Monday 11 May 2009

Cairo Report

©Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I'm planning to attend a genuine zikr ceremony this afternoon in a traditional (aka gritty) Old Cairo neighborhood called Darb Al Ahmar. A rickety taxi driven by a ricketier cab driver nicknamed Kojak (yes of course, he's totally bald) will take me to the place, where I am assured that I will have access to the ceremony.

This is not a performance for tourists but an authentic ceremony, where homage to God (or Allah) is given by men (occasionally women) by repeating certain chants, frequently accompanied by drumbeats. In terms of visuals, it may not be highly colorful nor exotic since the performers are just regular people who follow certain religious traditions. Nonetheless, trances are involved in the zikr ceremonies, and armed with both camera and audio recorder, it ought to be captivating.

A post-event report (if indeed it happens) will be posted on TTP. As they say around here: "Incha Allah".

REI | De Las Flores

REI by Tewfic El-Sawy on on Exposure