Massar Egbari to perform 1st online concert amid fears of COVID-19 spread

CAIRO – 17 March 2020: Popular Egyptian band Massar Egbari will perform the first online live concert in Egypt on Facebook and YouTube to counter the spread of the coronavirus.

The Egyptian state institutions and ministries are acting within the framework of a comprehensive strategy to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus nationwide.

This comes after President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ordered allocating LE 100 billion ($6.4 billion), to fund an anti-coronavirus strategy and related precautionary measures.

This fund was allocated by the Finance Ministry from the state budget; it will be added as a reserve for an emergency plan that includes steps to stop any possible related repercussions during the coming period.

Also, the Cabinet ordered a temporary suspension of schools and universities, to help curb the spread of the deadly disease.

Cairo University took advantage of this temporary suspension. University Head Mohamed al-Khosht said in an interview with Egypt Today the student hostels will be fully sterilized, as part of the precautionary measures.

Khosht added that the university has a comprehensive plan to proceed with the educational curricula online during the 15-day suspension.

As for schools, the Health Ministry said on Sunday a sterilization process will start at all schools nationwide starting Friday.
Massar Egbari released their latest album entitled “El Album” in March 2019.

The Egyptian band participated in the events of the Arab Youth Festival that kicked off on March 19, 2019.

Massar Egbari was the only Egyptian band performing in the festival which presents a blend of different fusions of Arabic music in a series of mass concerts that ran until April 9 at the Martyr Park in Kuwait.

The band’s third album consists of ten songs which have been filmed as video clips; the album is considered different than the band’s two previous albums.

Massar Egbari is an Egyptian rock band founded in Alexandria in 2005. The band released their third album "Mosawamat" (Bargains) in July 2019 which brought them back to the music scene three years after releasing their album "Toqa’a w tqom" (Fall & Rise).

Massar Egbari was awarded the title of Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue between the Arab and Western worlds. UNESCO honoured Massar Egbari in 2011 in Paris.

Massar Egbari participated in Black and White Music festival which kicked off on November 16, 2018, in Family Park at Al Rehab city.

The opening ceremony of the festival witnessed for the first time the participation of the most popular Egyptian bands such as, Black Theama, Sharmoofers, Wust El Balad, Karakeeb, Disco Misr.

Black and White Music festival is considered the first musical carnival of its kind in Egypt, the most famous six Egyptian bands performed on one stage in the longest continuous musical day that lasted 12 hours under the media auspices of Youm 7.

Massar Egbari,in cooperation with famed singer Ahmed Sheba, previously released a song entitled “Enzel we Sharek” (Go out and participate), which invited citizens to participate in the referendum on the constitutional amendments.

The song was released under the slogan "For our country and for the next generations, go out and participate."