurs will explain how Egypt can serve as a solid foundation for startups aiming to expand globally.
Two authors are participating in the book talks to discuss their releases: Yasmine Elgharably and Yasmine Motawy.
Elgharably will discuss her book Bilhana: A Journey Through Middle Eastern Cuisine, which explores whole-food recipes from Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco.
Motawy will present her book Children's Picture Books and Contemporary Egyptian Society, exploring how children's literature reflects two decades of Egyptian neoliberalism.
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Some events require prior registration, and some require ticket purchases. Check the festival's Facebook page for more information.
Ahram Online and Al-Ahram Weekly are media sponsors of the AUC Tahrir CultureFest.
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