IFDTA: Drums Dialogue for Peace

CAIRO – 21 April 2018: The sixth edition of the International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts started on Friday, April 20 at Beir Youssef Theater at Cairo’s Saladin Citadel under the slogan “Drums Dialogue for Peace”.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.


The opening ceremony of the heartbeat festival witnessed a large audience who came to enjoy the language of drums calling for peace and unity.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.


The opening ceremony was attended by all the participating drum troupes, as well as Intesar Abdel Fattah, head and founder of the festival, and Fathi Abdel Wahab, head of the Cultural Development Fund, in addition to a notable group of foreign ambassadors representing the participating foreign countries. Former Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ashraf El-Araby was honored in the opening ceremony of the festival.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.

Abdel Fattah told Egypt Today that the sixth edition’s shows will be presented in 10 areas in Cairo and throughout Egypt. “We are proud today that over 177 troupes have come to Egypt from across the globe to present their art in a magnificent artistic dialogue between different cultures under the slogan ‘Drums Dialogue for Peace’,” Abdel Fattah recounted.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.

Sri Lanka, Estonia, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Maldives, Mexico, India, Greece, Pakistan, Palestine, Bulgaria, Poland, Thailand, Tunisia, Armenia, Indonesia, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Nigeria, Syria and Egypt are participating with their troupes this year. “Sri Lanka was chosen to be this edition’s guest of honor,” Abdel Fattah said.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.


Abdel Fattah elaborated that the Sri Lankan troupe contains male artists well talented in dancing, singing and instrumental playing. This troupe previously performed in many national and international festivals.


The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.


According to Abdel Fattah, the Egyptian troupes participating in this edition of the festival are Nubian Drums and Folk Instruments, Alarish Group for Folk Arts, Hassaballah Band Cairo in One Thousand Years, Port Said Group for Folk Arts, Al-Tazawouk Al-Fany’ (Artistic Taste Band) for Folk Arts - Alexandria, Sohag Folk Band, Toshka Group for National Folk Arts, and Al-Sharqiya Band for Folk Arts, in addition to other troupes affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.



The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.


Abdel Fattah mentioned that this year the festival is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the African Unity Organization Foundation (later changed to the African Federation), which was established in 1963. “Africa by all means is the homeland of drums,” he added.


The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.

Reda Zarif, assistant head of the festival, told Egypt Today that the opening ceremony witnessed the participation of all the participating troupes to celebrate the launch of the sixth edition of the festival, creating an interesting dialogue between different cultures.

The festival will host two workshops, according to Zarif. The first workshop will be for children to learn the music and traditional arts of the various countries.

The second workshop will be in celebration of Africa, the land of drums, at Beir Youssef Theater and headed by Abdel Fattah. It will include all the participating African bands, plus some other foreign bands representing their respective continents. This workshop will also celebrate the United Nations’ Mother Earth Day.

Zarif also explained that this year’s edition celebrates the art of tattooing, as it is one of the oldest heritage arts known by most ancient civilizations and was part of their daily life, being used for treatment purposes, splurge and ornamentation.

“The closing ceremony of the International Festival for Folk Drums and Arts will fall on April 25, which is Sinai Liberation Day. The festival will celebrate this event with the participating bands from all over the world,” Abdel Fattah said, adding that a group of public figures will be honored during the closing ceremony.

Abdel Fattah said that the festival was launched under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture with the support of the Ministry of Antiquities, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Cairo Governorate and the State Information Service.




The opening ceremony of the 6th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts- taken by Reda Zarif.