AL MAWRED AL THAQAFY (CULTURE RESOURCE) SPRING FESTIVAL 2012

THIS IS A BIG ONE! I would go to each and every single performance if I could, but, ... if I really had to pick only one ... I would not miss the opportunity to see Checkpoint 303. Have been following them for years (here's my post on CLEG of September 2009) and was looking forward an opportunity to see them. And now they come to Cairo, alas ... few months too late for me. Anyway, here's the news: 

Culture Resource in collaboration with The Cultural Cooperative Association for Youth in Theatre and Cinema SHAMS, and with the support of the Delegation of the European Union in Egypt, Doen Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Aga Khan Music Initiative, The Netherlands Embassy, Goethe Institute, and the British Council. present the fifth edition of the Spring Festival 2012, which will take place from 20th of April till the 14th of May 2012. This year the festival will be held in Cairo, Alexandria, Minya, Assiut, Beirut and Tripoli.

Spring Festival 2012 will start with a celebration of Turkish music on Friday 20th of April at Prince Taz Palace at 8:00 PM, featuring the distinguished musicians Nedim Nalbantoglu, Nuri Karadermilli, Babaros Erkose and others.

This year’s program features a whole range of musical genres and international groups including: Checkpoint 303 - Palestine/ Tunisia/ France, Dima Dima –Tunisia, Zapp 4 –Netherlands, and the Tausi Women’s Taarab Orchestra from Zanzibar. Furthermore, the festival is bringing together five acclaimed musicians from Central Asia to perform in an evening concert entitled "The Invisible Face of the Beloved”. A concert of the Iranian/ British band AJAM, presented with support by the British Council Egypt, will conclude the festival on 14th of May.

The program also includes two contemporary dance performances, ‘Here/After’ by Dorky Park, the ensemble of famous choreographer Constanza Macra, and "Cavewomen: The Next Incarnation" by the US-American group “Dance Brigade”, in addition to the Turkish shadow puppet show ‘Garbage Monster’ by Cengiz Ozek.

The performance program of the festival will be complemented by a side program which includes “Future Manifesto”, a panel discussion featuring cultural and political activists from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen, moderated by remarkable TV presenter Dina Abd El Rahman. It also includes a series of storytelling evenings “Samar with the Revolution”, which will take place from 8th to 10th of May at Makan - Egyptian Centre for Culture.

For more information please visit Culture Resource website