Culture
Revisiting Farag Fouda’s call for secularism
June 26, 2011
Revisiting Farag Fouda’s call for secularism
“The issue is not about applying Shariah (Islamic jurisprudence), but is a matter of choice between a theocratic and a…
State Awards: The debate never stops
June 26, 2011
State Awards: The debate never stops
The Supreme Council of Culture, headed by Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi, announced the winners of the state's 2011 cultural…
Film review: Director’s mistakes spoil ‘Al-Fagoumi’
June 25, 2011
Film review: Director’s mistakes spoil ‘Al-Fagoumi’
The word “Al-Fagoumi” - the alias of Egyptian poet Ahmed Fouad Negm - is a linguistic combination of three Arabic…
Remembering Atef al-Tayeb: A landmark in Egyptian cinema
June 24, 2011
Remembering Atef al-Tayeb: A landmark in Egyptian cinema
Thursday marked 16 years since Egyptian film director Atef al-Tayeb passed away. A pioneer of the “New Realism” wave that…
AUC Press revolution works, festival prompt some skepticism
June 24, 2011
AUC Press revolution works, festival prompt some skepticism
The annual AUC Press Book, Art, and Music Festival held Wednesday at the Cairo Opera House celebrated the 25 January…
No time for art: A tribute to martyrs and the living
June 23, 2011
No time for art: A tribute to martyrs and the living
Combining the sincerity of a personal testimony with the drama of scripted dialogue, theater director Laila Soliman’s latest play “No…
The Future of Dar al-Kotob: Q&A with Zain Abdul Hady
June 23, 2011
The Future of Dar al-Kotob: Q&A with Zain Abdul Hady
Dar al-Kotob, the Egyptian National Library, is sometimes lost in the shadow of the National Archives, or forgotten behind the…
Power and spectacle at the Biennale
June 22, 2011
Power and spectacle at the Biennale
The Venice Biennale has always been a political event, at which government institutions select artworks to “represent” them through national…
Remembering Abdel Halim Hafez, the voice of revolution
June 21, 2011
Remembering Abdel Halim Hafez, the voice of revolution
When the late Abdel Halim Hafez (1929-77) first sang his patriotic songs in the 1950s and 1960s, he didn’t imagine…
Film Review: Samy Oxide al-Carbon, an extension of pre-revolutionary cinematic practices
June 21, 2011
Film Review: Samy Oxide al-Carbon, an extension of pre-revolutionary cinematic practices
Samy Oxide al-Carbon, a new film starring Egyptian comedian Hany Ramzy, reveals the problems of commercial cinema that persist post-25…