“I am the Siddhartha of Nuba,” said Yehia, and he instantly caught my attention. Siddhartha is a book my father had insisted over and over in me reading while I was a teenager. “I wish he was here,” I thought as Yehia kept narrating his 1,001 stories with a polished Spanish accent. He pulls out...
On a hot Ramadan summer, I joined Nouran Salah on a bike ride through Cairo’s Ard El Lewa district to distribute meal boxes to underprivileged people for her Ramadan initiative Bel Bicycle. Jun 22,2016 It’s 5:40 PM and Cairo’s frenzied Game’at El Dowal avenue looks notoriously calmer than its usual nerve-racking chaos. During the 30 days of...
Once a worker manufacturing ammunition, Mona Kamel Dirani fled Syria, moved by the daunting realities of war. But as she settled in Egypt, the refugee refused to stay home and began volunteering at the same organisation helping her subsist. Feb 22,2017 “I’ve worked since I was 10,” says Mona Kamel Dirani, her words drenched with...
As controversy stirred after French Minister Laurence Rossignol accused high-end designers of contributing to the “enslavement of women” by creating Islamic collections, three prominent Egyptian designers discuss freedom, culture, and the paradox of mainstream fashion. Apr 11,2016 Last week, the social media sphere was set ablaze as French Families Minister Laurence Rossignol criticised fashion labels...
Labelled as the ‘Muslim journalist’ by Western media, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has grown into a media personality that battles bigotry with the untold stories of a misrepresented culture. 10 Apr 2018 He’s a media star, part of the ‘new journalism’ wave of critical, fast-paced, and digitally savvy journalists who immerse themselves – their own voice, their...
Having escaped the “most successful genocide in a century”, Sudanese refugees seek shelter in Egypt, only to find themselves the agonised victims of a modern-day, silenced apartheid. Ahead of World Refugee Day, four refugee women in Cairo tell their stories. Jun 05, 2017 Her almond eyes insinuate a serene, unspiteful smile. As if each of...
In Cairo’s Garbage City, children as young as 7 sort rubbish with their bare hands to help their families subsist. Moved by their stories and aiming to make a difference, Rose-Marie El Gohary left her corporate job to create a kindergarten, where kids can feel accepted and learn life skills. May 16,2017 “It hit me...
Mariam’s son was murdered inside the supermarket he owned in El Arish, the northern Sinai city that has seen seven attacks against Coptic Christians in less than three weeks. As nearly 200 families take refuge in the city of Ismailia, Valentina Primo speaks to one of the martyrs’ mothers. Mar 07,2017 “They killed him. They...
Born to Palestinian parents, Mohamed Al Borno is one of 10 million “invisible” people who don’t have citizenship worldwide. So he is setting out to use filmmaking, blockchain, and disruptive ideas to challenge the traditional notion of a nation-state by creating a radically new country. Mar 02,2017 What’s in an ID card? A number? A...
In Cairo’s 6th of October, near Little Damascus, a grassroots non-profit is running a school to help disenfranchised refugee children get back into the classroom. We meet the co-founder of Fard, and unravel how this female trio built an organisation that helps over 13,000 people. Feb 12,2017 It’s a windy morning in this bustling courtyard...
