El Sawy Culture Wheel placed pictures of old Egyptian actors and singers on the chairs between attendees

Visitors to Cairo’s El Sawy Culture Wheel found themselves in good company when they attended the centre’s first performance since the pandemic began.

To maintain social distancing protocols, the centre placed pictures of old Egyptian singers and actors on the chairs in between attendees, creating the impression they were sharing the theatre with stars of a bygone era, such as Soad Hosny and Omar Sharif.

With the aim of preserving Egyptian and Arab identity, El Sawy Culture Wheel was established in 2003 as a full-scale cultural centre, providing spaces, stages and support for various art forms to thrive.

The centre reopened with the puppet show Oum Kolthoum Returns, organised by the Sakia Puppet Theatre, which included renditions of the late singer’s popular hits Amal Hayaty and Enta Omry.

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