The hustle and bustle of Cairo in the twenties… The nightlife in the Egyptian capital as you have never seen it before

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The nightlife scene in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, was among the most distinguished around the world, during the 1920s, especially since Egypt was a meeting point for many different peoples and cultures, from Sudanese to Hungarian.

Cairo was distinguished by its “cabaret” nightclubs, the lively atmosphere, the music, and the characters who graced the stage with their elegant looks.

Associate Professor of Arabic at the University of “Durham” in the United Kingdom, Dr. Raphael Cormac, described himself as a lover of nightlife.

During his study of the Egyptian theater, and reading the works of many writers such as Farah Antoun, Taha Hussein, and Tawfiq al-Hakim, Cormac said, “Arab culture has a story that the West knows nothing about,” adding: “I can tell a completely different story about the Middle East that centers around fun, and entertainment, and creativity instead of war.”

Cormack showcases Cairo nightlife like you’ve never seen it before in his book Midnight in Cairo: the Divas of Egypt’s roaring ’20s.

Nightlife like you’ve never seen it before

“Usually the history of multinational Egypt has focused on the European communities in Alexandria, but in Cairo, there was a huge cosmopolitan Arabic-speaking community, particularly in the nightlife scene,” Cormack explained.

He noted, “You could hear a mix of Arabic, French, and English, and many people speaking other languages ​​gathered in the nightclubs and bars.”

In his book, Cormac sheds light on female entertainment workers, given that women were “incredibly central to nightlife during that period,” according to what he said.

Women used to appear on the facades of clubs, and supervise their own theatrical groups. Female singers and dancers attracted the crowd.

These figures included Rose al-Youssef, who was born in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in the late 19th century.

Despite her humble background, El Youssef worked her way through the Cairo nightlife scene, where she became one of the most prominent actresses of the late 2000s.

During the peak of her career, Al-Youssef stopped acting to launch an artistic, cultural, and political magazine bearing her name, which still exists today.

In the book, one of the author’s favorite photographs shows a poster of a star named Tawheeda who was dancing in a nightclub owned by her Greek husband in Azbekiya.

“When her husband passed away, Tawheeda took over the club and continued to perform for several decades, well into her old age,” Cormack said. “The look of confidence emanating from her (pictured) sums up much of this period.”

Stylish interface with a dark side

This period of time fascinated people for many reasons, including the sense of possibility.

“It wasn’t perfect,” Cormack explained, “but for people in Egypt during the 1920s, things looked like they could change and get better. For women in particular, the prospects were very visible.”

Although this life seemed very splendid and luxurious, it was not easy, especially when it came to the women who did not succeed in this field, and the forgotten women.

During this period, the feminist movement made a lot of progress with women participating in public life more than ever before, but they faced many challenges.

“For the dancers, singers, and actresses, there were dangers coming from all sides, both from conservative men who believed women should not reveal themselves on stage, and men who saw these women as open to their unwanted sexual and physical advances,” Cormack said. with it”.

Cormac said, “More than one dancer was killed during this period, including Imtisal Fawzy.”

The writer believed that the female artists of that period paved the way for other women in the Egyptian entertainment industry today, but he said: “This does not mean that things are easy for female artists today. In many ways, we are still fighting the same battles that women started in the twenties.”