EL TANBURA BAND in Concert

El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music invites you to attend El Tanbura Band concert on Thursday March 7, 2013 at 9:00 PM at El Dammah Theater (formerly El Tanbura Hall).

About El Tanbura: A quarter of a century ago, a group of Damma and Simismia artists in the city of Port Said undertook the responsibility to collect, revive and preserve this musical legacy which was threatened with extinction. El Tanbura band was born out of their response to Zakaria Ibrahim's call for establishing a band to achieve those goal.
In its first five years, the band successfully managed to collect 20 hours of that precious legacy which was orally transmitted through successive generations but which had never before been documented. This material is now preserved in writing, recording, video, and photographic form. However, it is the live performances which have continued over 24 years and through which the band presents regular, weekly shows on the beach of Port Said that ensures the continuing vitality of this heritage and its relevance to audiences. These shows are presented free to the people of the city as it was their forefathers who contributed to the creation of this special heritage.
The band also presents two annual festivals held in the city streets: one is held in the Spring and the other on Victory Day, the 23rd of December. This latter event commemorates the peoples' victory over the tri-partite attack of France, Britain and Israel in 1956. The resistance songs which the people composed during the attack and after have become an important part of the band's repertoire. The band has continued to compose new patriotic songs for subsequent situations and events, such as the on-going Israeli occupation of Palestine, the American invasion of Iraq, the 50th anniversary of the nationalization of the Suez Canal, the war of 1956, the revolution of the 25th January (during which the band often performed in Tahrir square) and, most recently, the first anniversary of this same revolution for which they composed the song, "Addi El Dalma" ("The Darkness has Passed").
In 2003, under the direction and encouragement of El Mastaba Center for Egyptian folk Music, the members of El Tanbura established a school in Port Said to transfer their skills and heritage to a new generation. Students between the ages of 6 and 16 learn the art of singing, percussion, instruments and dancing, becoming active players in their shared heritage. Young Tanbura, is managed by Mohsen El Ashry, one of El Tanbura's star simsimia players, and this band of youngsters has developed a high level of professionalism to the point where they perform for audiences in Port Said, Cairo, Alexandria and other places.
Latest News: El Tanbura band has just finished recording its new album, " January the 26th". The album includes resistance songs that date back to 1956, including "Patriotic Port Said ", as well as new songs composed during the January 25 revolution and the newest song, "January the 26th", which deals with the Port Said massacre and the imposition of curfew and the emergency law on that date. The album "January the 26th" will be released on the market soon.
Biography by El Mastaba Center For Egyptian Folk Music

Tickets at the counter 30 EGP, tickets by reservation 20 EGP. For reservations write to info@el-mastaba.org or call 011 50 99 5354/0223926768/011 243 66 241. Note: The reservation will be cancelled at 9:00 PM. Door opens at 8:30 PM
For more information please visit www.el-mastaba.org

CAIRO JAZZ FESTIVAL 2013

The CAIRO JAZZ FESTIVAL 2013 will take place from Thursday March 21 to Saturday March 23, 2013. This year lineup include bands from 14 countries, in addition to Egyptian artists. Among this year performers is Brazilian legendary guitarist and songwriter Gilberto Gil.
Partecipating artists are:

Dina El Wedidi (Egypt)
Ribab Fusion (Morocco)
Ali El Farouk Trio Ft. Karam Mourad (Egypt/Canada)
Gilberto Gil (Brazil)
Kristiina Tuomi (Germany)
Neil Cowley Trio (England)
EFTEKASAT (Egypt)
Mitko Rusev (Bulgaria)
GMHO (Austria)
Mikarimba (Japan)
KJ Denhert (USA)
Miguel Amado Group (Portugal)
Arch Stanton Quartet (USA)
Dainius Pulauskas (Lithuania)
Rembrandt Frerichs Trio (Holland)
Ziad Rahbani (Lebanon)
Namaste (France)

Performances will take place at the Geneina Theatre in Al Azhar Park, at DARB 1718, at the Cairo Jazz Club, and at the Kempinsky Hotel.
For a complete schedule of events, artist's bios, and information about tickets, and more, visit http://www.cairojazzfest.com/ (information about CJC and Kempinsky performances can be found under the "Jazz Beyond Stage" tag)

Book presentation: "Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism"

Baad el Bahr Cultural Association will present to Cairo's public the book "Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism" by Paolo Gerbaudo (King's College London) on Sunday March 10, 2013 at 7:00 PM at Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, 8 Champollion St., phone 25784494 or 0100 1704554

Introduction: Gennaro Gervasio, British University in Egypt
Participant: Salma Hegab, Egyptian blogger

"Tweets and the Streets analyses the culture of the new protest movements of the 21st century. From the Arab Spring to the 'indignados' protests in Spain and the Occupy movement, Paolo Gerbaudo examines the relationship between the rise of social media and the emergence of new forms of protest.
Gerbaudo argues that activists' use of Twitter and Facebook does not fit with the image of a 'cyberspace' detached from physical reality. Instead, social media is used as part of a project of re-appropriation of public space, which involves the assembling of different groups around 'occupied' places such as Cairo’s Tahrir Square or New York’s Zuccotti Park.
An exciting and invigorating journey through the new politics of dissent, Tweets and the Streets points both to the creative possibilities and to the risks of political evanescence which new media brings to the contemporary protest experience."

Copies of the book will be available at the event.

Dancing as Resistance (video)

I would like to share with you this truly amazing and inspiring video (from Your Middle East):
"With the assassination of Chokri Belaid, violence has returned to the streets of Tunis. Conservative Islamist forces target artistic freedom. But an initiative of young Tunisians now reclaims the streets. Their weapon is dance." 
Click here to be redirected to the article and video link.

"The Enchanted East" by SAMIRA KIROLLOS

Renowned performance storyteller Samira Kirollos will present her work "The Enchanted East" at the British Council in Agouza on Wednesday March 6, 2013 at 7:00 PM. In this work Ms. Kirollos dramatises enchanting folk tales from Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Dr. Samira Kirollos is a professional, international, master performance storyteller who obtained her BA in English Literature from AUC, her MA in Theatre Arts from the University of Minnesota and her Ph.D in Drama from Stanford University in California. She has taught drama and storytelling up to university level and has spent half of her life in London. Samira trained as a ballet dancer and as a violinist and has for 26 years enchanted and beguiled audiences of all ages by storytelling in countless museums, schools, universities, libraries and art centres in the United States, Great Britain and Egypt. She has extensive radio and television experience and has published audio cassettes and audio CDs of Japanese folktales, an audio CD trilogy of myths and stories from Ancient Egypt and a trilogy of audio CDs of stories from Egypt throughout the ages. Dr. Samira is also a published author.
(Biography: courtesy of AUC)

Free tickets available from British Council Agouza reception.

Movie Evening at the Austrian Cultural Forum

The Austrian Cultural Forum in Garden City (1103 Corniche El-Nil - next to Shepheard Hotel -1. Floor) presents "Wie man leben soll" ("The Way to Live") a 2011 comedy by David Shalko on Monday March 4, 2013 at 6:30 PM.
The movie is in German with English subtitles.
Free entry ... but sorry, no entry if you are below 16 years of age.
For more information, click here.

FLAMENCO ALGARABIA

The Main Hall of Cairo Opera House will host the Spanish troupe of the Fundación Casa Patas Flamenco with dancers Josè Barrios and Ana Gonzàles in "FLAMENCO ALGARABIA" on Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6, and Friday 7 of March, 2013 at 8:00 PM.