Cairo, the 30th August, 2009

"Enjoying Ramadan...my own way..."

Still struggling with the shows for tourists. In reality, I am being too demanding and spoilt, I guess...for more than three years now I've been performing mostly for local audiences who have been my biggest support and "name making" crowd and now, for the first time, I face my most feared foreigner audiences and I just have to face it and find solutions for the challenge (and stop complaining about it!!!).

The truth is that the audiences I've been catching now - mostly foreigners/tourists- have been great. People are sweet, very kind and warm in the way they receive my work. It's ME, not them, who need to adjust and find a way to fit.

Still "struggling" with my orchestra to get better music/performances from them. I am paying extra money to have a few great soloists in my band and I watch myself demanding more from them as we extend my reportoire. The more you know, the better you want to do. I move to more complex songs and those require better musicians and exquisite execution from their part.

In a market where musicians are mostly used to play "anything" they want and in the easiest way, I admit I am a huge headache for them.

Working on new Om Kolthoum material...she's my treasure!

LOVING RAMADAN (my way, as always!):

1. The general silence during the day. Maybe due to the fasting period (until 18.30h, approximately) and general laziness. Great (the silence, not the laziness)!

2. Empty streets during the day and, specially, during the break fasting (the time when I go to work, YES!). No traffic at all, at least while people are eating.

3. Ramadan traditional foods in the supermarkets and a general atmosphere of feast and comunion.

4. Watching people gathering in communal tables on the streets of Cairo to break fast together. Ramadan break fasting meal brings families, friends and even strangers together in a ritual of food, water and generosity sharing. This is really nice to watch.

5. Wish I could say less sexual harassment in the streets but...NO. Still there. Big contradiction.

I am out of comments on this one. Way too tired of the theme.

Sometimes, I feel like saying: "You're a muslim, for God's sake. If you don't respect women, at least, respect your own religion. We're in Ramadan - YOUR Ramadan - and you're acting like an animal and looking up my arse! How is that possible?!"

All in all, it has been a great, productive time...waiting to get a HUGE box of "cakhk" (traditional sweet of Ramadan)!