الليله







I have experienced experimental rai in Egypt…yesterday in Sakyet El Sawy Culture Center in Zamalek…Sahra …a really special band…combining rai music with rock.
The band was formed in 1990 and had the name Rai Train.
Then in 1999 they created with the rock group Propaganda the new band Sahra.
The show started with some popular rai songs of Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami, but the highlight was Aicha…and Saeed of course…who gave the song a new dimension…a girl who was sitting in front of me was moving with her head in a way as if she was melting with the rhythm.Saeed…a great voice…but I do not know what was with him today…it was obvious when he could not sing the high notes in the middle of the song Aicha…yet his nice interactions with the crowd gave the Wisdom Hall a cheerful atmosphere.
Saeed’s movement on stage was exaggerated, talking and whispering with his band members while playing was not elegant…and not professional…too much…
Saeed…I have a question…why do you always have to show your back to the listeners…oh…and the band’s outfit was not matching with the event at all…it was as if they were coming directly from bed to the concert…except Saeed.
Rai means “opinion” in Arabic…that is why we have to understand at least some of the words said.
A big applause for the violin solo presentations, Mohamed Medhat …you were playing with love and devotion. Keyboardist Ahmed Al-Wahsh was a great leader …giving an energetic mood to every song… and guitarist Marwan was shining when he played the main role in the rock songs… you can also hear his simple touches floating in some of Cheb Khaled’s songs…especially in the song Ya Chebba.
When the percussionist tried to show his solo part by bringing one of the songs to an end, it was a flop…Hani Bideer…I am sorry, but it was somehow annoying.
The person responsible for the sound editing was not in his top form, he had to correct many technical problems...too many.In spite of all that...I enjoyed the concert very much…unfortunately it was a little bit short...maybe because we are in Ramadan and it started at 22:00…the audience have had a very nice night as well…and enjoyed clapping along to the beats.
Sahra…we want to hear new interpretations of popular rai songs...waiting for further maturation...and more originality.
Some people tried to heat up the moment, other tried to calm him down saying: we are Moslems, we are fasting, this is not the way we deal with each other, we are all brothers… At 17:00 they started to give each one of us a white box. I opened the box to see what was inside…well…it was the Iftar food: a ballady bread, rice, a chicken breast, a vegetable soup ,torshy ,a piece of konafa and a cocktail drink. When the Quran reading was over and it was time for Maghreb prayer, everyone attacked everything on the table, I did not know why they were in a hurry, as if they had fasten for more than a week…I started with the cocktail drink, but I could not put the drink-stick ,the young man sitting in front of me helped me. I ate rice, it tasted good,…then some torshy …it was ok…but I could not eat the vegetable soup or the chicken…the bird flu thing was still in my mind. I do not like to eat Iftar alone, but what can I do if I live alone and have no one to eat with me.
Yesterday I decided to go and eat with the poor people in one of the Mawaed El Rahman tents.
I wore the dirtiest and simplest clothes I have and a Shibshib , because I did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings…when I looked to the mirror I could not recognize myself…so…I was walking in Mohandessin searching for a big tent when I saw Mostafa Mahmoud’s... I thought: Well…the food may be well cooked there.
I went to the tent and I could not believe my eyes…it was full and people were fighting for a place to sit…I never thought that it will be that full at that moment because it was still 16:10 … there is still more than one hour for the Iftar to start.
I had no idea how I could enter this tent…as I squeezed my head from a small crack to look if I could find a free place ... an old man gave me a sign that he has a free seat.
I ran quickly inside and sat beside him not knowing what will happen next.
In the background there was someone reading the Quran and people were chatting with each other.Someone on our table started to ask each one of us where we come from. When someone said that he is coming from Asyout another one told him : thank god that you are not from Qenna, the worst men you will ever meet come from Qenna, they are devilish.
Suddenly the man sitting next to me stood in a hectic mood and yelled at him: You son of * pip*, you *pip* *pip* *pip*…I am from Qenna, what the hell you think you are … you *pip*.
I asked one of them: Do you eat everyday in this tent?
No…he told me…there are better tents out there, especially those financially supported by actresses, like the one beside the Shooting Club and the other big one in Masr El Gedida… I did not see females in the tent; I think they are sitting in separated ones.
The man sitting left to me took another white box after hiding the food of the first box in a plastic bag and putting it behind his back.
A boy who had really an awful smell with a cockroach moving under his shirt did not take the white box…he then told me: For those people who did not take the white box…they give them the green box with Kentucky chicken, nuggets and good French bread…and he was right…I wished I had his green box. For half an hour I was sitting in front of the ballady bread watching 4 flies jumping above it. I knew I will not eat that bread.
After 10 minutes most of them left the tent, I went with them out…I then saw families eating the Iftar in the garden in front of Mostafa Mahmoud’s mosque.
The street Gameet El Dewal El Arabia was beautifully empty…Cairo was magically quiet. Fasting the month of Ramadan (not to eat and drink from dawn till sunset) gives us a chance to feel what a hungry person feels when he does not have any food to eat…as well as the importance of giving charity and helping poor people.
I saw her in my college…she was sitting on a car chatting with her friends … with her dark golden hair, mellow clothes, hippie style and wild chilli looks…she looks like someone ready for an adventurous walk in the Egyptian Sahara…I stood behind a tree watching her…I wanted to talk to her…to know what things she likes…what type of music she hears…then she recognized that I was looking at her…I turned my head to the books I was holding and stood frozen like a coward behind the tree…she was the girl I was attracted to…I wanted to be close to her…to be one of her best friends…to go out with her…just as friends…hey guys, it does not have to be always about love, relationship and marriage…just pure friendship…cause this style of down to earth girls are very hard to find in Egypt…most girls here like to look very chic…with full make up…childish…too romantic and to be treated like a queen…
Yesterday on my way to the Taraweeh prayer I saw her suddenly walking beside me holding a Tarha and a small prayer carpet…I could not believe myself…am I in a sweet dream…she is living near my house…cool…she is my neighbor…great…she is so close to me…emmm… so Egyptian Shakira…how can I talk to you? What is your name? I will call you Aicha … Aicha, Aicha écoute moi…Aicha, Aicha t'en vas pas…Aicha Aicha regarde moi…Aicha Aicha réponds-moi.
Je dois faire quelque chose.
The furor over the comment made by Cohanians’ Prime Minister about Lulu being a dog continues to grow, unleashing a torrent of rage that many fear could burst into violent protests all over the world.
In Frondland some 200 demonstrators stood outside the Lulonic Temple shouting: Die Tozy, die Tozy, die dog.
Today the Prime Minister received many threads from extremist that he will be beheaded soon.
Last night Cohanian officials were scrambling to defend the comments, saying they had never intended to offend Lulonics.
Lulu is one of the most powerful gods of Lulism, a religion with over 10 million believers living in the south west of Evia.
The International Lulonics foundation reacted angrily to the comments: This way of insulting the meditative peaceful religion Lulism by naming his dog Lulu will have negative consequences on him and the relation between us and the Cohanians.
A Lulonic said: We do not accept the apology through Cohanian channels we ask the Cohanian Prime Minister himself to offer a personal apology and to order all Cohanians to change their dogs’ names.
This crisis started during a speech, when the Cohanian Prime Minister Makaba Tozy said that he likes to punish his dog Lulu by throwing him in his swimming pool.
In the press conference he emphasized: If everybody went around causing a ruckus every time something they didn't agree with was said, the world would be in chaos.
I took a long shower…I tried to get rid of all the tiny particles of dirt adhering to my skin…I shaved my beard although I do not like shaving… I wore my favorite jacket and tie…I put my extra hold gel on my hair and sprayed my expensive perfume all over my body... I looked in the mirror to check the way I smile… it has to be natural.
I went to the company…I thought I am going to be the first one there…but I found all my other colleagues in their top form standing in front of the company…waiting for the security guard to open the door.
They smiled to me…some gave me a very warm hug…and I smiled back.
Everyone was too polite to me and let me be the first one to enter.
While we were walking on the red carpet we could see beautiful flowers decorating the whole corridor…the place was very quiet.
A man I have never seen before came to my office and gave me a piece of chocolate cake and a cup of hot cappuccino. He smiled to me…I smiled back.
I started to write the report as fast as I can; he will come at any moment.
At 9:24 he was standing in the room.
Everyone looked to him and smiled…then they returned to their hard work.
Everyone was enthusiastically typing the reports to show how active they were.
When he was going out of the room some jumped from their places crying and begging him to stay. He told them he will come back.
When he closed the door some tore up the papers with the reports and others began to talk too loudly and confidently. A woman came to my desk with an unfriendly face…took the chocolate cake and ate it all. I looked for the cup of cappuccino but didn’t find it. A colleague was drinking it at the desk beside me. A man shouted to me: Light my cigarette immediately. I could not stand this anymore and ran out of the office. When I opened the door of the office I found some people putting the flowers in boxes and others rolling back the red carpet. Everyone was doing anything else but not working.
I wanted to go out of the building but the security guard stopped me violently. He whispered: If you want to go out today you have to give me all the money in your pocket. I punched the guard hard in his stomach and ran out searching for Mr. Ramadan to come back and rescue the company.