Mawaweel: Cultural Hub

In Ramadan, it's very easy to get caught up in the hardships of fasting, the anticipation of iftar and the gorging that ensues after that glorious globe of light sets. Nowadays, people automatically relate the holy month with endless sessions of binge-eating; they forget the cultural aspect of this month of festivities. To make sure you don't just get fat this Ramadan, Cairo Jazz Club Agency is bringing Mawaweel back to Darb 1718, taking Cairenes back to their cultural roots.

What Mawaweel does is basically inject some culture back to this already rich and diverse holiday Egyptians experience for one month every year. Boasting an impressive array of talents and events, Mawaweel is putting the spotlight back on local musicians, artists and more starting this Friday, 19th July, with an impressive collection of performances, gigs, exhibitions and screenings, that are sure to pique the interests of all culture-obsessed attendees. Kicking off with El Khayal El Shaby, a visually exciting folkloric theatre act, at 9:00 PM, the night will then smoothly proceed to air short film screenings, including CairoScene sweetheart, Alia Ayman's Ravings. This will then be followed by the Mohamed Mohsen Band at 10:00 PM before concluding with undergeround band, Us We Lazq, followed by songstress Sarah El Gohary. While all of this transitions, there will be an ongoing array of bazaars from which attendees can indulge in the materialistic aspects of Ramadan, delicious bites to appease your stomach, and a list of children's workshops (from 9 to 12 AM) including Re-Art, Monoprint, and Art Therapy workshops.

On Friday 26th of July, Mawaweel returns with an even more artistic line up! Alongside the ongoing Art Workshops and bazaars that will take place during the event, Mawaweel adds the "Khadra 2013" exhibition, which features female artists from Egypt and the Middle East. Opening up with the Percussion Show, the night will then smoothly move on to screenings of two short films - Noor by Ahmed Ibrahim and Al Maktoub by Ahmed Emad.At 10:00 PM, it's time for a Mawlawiyah (an up-and-coming sufi band) to take the stage, with Salalem to round the night up!

The final event of the series, taking place on the 2nd of August, features all the staple events (Khadra exhibition, Art Workshops and Bazaars) with the added benefit of an entirely new line up. The Tanoura & Tahteeb show take the stage at 9:00 PM, followed by Two Short Film screenings; 6 by Bahaa Al Gamal and Bahari by Ahmed Ghoneimy. Ashara Gharby then follows up with her musical performance, with Basheer closing up and concluding Mawaweel's cultural hub. 

It certainly is an interesting initiative to remind people that Ramadan isn't only about eating and that you can have all sorts of fun without a drop of liquor in you. 

Check out Mawaweel's Facebook page here and follow @Mawaweel_events for the latest updates.