It was three weeks and two days before the commencement of my project and i still don't have a concrete contact in Egypt, i was really scared of going to Egypt as a tourist, this made me realize how favoured i was for the realization of this project, it seems so much like the solutions to all obstacles had already been laid down, all i need do was just go pick them up, it didn’t took me more than an email asking for a saviour to save our souls in Cairo before Khadijah (of AMA, one of our sponsors) passed me over to Reem Hassan who is based in Alexandria and because we already booked our hotel to Cairo then she made the link to a friend of hers Nora Amin and also made the possibility of visiting Alexandria for our third show in Egypt.
If there is one thing I cherish in life more than riches and fame, it is those who go an extra mile to touch the lives of others positively, Nora Amin, that solid woman who from the day we arrived in Cairo has forgot about her own plans, put everything aside and the only moving risk that matters was our success, a wonderful producer, a unique personality with a strong dignity, not minding the mindless banality of the whether that at times went up to 45°C or the political tension, I could remember her telling me that there were some state security men that approached her about her involvement with us, yet that won’t stop her from being part of this revolution. Shukran from the team, I have met artistes and I have also been invited to series of dinners, but have I ever been to a dinner organized strictly by artistes and for artistes? That was where meeting Jihan El Tahri, the big sister expanded further my scope of knowledge, a one woman full of souls and poetry and knowledge, our meeting was coincident but left us with a strong emotion, and later had an interview that lasted almost two hours of non-stop amazement, a big up to Waleed, the real myth behind the masquerade, Gracias for always being there in Cairo.
Our first show was a shock, the venue was in between walls, it was so small and that made our relationship with the audience so intimate and we could feel the warmth of their hearth, the kids were amazing, the ladies were unable to come see us but they peeping from the windows also gave a special effect. As difficult as it seem to get a public venue to showcase street shows in Cairo due to the political situation, even with all the risks that comes with it, the Townhouse gallery still offers us few minute to showcase our Happening, "it was a token but we received it big, we are grateful". Our last show in Egypt was at a Youth centre in Alexandria, we dashed to the bus garage where we head directly for the airport at 7 p.m., we got to the airport at about 12 midnight and by 2:25 a.m we were already in the Egyptair (MS)-839 that took us non-stop to Johannesburg.
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