Since its founding in 1907, Al Ahly S.C. has been known as ‘the people’s club,’ representing resistance against the many forms of colonialism that have long plagued the African continent. Initially the first sporting club to allow Egyptians to join, Al Ahly remains the most popular of Egyptian teams, wearing to this day the red kits that honour the pre-colonial Egyptian flag. It is no great surprise, then, that Al Ahly Ultras – officially founded by Mahmoud Ghandour in 2007 (who is reported to have died in Wednesday’s violent attacks) – were on the front lines of both the initial “#Jan25” uprising and the continuing movement intended to topple the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF). Egyptians inspired by Tunisia and over 30 years of corrupt governance have utilized every resistance tactic at their disposal, including the well-organized and nearly fearless ultras.
The ‘football riot’ in Egypt
Afro-Spectacle
On February 1st, I will be participating in the Afro-Spectacle hosted by my Dutty Artz brethren. [Read more...]
Sapeurs and Cemeteries
‘Vanité Apparente’, the exhibition of recent work by Congolese artist Yves Sambu — bringing together his interest in contemporary sapeurs and cemeteries — runs until February 24 in Brussels. Sometimes a good antidote to the colorful portrayal of the ‘Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People’ (think of the photographs by Héctor Mediavilla Sabaté, Daniele Tamagni or Baudouin Mouanda) works refreshing.
African Films in Rotterdam
The website of this year’s International Film Festival in Rotterdam (running till February 5) comes with a neat feature that allows you to browse the selected films per continent. The festival has a surprising amount of 34 African films lined up (that doesn’t happen often at European film festivals). Less surprising, and a bit disappointing, is that out of the 34 films 23 are Egyptian (must be the month; for the full list, go to the website) and 4 are by European directors (two shorts by Orlando von Einsiedel; ‘Applied Theories of Expanding Minds’ by Jennifer Rainsford, Lena Bergendahl and Rut Karin Zettergren is an experimental science fiction film “set in an Africa that has just freed itself from Chinese domination,” watch it in full here; and ‘Nouackchott Rocks’ by Moira Tierney, which you can watch here). That leaves us with seven films by African directors, apart from the Egypt section: [Read more...]
Africa is a Kickstarter
A Human Project
Everybody wants in on Martin Luther King today. French electro-instrumental band United Fools with the help of Peuple de l’Herbe’s Sir Jean and Burkinabé artist Art Melody.
Egypt on Film
If you’re anywhere near Brussels this weekend, a stop at BOZAR (the Centre for Fine Arts) might be worth your time. As part of Aflam, a new Belgian ‘festival of Arab cinema’, the Centre has programmed seven new and recent films about Egypt, with some of the directors attending. Three documentaries: At Night, They Dance (trailer above) by Isabelle Lavigne and Stéphane Thibault is a family chronicle about a clan of women in which the profession as a dancer is passed down from mother to daughter. The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni, a documentary by Rania Stephan, recounts the career of the legendary and influential Egyptian actress, “who was to Arab cinema what Umm Kulthum was to Arab song”: [Read more...]
Sorie Kondi wants to go to Texas
A small team of folks (including myself) are trying to help raise funds to get Sorie Kondi to SXSW in Austin, Texas this upcoming March. If you’re unfamiliar with Sorie, check out the many profiles done on him c/o Vickie Remoe, the BBC, and We Own TV.
A Conversation on Apartheid
Keeping with our South Africa thread.
For our readers in Southern California, a very important conversation will be taking place at the University of Southern California on Thursday, 12 January. Omar Barghouti, one of the organizers of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, will join legendary U.S.-based scholar-activists Angela Davis and Fred Moten to discuss the correlations between the divestment campaign against South Africa’s apartheid regime and the ongoing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Mashup Maghrebi
L’Avion, one of the many fruits from the Beyond Digital mega project in Morocco this past summer, is a breathtaking collaboration between Nettle and Imanaren’s Hassan Wargui.
