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Al-Ahram Weekly
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt 4th Aragouz festival: Heritage, economy, and resistance - Heritage special
Egypt recently came alive with the fourth Aragouz Festival, which took place from July 1 to 8. The festival commenced at Cairo's Al-Sennari House and concluded in Alexandria. The event explored themes such as Heritage Economy and Heritage is Resistance, featuring shadow puppets and Aragouz – an ancient form of Egyptian hand puppetry that was added to UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2018. The festival's second day featured many inspiring events. Nabil Bahgat, a theatre professor and the founder director of Wamda Shadow Puppets and Aragouz troupe, opened the day with a dedication to all children in Gaza, including the six-year-old Palestinian girl Hend Ragab, who was shot 355 bullets by the Israeli occupation while talking to the Red Crescent. Bahgat lamented the tragic loss of Hend. Bahgat also presented a summary of a paper by Mohamed Shabana, a Professor of Folk Music at the High Institute for Folk Arts, which focused on heritage music and resistance. The day's discussions concluded with remarks from Mohamed Shahata, a heritage literature researcher, who highlighted Aragouz's historical role as a tool for social criticism and a means to narrate any catastrophe that people are subjected to. He spotlighted the connection between heritage and resistance, citing popular Syra (Local Epics). He referred to the series Ali el Zeibaq, where the protagonist Ali resists injustice through "tricks, not swords," illustrating that "not all resistance was in the use of swords." He also mentioned other folks' heroes like Seif ibn Zi Yazan, who expelled the Habasha (Ethiopia) invaders from Yemen, and Al Zaher Beibars, known for his great role in resisting the French troops in Mansoura. He also recalled the Syra of Zat el Hemma, a Palestinian woman from the Abbasid era who played a significant role in resisting the Roman invasion of Arab lands. Shahata noted that proverbs, songs, popular poems, and popular heritage were the solution when facing lots of wrong and injustice. He added that when people found no one to defend them, they would "make up an imaginary hero that defies injustice." 'What is written in Syra books is not totally true, for the storyteller would add to the Syra from his imagination," he concluded. The talks were followed by two performances by the WAMDA theatre troupe, one that is dedicated to promoting the heritage of Aragouz and Shadow puppets. The troupe, which has held a weekly show for over 15 years at Beit El Sehemi House. The Shadow Puppet play, The Treacherous, Roaring Rooster, was written by Palestinian author Ghanam Ghanam and directed by Professor Nabil Bahgat. It follows a despicable rooster who tricks the villagers and steals their belongings. Eventually, the villagers teamed with the king, who defeats the rooster and restores peace to the village. As for the Aragouz performance, it was one of the classics that was played during the Egyptian-Israeli era and in it, Felfel, the son of the Aragouz, was martyred and avenged by the Aragouz. Bahgat also addressed the challenges facing traditional puppetry. "Our problem is organising the market and marketing, and we are working on that, for the products are ready, be it the puppets,' he said. He added that he attended a meeting with the culture minister to discuss plans for expanding performance opportunities and establishing a permanent exhibition space dedicated to folk puppet heritage. 'We can produce art, but the problem of art in Egypt is management and marketing, so we are trying to compensate for this by having a plan and working on it," Bahgat concluded. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Don't miss The Sleeping Beauty ballet concert at the Cairo Opera House - Music and dance - Al-Ahram Weekly
Arab Music Institute 22 Ramsis St, Tel 02 2574 3373 Sun 9 March, 9.30pm: Al-Enshad Al-Dini troupe performs classical Arab songs. Beit Al-Seheimi Al-Muaaz St, Al-Darb Al-Asfar Alley, Al-Gamalya District, Tel 02 2787 8865 Every Sunday, 8pm: The Nile Troupe for Folk Instruments performs dances and songs from Upper Egypt on mizmar, tabla and other traditional musical instruments. Every Friday, 8pm: 'Alaragouz wa Khayal Al-Zel' (The Shadow Puppet), a free public performance by clowns in Al-Muaaz Street, presented by Wamda and directed by Nabil Bahgat. Cairo Opera House Gezira Exhibition Grounds, Tel 02 2737 0602/2736 0361, box office 02 2739 0132/0144 Main Hall Thurs 27, 8pm: The Cairo Opera Ballet Company and the Cairo Opera Orchestra present Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty ballet, choreography by Marius Petipa, and directed by Erminia Kamel. Open-Air Theatre Sun 9 March, 9.30pm: A Ramadan evening features the Talents Development Centre's choir performing Al-Leila Alkebira (the big night). Small Hall Thurs 27, 8pm: A singing recital by Hazem Shahine. Fri 28, 8pm: The Conservatoire concert (The Academy of Arts). Fri 7 March, 9.30pm: Strings Quartet concert. Tues 11, 9.30pm: singer Wael El-Fashny and his band performs folk songs and religious chants. Al-Ghouri Caravansary Mohamed Abdou St, off Al-Muaaz St and Al-Azhar St, Tel 02 2514 7475 Al-Tanoura whirling dervishes perform to live Sufi music (Performances every Sat and Wed, 7.30pm). Al-Gumhouriya Theatre 12 Al-Gumhouriya St, Abdin, Tel 02 2390 7707 Thurs 13, 9.30pm: Umm Kolthoum ensemble for classical Arab music, led by maestro Mohamed Abdel-Sattar. Makan 1 Saad Zaghloul St, Al-Mounira, Cairo, Tel 2792 0878 Every Tuesday, 8-10pm: Mawawil features vocalists Hend and Sara in a repertoire of traditional music of the Nile Delta, Al Jaafra music played by Arab Tribes from Aswan and Nass Makan band. Every Wednesday, 8-10pm: Zar music and songs by Mazaher ensemble featuring Umm Sameh, Umm Hassan and Nour Al-Sabah. Room Art Space & Café 10 Etihad Al Mohamin, Garden City, Tel 01000 068 159 Fri 28, 8pm: A singing recital by Rana Haggag. Fri 7 March, 9pm: Sufi singing with Mostafa Mohalel. Sat 8, 9pm: Arabic fusion by Leil band. The Spot mall, infront of AUC Gate 4, New Cairo Mon 3 March, 9pm: Adham Assem performs old and new songs in different arrangements, in addition to his own songs. Wed 5 and Thurs 6, 8pm: Karaoke night. Sat 8, 9pm: Ninety comedy night features Farida Geneidy, Mohamed Bogy, Omar Roshdy, Hossam El-Agatti, and many more. El Sawy Culturewheel End of 26th of July St, underneath the 15th of May Bridge, Zamalek, Tel 2736 8881/6178/2737 4448 River Hall Thurs 27, 8pm: El Sawy Culturewheel Puppet Theatre show revives the concerts of Umm Kolthoum performing two of her much-loved songs. Theatro Arkan Arkan Plaza, El-Sheikh Zayed, Giza, Egypt Thurs 27, 8.30pm: Special live episode with Alexandria's favorite crew, Loran Gang, for all "Salon Kefaya Ba2a" podcast listeners. ALEXANDRIA Alexandria Opera House (Sayed Darwish Theatre) Fouad St, Mahatat Al-Raml, Alexandria, Tel 03/486 5106 Sun 9 March, 9.30pm: A Ramadan evening features Al-Hadra troupe for Sufi chanting. Bibliotheca Alexandrina Port Said St, Chatby, Alexandria 21526, Tel (03) 4839999 Main Hall Thurs 27, 7pm: The Goats stand-up comedy show. * A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
