What's hiding under the Bridge...?

I am pleased to say that, last weekend, I finally managed to get to one of the places that has been on my to-do list since my first month here - El Sawy Culture Wheel in Zamalek.  This famous venue is just a very short walk, and an even briefer taxi ride, away from my home,  making it a great place to go for an evening of entertainment.

I initially heard about this place through a former IH Cairo ILI co-student, who had had a hugely entertaining afternoon at the centre, watching a lecture about the future of renewable kinesthetic energy generated by wind turbines in Egypt! I am pretty sure that she didn’t understand a single word, but the pictures were probably nice! I still do not know exactly why the prospect of watching an Egyptian conference on sustainable energy tempted me to investigate El Sawy further but needless to say when I realised my proximity to the place after my move I was extremely keen to check it out further as soon as possible.

The centre is located right by the Nile in Zamalek and it is certainly one of the quirkiest structures I have ever seen, with clever utilisation of the little space offered to it. The bulk of the centre is actually situated underneath the 25th July Bridge- with the underbelly of the bridge itself having been transformed into one of the multiple staging areas. Lighting scaffold hangs from the huge concrete edifice and the crowds gather in front of a stage that is set back into the depths of the concave arch of the flyway. It really does make an inspiring setting for cultural activity!

At first glance it is hard to believe that residents of a non-stop city such as Cairo would have time to take in any sort of cultural offering. But this is certainly not the case where the Culture Wheel is concerned. On a regular basis hoards of people flock to the arts venue to take in comedy, music, seminars, classes, workshops and more and the creativity of Cairo citizens is finally given the breathing space it needs in what can be a pretty claustraphobic city.

I have walked past the venue on many occasions to see it buzzing with patrons making full use of the space, from chilling out in the café, or taking part in a martial arts class, to queuing up ready for a live performance. Most of the time the majority of visitors seem to be Egyptians, but foreigners are more than welcome and publicity material is printed in English and Arabic.  These leaflets can be found in cafes across the city, as well as in art galleries and bookshops.

So, back to my own visit to El Sawy!  I went to a gig by popular band Cairokee as my first venture.  Producing an eclectic mix of Arabic folk and modern Indi Rock , Cairokee attracts Egyptian youth en-masse wherever they go. Just like my Australian classmate and her wind turbine lecture, I confess I barely understood a single word but the music was great and by the appearance of the fans the lyrics were certainly very rousing as they were singing along with fervor. My housemate and I managed to bag ourselves a great space, perched on a raised wall looking over the crowd below, so we saw it all perfectly and remained comfortable in the process! Luckily the evening was not too chilly, and the heat from the crowd (and probably the traffic above us!) also kept us warm; definitely a concern of mine when attending an outside concert anywhere in the world, even Cairo at the moment!

The highlight of the night was probably the Egyptian rapper who made a guest appearance. I believe he is a famous singer judging by the reaction of the crowds, but for the life of me I could not tell you who it was! I find rap a strange music form anyway, and one that is particularly difficult to follow even when sung in English; Arabic rap therefore was most certainly a rhythmical treat for my ears! However, how many people can say they have sat under a bridge next to the Nile and watched a live Egyptian rap artist sample an Arabic Indie song? Not many I guess.

An annual membership to this great venue can be brought for around 70LE, meaning that you have unlimited access and can spend summer evenings relaxing right by the Nile in the café, and the membership also allows you to participate in the classes that are being run (yoga, martial arts etc) for a lot cheaper. I will certainly be keeping an eye on forthcoming events. Maybe I will see some theatre next time as it has been far, far too long since I have stimulated my creative side!

For an English website check http://www.culturewheel.com/eng 

Cairokee at El Sawy