What To do in May

Literature and Body The Baad El Bahr Cultural Association (BEBA) is launching the third Cairo Mediterranean Literary Festival, Literature and the Body, centering on constructive dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean. In this third installment of the festival (the first and second being Literature and Humor and Literature and the City respectively), Literature and the Body will look at how the body has been represented through centuries of literature and how it has changed over time. In the words of the festival organizers themselves, “There is probably no vision more different, from one side to the other of the Mediterranean, from country to country, than that of the body.” The festival seeks to bridge this cultural gap with events such as theatrical readings, conferences for deeper reflection on the human form, sit-downs with major authors, two art exhibitions, films and documentaries, and several seminars and book presentations. Guests include contemporary authors from the Mediterranean basin such as philosophers Gilles Lipovetsky and Anwar Moghith, Lebanese director Jocelyne Saab, Italian authors Simonetta Agnello Hornby and Viola Di Grado, actress Fernanda Calati and Spanish writer Maria Laura Espido Freire. The festivities take place May 17–21. For details about all the activities and locations, check out the official website at www.cairomedliteraryfestival.org. Map the Body W hile we’re on the subject of bodies, renowned Sudanese artist Salah El Mur and Egyptian artist Souad Abdelrasoul have collaborated for the first time to create Maps Miracle, an exhibition of 100 small pieces looking at the physicality of human beings and their metaphysical state of being. Running through May 24 at the Mashrabia Gallery, Maps Miracle is a look at the differing elements of man, from vegetal to animal, and the results of our unity or separation from them. Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art • 8 Champollion St., Downtown • Tel: +2 (02) 2578-4494 Journalism Redefined I f you’re a citizen journalist or even a media buyer in the region, rejoice, because a newly launched platform called CitJo is here to bridge the gap between the ever-growing number of citizen journalists and their content and the media. With social media virtually exploding during and after the revolution, its importance couldn’t possibly be downplayed then or today. With this came the overwhelming increase in concerned citizens documenting important happenings. Founded by former Egypt Today staffer Sarah Wali, CitJo — a play on citizen journalist — gives news outlets access to eyewitness reports, photographs and other media, at the same time giving citizen journalists the opportunity to get their news out there. Visit www.citjo.com for information on how to upload your media, copyright information and more about this homegrown project. Get Your Culture In I t seems to be all about culture and change this month, and Culture Shift is no exception. The British Council along with Kijamii, TEDxCairo, The Startup Weekend Cairo, Eventtus, Cairo Hackerspace and Darb 1718 bring together some of Egypt’s top software developers and cultural icons to create a new technological tool or venture to support the development of Egypt’s creative and cultural sphere. With just two and a half days to sink their teeth into the problems of the cultural sector and find a way to fix them, competitors must come up with and build a solution using digital technology, to say nothing of being required to formulate a business plan and marketing camping. Come watch the events unfold May 3–5 at the Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel. For more information, visit www.bccultureshift.wordpress.com. Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel • Uruba Street, Heliopolis • Tel: +2 (02) 2267-7740 The Revolution Continues W hile spring may have sprung a little too early for some this year, the Arab Spring still lives on in the hearts and minds of Egyptians and many in the region. With the country revving up for presidential elections, Egypt’s political situation is as up in the air as ever. That’s why AUC’s Department of English and Comparative Literature and Al Mawred Al Thaqafy is holding The Spring Festival 2012 Revolution Tomorrow, a panel discussion moderated by TV presenter Dina Abdel Rahman and featuring young political activists of the Arab Spring including Egyptian Alaa Abd El Fattah, Tunisian Aziz Amami, Libyan Fathi Terbil and Yemeni Nabila Al Mofti. The event will be hosted, appropriately, at the Tahrir Square campus in the iconic Ewart Hall on May 3 at 8pm. Laugh It Off T he comedy scene has certainly taken Cairo by storm these past few years, and the revolution just brought it all to the forefront as comedy talents come out of the woodwork to take advantage of their newly found freedom to joke. This month, TODO’s Comedy Weekend is back, bringing you some of the best comedic talents of the year. Taking place at Bibliotheca Alexandrina (May 3 at 8pm) and AUC’s Bassily Auditorium (May 4 and 5 at 5:30pm and 9pm) on the Fifth Settlement campus, the hilarious lineup includes Bassem Youssef, Maz Jobrani, Michael Winslow, Dean Edwards, Angelo Tsarouchas, Mohamed Salem and Peter Zarief. Tickets cost between LE 75 and LE 200 and can be purchased at www.tazkarty.com or at any of their outlets.   Sultans of Spring A l Mawred Al Thaqafy, aka the Culture Resource, is bringing back the Spring Festival April 20–May 16, and the lineup is unparalleled in this fifth edition of the event. This year, the festival is held in Cairo, Alexandria, Minia and Assiut, with a cornucopia of sizzling musical, theater and dance talents from around the world. Expect to catch the likes of musical band Turkish Coffee, German dance troupe Here/After and American dance brigade Cavewomen: The Next Incarnation as well as several panel discussions and workshops. For a full lineup of events, venues and ticket prices visit the Culture Resource's website www. mawred.org.