Israeli Spy or Human Fly?

Last week during 'Self-Determination Friday', I walked down Talaat Harb towards Tahrir Square to join those hundreds of thousands protesters in their various demands for a free Egypt and the retreat of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. There was a large variety of different groups and political parties on Tahrir such as Revolutionary Socialists, liberal April 6 Movement, Salafist supporters of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, the National Association for Change, the Muslim Brotherhood Justice & Freedom party etc. On my way there I met a young Egyptian activist who kindly accompanied me and explained me many interesting things about the current political landscape and their relations with Egyptian society.
It was a beautiful day and I absolutely enjoyed the colorful and peaceful crowd on Tahrir and I had some lovely short talks with many Egyptian people despite my few words in arabic or their little knowledge in english language.

Self-Determination Friday


Unfortunately some very obscure and confusing news got to me later in the evening when I was sitting on a rooftop bar having a cold Stella beer. Egyptian friends called me saying that they received the news that I got beaten up on Tahrir Square and there would be a video on the Internet which accuses me of being a potential Israeli spy! And believe it or not: All because of a narrow-minded and paranoid journalist who spotted my tattooed pentagram star on my neck and immediately detected an Israeli conspiracy. Obviously this person doesn't know the difference between a five-pointed star, which is even found on many flags (Morocco, Algeria, China etc), and the six-pointed star of David. Anyway, I don't feel like explaining anything, the story is just too ridiculous and the fact that I was followed and filmed without any clear evidence is almost bordering on evil and massive stupidity.
















Alhamdulillah, I'm doing well and I know that most Egyptians see this incident in the same way like I do. Nonetheless I'm looking forward to the rest of my stay in Cairo and some more exciting adventures.

Here's that spy video! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1QSmBVjG7c&feature=player_embedded



Well I'm a human fly it's spelt F-L-Y
I say buzz buzz buzz and it's just because
I'm a human fly and I don't know why
I got ninety six tears in my ninety six eyes

I got a garbage brain it's drivin' me insane
And I don't like your ride so push that pesticide
And baby I won't care cause baby I don't scare
Cause I'm a reborn maggot using germ warfare

- The Cramps

Cairo weather!

Follow the Yellow!

Necropolis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giza_Necropolis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Metro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_Cairo





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Kom el-Dikka mask

Some weeks ago I found a dried palm frond on Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria.
The picture on the right shows the Amazonian Tomoco grass mask. This mask is used by the Wayana-Aparai Indian culture from the South American Amazon basin.

photo by Sandrine Pelletier


Wayana-Aparai:
http://indian-cultures.com/Cultures/wayana.html

Kom el-Dikka Alexandria:
http://www.pcma.uw.edu.pl/index.php?id=140


Thanks to Marcin Polak!

Egyptian Tapes!

I just found an old Egyptian cassette on the streets of Cairo.

It's still working and the music reflects the charm of the city:
A feeling of time traveling, surrealistic retro rituals, contorted colonialism, outmoded elegancy and passionate spiritualism.

But tapes can also be found on markets, near coptic churches, islamic mosques and in proper music shops. A very good and adventurous place to go for obscure shopping is the Friday market under the Muqattan Hills near the City of the Dead. I bought a bag full of tapes without cases from an old man who was sitting on the dusty street and all he had to sell was a pile of worn out cassettes.

Tapes in Coptic Cairo.



Sot El Kahira (The Sound of Cairo) is a music shop with several branches located in Downtown Cairo. The shop stocks tons of cassettes and CD's of arabic music and the classic classic Egyptian crooners.

Back to CAIRO!

Air Force bombers over The Great Pyramids of Giza 1999

Cairo Tower

Designed by Naoum Chebib, this lotus-inspired tower has been controversial since its inauguration in 1961, when Cairo was the centre of Cold War competition. Its funding reportedly came from the CIA, in an attempt to bribe President Nasser into supporting the US. This so enraged Nasser that he spent the bribe on building a monument so tall that even Washington could not miss it. When the tower was completed, it was the highest concrete structure in the world at 187m, standing 45m above the Great Pyramid. The Americans reportedly called it Nasser's Prick! (Phaidon Wallpaper)

video by Ute Waldhausen

http://6april.org/english/

Minna no Uta (Song for Everyone)

I had the great pleasure to play Tomomi Adachi's piece 'Minna no Uta' at Maerz Musik Festival in Berlin on March 18 2012 alongside with a choir of ten vocal performers.
The portrait evening of Tomomi Adachi was held at Haus der Berliner Festspiele and to my big surprise I even got my own dressing room!

Thanks to Tomomi Adachi, Matthias Osterwold, Ina Steffen, Alessandro Bossetti

http://www.adachitomomi.com/
http://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/aktuell/festivals/maerzmusik/aktuell_mm/start_maerzmusik.php