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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

THIS EVENING: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is sworn in for a third term in the new administrative capital

Good afternoon, wonderful people, and happy hump day. We’re just about a week away from the end of Ramadan — and we’re counting down the days.

So, when do we eat? Maghrib is at 6:15 pm today in the capital city, and you’ll have until 4:13 am tomorrow to get your hydration and caffeine fix ahead of Fajr.

THE BIG STORY TODAY

El Sisi outlines national priorities for third term in swearing-in ceremony: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced the key features and objectives for Egypt’s national strategy on several domestic and external issues during a public speech today, after being sworn in for his third term at the House of Representatives in the new administrative capital. You can read the full speech on the State Information Service website here.

The highlights: The seven-point speech outlined the state’s commitments to strengthen the country’s foreign relations, national security, economic growth and productivity, fiscal discipline, education, and urban planning. The strategy also seeks to enact economic and social changes based on policy recommendations from the National Dialogue.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

Israel’s strike on an aid convoy by a US-based NGO in Gaza has triggered an international outcry: Seven people working for US-based NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), including six foreign nationals and a Palestinian, were killed in an Israeli air strike as they were delivering food aid in Gaza, the food charity said yesterday. The team was traveling “in a deconflicted zone” in vehicles branded with the charity’s logo and loaded with over 100 tons of food aid when they were hit. Those killed in the strike — which came “despite coordinating movements with the IDF” — included three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, and an American-Canadian dual citizen. WCK, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, has halted its operations in the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face starvation. (Reuters | Associated Press | Washington Post | The National | CNN | BBC)

** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

Net foreign liabilities in the banking system saw a 24% drop in February, down from January’s all-time high,thanks to fresh FX inflows from the Ras El Hekma agreement and the new wave of de-dollarization it has triggered.
The second tranche of our IMF package could arrive this summer: We are in line to receive the second USD 820 mn tranche under the IMF’s USD 8 bn loan program this summer after the fund completes its third review of the facility.
The auto market bounces back: Auto sales rebounded in February, recovering from the 10-month low recorded in January. Distributors sold some 7.4k units last month, up almost 20% m-o-m.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Look for a sunny day with a high of 32°C and a low of 17°C, according to our favorite weather app.

Google handed a lawsuit as a result of Chrome’s Incognito mode collecting user data

Incognito Mode hasn’t been as private as we all thought: In a recent legal settlement, Google has committed to scrubbing away “bns of data records” gathered from users in Chrome’s Incognito mode, tech journal Wired reports. The revelation sheds a glaring light on Chrome’s limitations when it comes to safeguarding user privacy.

Quick recap: One of the staple elements of Google Chrome browser since 2008, Incognito is branded as a web browser mode that doesn’t keep a record of the pages that its users visit. The so-called private browser has been facing a USD 5 bn lawsuit since 2020 for collecting private data that made it an “ unaccountable trove of information.”

The details: Data that Google hoarded on Incognito users will be deleted, including older “private-browsing data” as well as records it collected in December 2023 — but the full extent of the cleanup remains murky due to sealed documents.

More transparency from here on out? As part of the agreement, Google faces the imperative to revamp the Incognito mode experience. No more dancing around the issue — users will now be informed while using the browser that Google takes data from third-party websites “regardless of which browsing or browser mode you use,” and that “third-party sites and apps that integrate our services may still share information with Google.”

Other future safeguards: Google has also committed to blocking third-party cookies in Incognito mode for five years.

This show’s absurd premise makes for a light Ramadan viewing

📺 ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-
(all times CLT)

Go on a time-bending journey with Khaled Nour and His Son Nour Khaled: The show begins with nuclear engineer Khaled Nour (Karim Mahmoud Abdelaziz), whose life changes when he, his wife Ghada (Donia Maher), and son Nour (Chico), are exposed to an explosion at the nuclear reactor site where he works, and their son survives — or so it seems.

This is where it gets weird. Decades later, Nour runs into his father, to whom the explosion was only seven years ago. Discovering that not only are his parents alive and his age, but that his younger self is still in the picture, Khaled Nour and Nour Khaled embark on a journey to find an explanation. The series is directed by Mohamed Amin (Film Thaqafi,Leilit Suqoot Baghdad).

The chemistry between Chico and Abdelaziz is off the charts. Nour’s carefree happy-go-lucky personality and Khaled’s cynicism and frustration makes a hilarious juxtaposition, eliciting easy laughs through situational comedy. Ghada’s vapid personality that leaves her dependent on those around her puts her and her small family through the wringer.

What we didn’t like: The series can be long-winded at times, overworking certain aspects over several episodes. Since the series is only 15 episodes long, we would have liked the show to cover more events instead of dragging them out. But the show is a lighthearted watch that provides the comedy we were served by Ashghal Shaqa during the first half of Ramadan.

WHERE TO WATCH IT- You can find Khaled Nour and His Son Nour Khaled on Shahid or catch the trailer (watch trailer, runtime: 1:02).

Experience authentic Egyptian folklore with Sawt El Aseel.Rawabet Art Space is hosting the Ramadan Folklore Night today at 9pm. This musical project is a celebration of traditional music and folk songs through mawawil, retellings of rural love stories, and wedding songs. Reserve your spot here.

THIS WEEK-

Get in the Ramadan spirit with Fi El Leila El Kebira performed by Fabrica at Theatro Arkan tomorrow at 9pm. The musical performance is based on the beloved puppet masterpiece by Salah Jahin and Sayed Mekawy. Don’t miss out on all your favorite characters who are brought to life on stage through song. Grab your tickets here.

If you can’t make it to Rawabet you can still attend Fi El Leila El Kebira at Theatro Arkan tomorrow, starting from 9pm. Get your tickets here.

Witness some of the last remaining Zar practitioners in Egypt. Join the Mazaher ensemble tomorrow at Makan for a night of traditional spiritual poly-rhythmic drumming and vocals practiced from Upper Egypt. Note that taking photos and/or videos is prohibited during the performance.

COMING UP-

If you haven’t made Eid plans: Grab yourself some fast-selling tickets to Amr Diab’s Eid concert in El Gouna on Wednesday, 10 April.

Staying in C-Town? Usher in Eid at Cairo Jazz Club on Wednesday, April 10 to Friday, April 12 with party starters Andy Cheikho, Waley, and Zabadi Khalat. Egyptian Project, Rain-Na, A. Waleed, Zai, and Huss-in will be filling up the rest of the festivities. Message CJC to reserve a spot.

West-siders can join in on the fun at CJC 610. Abdelbaset Hamouda will kick off the festivities alongside DJ Saddam. Also being held from Wednesday, 10 April to Friday, 12 April, the CJC 610 stage will be hosting Sidd, Junior, Omar Sherif, Andy Cheikho, and Bakir & Anis.

Mark your calendars for AUC’s CultureFest. This event — held at AUC Tahrir from Wednesday, 17 April to Monday, 22 April — is a celebration of the Cairene spirit. Panel discussions about Cairo’s history, people, and evolving culture will kick off the festival, and will be accompanied by live music from Massar Egbari (tickets sold separately), a book bazaar, a local market, and art exhibitions. Register for the event here.

Amal Maher will perform at The Marquee Theatre at Cairo Festival City on Friday, 19 Aprilat 9pm. Tickets are available on Ticketsmarche.

You might see yourself in one of the stories. Everyone’s human and has their own problems to work through, but you’d be surprised how many other people can relate to your personal experiences. Hearing other people lay bare those troubles can make you feel heard and push you to reflect on your own experiences with your significant other.

Guests are diverse, and so are their problems. Each episode tackles a different topic, ranging from tough breakups to professional qualms to family conflict. Perel navigates these issues with her years of experience and gently talks guests through their struggles to hopefully emerge with some relief.

Don’t know where to start? Here are the episodes broken down into categories courtesy of the Cut, as of 10 July’s published catalog: There are the couples with fundamental differences, the couples who can’t stop fighting, the couples with family problems, the couples with intimacy issues, the non-monogamous couples, and couples who’ve dealt with one or both parties cheating.

You can listen onApple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

What the markets are doing on 2 April, 2024

The EGX30 fell 1.3% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 3.1 bn (38.1% below the 90-day average). Foreign investors were net buyers. The index is up 12.2% YTD.

In the green: Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals (+3.8%), AMOC (+2.8%), and Alexandria Containers and Cargo Handling (+2.8%).

In the red: GB Corp (-6.4%), Orascom Development Egypt (-4.8%), and E-finance (-4.5%).

Meet Dina El Sabban, founder of Mawlay Experience

OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Dina El Sabban (LinkedIn), founder and CEO of Mawlay Experience.

My name is Dina El Sabban and I’m the CEO and founder of Mawlay Experience. It’s a project that ties together Egypt’s culture, heritage, and cuisine every Ramadan in the form of an iftar and suhoor dining experience at historical sites around the country. This year, Mawlay is being hosted in four locations: Abdeen Palace in Downtown, Qubba and Tahra Palaces in Heliopolis, and Haramlek Palace in Montaza, Alexandria.

This all started because I love food. I trained to be a chef in Lyon, at the Paul BocuseInstitute on a program that also incorporated management and operations. You typically needed at least three or four years of experience in culinary school to be on that course — and I was definitely the one with the fewest culinary skills and qualifications in the cohort when I started off at that time — but the dean would tell me that I had the raw talent.

Later on in France, I worked at two Michelin-starred restaurants to pick up more techniques: The first was a two Michelin-star restaurant, the second was a three Michelin-star restaurant owned by Paul Bucose himself. Back at home in Egypt, I worked at the Four Seasons for a while.

Mawlay was the first initiative to open up certain historical sites to the public. The Cairo Citadel, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Abdeen Palace, Al Qubba…some of these sites might have only hosted one-off events for high-level officials before, but Mawlay opened up a market for dining experiences and tours to be hosted in sites like these.

Travel is one of my biggest passions in life. I’ve been to 74 countries so far, and I want to have traveled to every country in the world by the end of my life. I love to try new cuisines and get a taste for both local street food and haute cuisine alike.

The idea for Mawlay came up four years ago during the pandemic. Traveling abroad wasn’t possible and I was traveling to the Western Desert. On the way — it was around a 10-hour journey — we stopped so many times on the way to try local food and it struck me how unique and distinct each of the local products were as we progressed on the journey. I met two women on the way who had heard about my work and some informal food pop-ups I used to run for friends and family, and they encouraged me to start a formal dining experience.

Growing up, my father would take us to a lot of historical landmarks in Cairo. Weekends weren’t for going to the sports club or the mall. We’d go to heritage sites and learn about them. My family has a company that works in restoration for furniture manufacturing, design, and heritage. I think this is one reason I was so keen to host Mawlay in historical venues.

The first night of Mawlay was the opening of the Royal Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in 2021. My uncle had mentioned that there would be a parade of the mummies, but I didn’t realize how big it would be at the time. I thought, why not do something like a Night at the Museum? I pitched the idea to the Culture Ministry, but they instantly refused it. “Are you crazy? We’re not going to open a museum for you,” they said. But I persisted with them, and it eventually worked, and that was the first iteration of Mawlay.

What did I give up to get to where I am? My physical health took a big toll in the month before and during Ramadan because of the stress and sleepless nights. I like to do my best on every element of the project, and I don’t leave anything to chance.

The best part of the job is customer feedback. When people tell me, “Wow, what you’ve done here is amazing,” and when they appreciate the efforts that have gone into smaller details, like the napkin, or the sous-plat [underplate], for example. On the flip side, the worst part is when you put a lot of effort into a particular aspect, and it unfortunately doesn’t go as planned, and of course, when we receive a complaint.

I look out for genuine excitement when selecting people to join the team. I need to see that candidates are keen to perform and have a real appreciation for this project. My close management team is actually my brother and sister — my best friends.

The one piece of advice I’d give to other entrepreneurs is: Persist. Many people will tell you that you can’t do it. I got rejected so many times before I got to where I am, and there are so many contracts that were made and then unraveled. I’d tell others, don’t take no for an answer.

What I’m most excited for this year? I’m excited to host at Haramlek Palace in Alexandria. It elicits a certain nostalgia: We’ve all seen the palace, we know it, but none of us have ever been inside. It’s completely new for me, and it’s not easy for people to just visit easily. It’s special going as a team all together and staying there for four or five days in the hotel.

What’s next? I’d love to take Mawlay outside of Egypt — that’s the long-term goal.

ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

APRIL

2 April (Tuesday): Folkloric Night at Rawabet Art Space.

2 April (Tuesday): Selection of Egyptian Music at Noir.

3 April (Wednesday): Fi El Leila El Kebira performance at Theatro Arkan.

3 April (Wednesday): Mazaher at Makan.

3 April (Wednesday): Karim Zidan concert at Elsawy Culturewheel.

4 April (Thursday): Sarah Morgan performance at The Drive.

4 April (Thursday): Red Sea Heritage Musical performance at ROOM Garden City.

4 April (Thursday): Qahrawya’s Iftour in Desert of the Mamluks.

5 April (Friday): Sufi dance performance at Dawar Arts.

5 April (Friday): Barzakh concert at Studio Nasibian Theater.

5 April (Friday): Amar Al Din musical performance by Al Warsha band at Bibliothek Egypt.

5 April (Friday): Iftar at Wadi Degla with VAMOS.

5 April (Friday): Evodia performance at The Drive.

5 April (Friday): Sea Iftar with Soul Travel.

5 April (Friday): Botanical Walk of Maadi with Cairo Guide.

5-6 April (Friday-Saturday): Mevlevi Night at Royal Park.

6 April (Saturday): Sufi singing with Mostafa Mohalel at ROOM New Cairo.

6 April (Saturday): Kayan concert at Elsawy Culturewheel.

6 April (Saturday): Palm Shadow Iftar in Dahshour with Soul Travel.

6 April (Saturday): TeqFest 2024 at AUC New Cairo.

9 April (Tuesday): Eid El Fitr (TBC).

10 April (Wednesday): Amr Diab concert at Cubix El Gouna.

10 April (Wednesday): Eid @ CJC at Cairo Jazz Club.

10 April (Wednesday): Eid @ 610 at Cairo Jazz Club 610.

11 April (Thursday): Oscar and the Wolf concert at the Pyramids.

11 April (Thursday): Om Kalthoum puppet theater performance at Elsawy Culturewheel.

11 April (Thursday): CAIROPATHIX concert at ROOM Garden City.

12 April (Friday): El Masryyeen the Tale concert at ROOM New Cairo.

12 April (Friday): Amr Hassan concert at Elsawy Culturewheel.

13 April (Saturday): Hilarity Heights standup comedy show at ROOM Garden City.

13 April (Saturday): Ambisa Festival at Elsawy Culturewheel.

17-22 April (Wednesday-Monday): CultureFest 2024 at AUC Tahrir.

18 April (Thursday): Massar Egbari x AUC Tahrir CultureFest at AUC Tahrir Square.

19 April (Friday): Amal Maher at The Marquee Theatre.

19 April (Friday): Keinmusik at the Giza Pyramids by Panorama 2.

20 April-June 8 (Saturday-Saturday): Sketching Course at Art Square Academy.

23-24 April (Tuesday-Wednesday): Omar Khairat concert at Cairo Opera House.

24 April (Wednesday): Philosophy Café by Bab Initiative.

25 April (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Sinai Liberation Day (TBC).

25-27 April (Thursday-Saturday): Insomnia Egypt Gaming Festival at the International Exhibitions Center.

27 April (Saturday): Women’s Take a Break meetup by Bab Initiative.

29 April (Monday): Writing Club by Bab Initiative.

30 April-5 May (Tuesday-Sunday): Next Level International Summer Camp.

MAY

1 May (Wednesday): National holiday in observance of Labor Day (TBC).

3 May (Friday): Youth to Business (Y2B) event at The GrEEK Campus.

5 May (Sunday): Coptic Easter.

6 May (Monday): Sham El Nessim (TBC).

23-25 May (Thursday-Saturday): The Design Show at Cairo International Conventions Center.

24 Mary (Friday): The Glow Run by The TriFactory at Palm Hills Sports Club.

25 May (Saturday): Techne Summit at the Cairo International Stadium.

JUNE

15-19 June (Saturday-Wednesday): Eid El Adha (TBC).

30 June (Sunday): June 30 Revolution Day (TBC).

JULY

7 July (Sunday): National holiday in observance of Islamic New Year (TBC).

23 July (Tuesday): Revolution Day (TBC).

SEPTEMBER

15 September (Sunday): National holiday in observance of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

OCTOBER

6 October (Sunday): Armed Forces Day.

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2023: The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Q1 2024: Opening of the newly developed Pyramids Plateau in Giza.

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THIS EVENING: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is sworn in for a third term in the new administrative capital

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Google handed a lawsuit as a result of Chrome’s Incognito mode collecting user data

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What the markets are doing on 2 April, 2024

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Meet Dina El Sabban, founder of Mawlay Experience

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ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

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