Culture

Will Nefertiti ever come home?

Culture_

‘I want to go home!’ Nefertiti’s bust in Berlin reignites Egypt’s restitution push—alongside the Rosetta Stone and Dendera Zodiac—as legal and political hurdles loom.

Tanja Kunesch_ 28-12-2025

Will Nefertiti ever come home?

“Palestinian on the Road”: A road trip after Jesus

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At Cairo’s film festival, Ismail Habbash’s “Palestinian on the Road” retraces Christ’s path to reveal today’s Palestinians as crucified daily by occupation.

Saad El-Qersh_ 30-11-2025

“Palestinian on the Road”: A road trip after Jesus

Interview| Monica Hanna: Confronting Afrocentrism through research, not racism

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Facing a wave of online accusations, archaeologist Monica Hanna says the real battle is over politicized identity narratives, not science or Egypt’s multicultural past.

Mohamed Qundeel_ 26-11-2025

Interview| Monica Hanna: Confronting Afrocentrism through research, not racism

Ancient Khemites: Museums and the making of modern Egyptian identity

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Egypt’s ancient past, once a symbol of colonial possession, transforms into a source of national renewal and a cornerstone of modern Egyptian identity.

Fayrouz Karawya_ 4-11-2025

Ancient Khemites: Museums and the making of modern Egyptian identity

Egypt as the world’s grandmother: Alexandre Dumas’ forgotten voyage

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Alexandre Dumas’ forgotten book on Egypt blends humor, history, and colonial encounters in a vivid 19th-century journey through the land he called “the world’s grandmother.”

Abdelrahman Osama_ 2-11-2025

Egypt as the world’s grandmother: Alexandre Dumas’ forgotten voyage

Dancers, mothers, and those escaping the Zuzu complex

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Three generations of Egypt’s iconic dancers—Taheyya, Fifi, and Dina—redefine womanhood, motherhood, and art, transforming stigma into strength across time.

Fayrouz Karawya_ 28-10-2025

Dancers, mothers, and those escaping the Zuzu complex

Khaled El-Enany’s UNESCO win and contested legacy

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Egypt’s Khaled El-Enany wins UNESCO vote, and is poised to lead the organization amid hopes for reform and debates over the legacy of his time in government.

Abdel Halim Hefaina_ 16-10-2025

Khaled El-Enany’s UNESCO win and contested legacy

Betrayal of the Melody: Can we separate art from the artist when blood stains the voice?

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A beloved Lebanese singer’s tender voice now carries the weight of war, exile, and controversy. Can music redeem Fadel Chaker’s violent past?

Mahmoud El-Moustapha_ 30-9-2025

Betrayal of the Melody: Can we separate art from the artist when blood stains the voice?

No more back to the kitchen as women explain the off-side rule

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Women football content creators in Egypt defy stereotypes and online abuse, proving analysis of the game is not solely men’s territory.

Enas Kamal_ 29-9-2025

No more back to the kitchen as women explain the off-side rule

'Tap! Tap! Tap!'… Your guide to the world of Egyptian TikTok

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Behind TikTok’s fun façade lies a hidden economy of livestreams, gifts, battles, and digital patrons driving money, drama, and addiction.

Yousef Okail_ 23-8-2025

'Tap! Tap! Tap!'… Your guide to the world of Egyptian TikTok

Escaping the minefield surrounding the Druze on a ‘Kite’

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A bold Lebanese film explores identity, love, and sectarian rifts through the story of a Druze girl on the border—trapped by history, politics, and landmines.

Essam Zakaria_ 5-8-2025

Escaping the minefield surrounding the Druze on a ‘Kite’

Ziad Rahbani’s final act: A funeral in his own voice

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Ziad Rahbani’s funeral became a public chorus of defiance, merging art, grief, and politics as Lebanon gathered to bid farewell to its most unclassifiable icon.

Elie Ferzlie_ 30-7-2025

Ziad Rahbani’s final act: A funeral in his own voice

Cheers, comrade! To Ziad Rahbani, the ordinary man in pajamas

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A tribute to Ziad Rahbani—artist, rebel, comrade. From family legacy to radical freedom, he lived and sang as one of us.

Basel Ramsis_ 28-7-2025

Cheers, comrade! To Ziad Rahbani, the ordinary man in pajamas

Cacophony in Cairo: Besieged by sound, learning to negotiate

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From microbus horns to midnight cries, Cairo’s unrelenting noise reveals a deeper disorder, where chaos reigns and silence is something to bargain for.

Ezzat Elkamhawi_ 26-7-2025

Cacophony in Cairo: Besieged by sound, learning to negotiate

Rice Pudding: A timeless story of sweet comfort in times of war

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A nostalgic journey through the history of rice pudding—from childhood joy to cultural ritual—amid war, memory, and longing for Palestine.

Reem Gehad_ 24-7-2025

Rice Pudding: A timeless story of sweet comfort in times of war

The Coptic language: Breathing life into the voice of ancient Egyptians

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In Egypt, a small but passionate movement—both religious and national—strives to revive Coptic as a spoken language, one hymn and classroom at a time.

Antoun Milad_ 19-7-2025

The Coptic language: Breathing life into the voice of ancient Egyptians

Therapy dramas as drama therapy

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Egyptian drama shifts from stereotypical therapists to nuanced portrayals, normalizing mental health and redefining therapy as a shared, human path to healing.

Ghadeer Mahajna_ 27-6-2025

Therapy dramas as drama therapy

Jacques Hassoun: Jew of the Nile

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An intimate journey through memory, exile, and identity, tracing the fractured yet enduring soul of Egypt’s Jewish minority through the life of Jacques Hassoun.

Alaa Khaled_ 10-6-2025

Jacques Hassoun: Jew of the Nile

Falling in love with AI!

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Robots discover they are not human, while humans fall in love with them. A spate of films over the last few years pose disturbing questions for man, woman, and machine alike.

Essam Zakaria_ 9-6-2025

Falling in love with AI!

Giants or genius? The secret behind the pyramids

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No giants, no magic—just ingenuity, ramps, and relentless labor. Experts cut through the myths to reveal how ancient Egyptians really built the pyramids.

Abdel Halim Hefaina_ 7-6-2025

Giants or genius? The secret behind the pyramids

Inter-generational defeat

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After each defeat, the young generation blames the previous one, only to become the blamed after the next defeat arrives.

Alaa Khaled_ 17-5-2025

Inter-generational defeat

To Sonallah Ibrahim with love

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Sonallah Ibrahim, a reclusive Egyptian genius whose politically charged novels defied literary norms and state control. A personal tribute to his enduring vision.

Ezzat Elkamhawi_ 14-5-2025

To Sonallah Ibrahim with love

From hashtags to hardcovers

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As influencers crowd bookstore shelves, some see it as a hollowing out of literary culture while others call it a new gateway. If the road back to books runs through fame, so be it

Toqa Abdel-Mageed_ 10-5-2025

From hashtags to hardcovers

Kafka’s growing presence

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To me, this is both astonishing and deeply gratifying. A hundred years after his death, Kafka feels more "contemporary" than ever.

Essam Zakaria_ 3-5-2025

Kafka’s growing presence