Egypt brings new cultural potpourri to India

The recent political furore in Egypt has paved the way for a new cultural development, says country's envoy.

"We don't consider that as a crisis. A culturally developed Egypt is coming up which will be led by the younger generation of the country," said Khalid El Bakly, Ambassador of Egypt in India while inaugurating the Egyptian Cultural Week in India.

"There is a revolution in the country which has set a new parliament, constitution and a language. This language can be comprehended by the youth of the country and it has become a melting pot like India," he said.

The cultural extravaganza began with a dance performance which depicted the legacy of Queen Cleopatra by a deaf dance theatre company. The 12-member dance group performed the number by feeling the vibration of the musical instruments.

Choreographed by Reda Abdel Aziz, the six-year-old troupe has always took inspiration from their society and is also planning to prepare a piece on Hosni Mubarak.

Presented by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the evening also saw a contemporary jazz performance by a six-member jazz group. Their music saw a fusion of many Indian instruments like flute and tambourine.

"Culturally we have many similarities. We also use a lot of Indian instruments in our music and like Indians, Egyptians also respect their tradition," El Bakly added. The Egyptian Culture Week in India will end tomorrow.