Egyptian-British Sculptor Sam Shendi from the Nile to the Thames

Sculptor Sam Shendi has firmly established himself as an artist to watch on the global art radar. Now a resident in London, Shendi has garnered a following of collectors and art aficionados across the world. We caught up with him during a recent visit to Cairo. 

CWM: As a young artist from a small Egyptian Delta town, did your dreams ever extend to the success you have realized internationally?

SS: As a young artist, I never thought that a career in art would be in my future. It’s very difficult for a young artist to make a living immediately after graduation in any country in the world.

Have you found it easier to gain recognition for your work since moving to the UK? What was your springboard?

It has been a very tough journey for me, especially at the beginning of my move to the UK. The international art platform always searches for artists with a distinct identity. So, it was important for me to discover myself before introducing my work to the art world.

After ten years, I found identity in my work and created an initial body of work; only then could I present myself as an independent artist and only then did I start to be recognized.

The journey wasn’t easy and it was important for me to try hard and to fail in order to understand who I am and what I want to do.

How would you describe the development of your distinctive style, what served as your initial inspiration?

My work is my visual diary, inspired by my own experience and observing the experience of others around me. This has allowed me to understand the similarities between us and has made it easier for me to be inspired by my own life.

What are your thoughts on the local art scene in Egypt, do you see it progressing and offering better opportunities for up-and-coming artists?

The Egyptian art scene is no different from any art scene around the world. However, I think the art movement has progressed a lot since I left Egypt, it has achieved something that the whole world has begun to recognize; that talent is important regardless of being art-educated or not.

Museums and galleries here have started opening their arms to talented artists who are self -taught and this is one of the most amazing opportunities for young artists to allow themselves to shine in the Egyptian art world.

They are accepted and allowed to have a platform that will support them and encourage them and this is something fantastic to see and observe at the moment in Egypt.

What are your plans, personally and creatively for the coming couple of years?

I’m an artist with many styles and I believe every idea comes with its own form, and shape. I hope that I will be able to share my thoughts and my philosophy with other Egyptian artists and inspire others to believe that your identity and your authenticity is your mark, whichever country and time you are living in.

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Ahmed Magdy: The Multi-faceted Star of Curfew

Actor, director, photographer, musician and dancer, Ahmed Magdy exudes artistic creativity on many levels. His prolific output belies his relative youth, with his recent role in Amir Ramses’s Curfew garnering a lot of praise.

Our heart-to-heart chat with him revealed his thoughts on the film, and the world he moves in.

CW: As a man who wears several hats, where does your heart lie more strongly? Acting or directing?

AM: I like directing more because it gives more room for creativity. A director is responsible for so many factors in a film; the acting, picture, sound, music, and the editing. All of that makes directors luckier as artists, because they get to have many tools to work with and express themselves through several art mediums.

Acting is more limited, but in the world we live in, it gives actors fame, more work, and they take credit for their work easier and faster. Besides, it makes me very happy when I work with good directors and follow their directions, it stimulates the actor within me and excites me very much.

So I can’t really give you a definitive answer about which one I like more, but it actually seems like two sides of the same coin, I have both in my personality. All arts are beautiful, and cinema is beautiful, I love everything about it, I mean it makes me very happy when I hold a boom pole as an assistant sound engineer, or when I help with the décor, so the whole process is magical.

Does your directing background influence the way you prepare for an acting role?

Actually, what influences the way I prepare for my roles is more my acting experience, I mean theory and experience, but the director within doesn’t influence me at all while preparing. It might influence me sometimes if I felt that there’s something wrong or that there’s another option that might add something.

It’s more like a general vision or a small detail and I rarely get those kinds of thoughts or even express them, and when I do, they are sometimes taken into consideration and sometimes not.

What can you tell us about your character in Curfew?

First, I really enjoyed working with the cast and crew. They are all special, sophisticated and beautiful on the artistic level. Second, the character I’m playing is a kind and peaceable husband, and I was thinking about the word ‘peaceable’ the whole time in my approach to this character.

He’s loving, welcoming, open-hearted, and sensitive and whatnot. He might be quirky sometimes, not the smartest, he’s a little bit of a nerd. As for his appearance, I actually liked Amir as a character in general, along with his glasses and the way he talks, so I wanted to get a little closer to Amir and do something nice for him by wearing his glasses on the day I was trying on the costume.

Do you feel that it is easy for young actors to become typecast? How can they break out of that mold?

Yes, of course. It is very easy for young actors, male or female, to become typecast, and that has been happening in performing arts historically. There has always been this lazy industry that tries to remake successful things but make them a little bigger, smarter, and more fashionable.

They don’t have the will to take real risks and give artists space to really express themselves. So the way to break out of it is methodical and simple, but it has many steps that need to be followed, like staying away from trends that focus only on appearance and taste, just because it’s the general taste or actors’ tastes, especially in this industry.

I mean there are always these stages that are similar when everyone performs the same, dresses the same, talks the same, or even reads the same scripts. It’s always important to find your own way and voice, and embrace how you look like, your character and your background.

Is there any director, local or international that you would jump at a chance to work with?

Yes, of course. I would love to just meet them, not only work with them. So, it’s actually a very long list that I can’t restrict to a few names, but I still consider myself at the start of my career.

Yes, I’ve been acting for a while now, but I feel that I still have more energy to discover things in this world. I have more desire to learn and to be more open to working with, not only the good local and international directors that I like, but also the new and young directors who make new and different cinema.

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Francisco: American Favorites in Almaza

We visited Francisco for great American cuisine in Almaza on a quiet Sunday evening, eager to try the American cuisine. The menu had exciting new items we’d never seen before, and were quite keen to try!

By Mariam Elhamy

Signature Dishes & Dishes Sampled

The signatures are the Grand Florida Burger and Shrimp Gratin. We were lucky to have someone recommend dishes for us since the menu has a huge variety of items. We started with the Potato Wedges and Sweet Potatoes, which did not disappoint. The potatoes were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a herby and mildly spicy cheese dip.

For the main course, we opted for the signature Grand Florida Burger, which is HUGE! A hearty, filling, house-made Angus beef burger. The buns were a bit tough but the toppings of beef bacon, onion marmalade and arugula more than made up for it.

Next came Andy’s B.B.Q Grilled Chicken with pecan and peach chutney. We could not be happier with the outcome of this dish, the pecan and peach chutney was the star of the whole dish. We then decided to give the Grilled Steak a try.

We like our steak well done so that’s how it came and again, the sauce took this dish to a whole other place. It was a mix of beef bacon slices and sweet caramelized onions. The sides for all main dishes are mashed potatoes and charcoal-grilled vegetables.

We had to try one of the gratin dishes, so we went for the chicken gratin. Even though it said “hot” on the menu, ours was very mildly spicy. This saucy dish included chicken, potato cubes and vegetable slices, topped with a perfectly golden layer of cheese, making a nice balance of sweet, salty and spicy flavors. The portion was large and it came with white rice on the side.

To end the meal on a sweet note we went for the nice summery Raspberry and Strawberry Cheesecake and the Chocolate Fondue Cake, which had a very rich chocolaty middle. We washed it all down with a Chocolate Coffee Milkshake and a Blueberry Milkshake.

Other Menu Options that Appealed & Beverages Available

On another visit, we would love to go for the breakfast menu. The beverages menu had a full hot coffee and tea selection. Milkshakes, smoothies, ice tea, cocktails, fresh juices and soft drinks are also on offer.

Décor & Ambiance

Velvet pale pastel seating arrangements of blues and pinks pervade in this contemporary space, a wood-paneled ceiling creates warmth and intimacy. A virtual fireplace can be spotted in the background, adding to the cozy vibe.

Flat screens play matches or movies, but the sound isn’t too high for those who just want to have a meal in a relaxed setting.

Social Distancing and Hygiene Standards: We only saw hand sanitizers on each table but we didn’t spot any of the staff members wearing masks.

Clientele Mix: Friends coming in for a chat or to watch a match.

Price Range: Reasonably priced.

Contact information:

Address: 131 Omar Ibn El-Khattab, Almaza, Heliopolis

Tel: 0111 706 6669

Opening hours: 10 to 12 am

Facebook: francisco.egypt

Instagram: franciscorestaurant.eg

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Crave’s Beef Fillet Recipe to Satisfy the Carnivore Within

We all agree that nothing like meat could satisfy the carnivore within so for carnivores and meat lovers, this easy recipe by Crave can be prepared by anyone in the family in just 3 steps!

Beef Fillet with Three Sauces (pepper, mushroom, and blue cheese)

Step 1. Beef Marinade

  1. The day before, or at least a few hours before cooking, put the fillet into a sealable sandwich bag.
  2. Pour 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into the bag, then add 2 heaped teaspoons of French mustard.
  3. Pick and finely chop 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, then add to the bag, along with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it, then spend a few minutes really massaging all the flavors into the meat. Leave in the fridge for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

Step 2. Grilling the Steak

  1. About 1½ hours before you’re ready to cook, remove the steak from the fridge and place in a cool corner of the kitchen to slowly come up to room temperature.
  2. Heat your grill to high, brush the steaks on both sides with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the steaks and cook until golden brown and slightly charred for 4 to 5 minutes.
  4. Turn the steaks over and continue to grill 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (an internal temperature of 57oC), 5 to 7 minutes for medium (an internal temperature of 60oC) or 8 to 10 mins for medium-well (65oC)

Step 3. Sauce Preparation

  • Pepper Sauce:
    • In the same pan, add a tablespoon of vinegar and simmer rapidly for 1 minute.
    • Add beef broth/stock, and simmer rapidly until it reduces by half.
    • Stir through cream and crushed peppercorns. Serve over steak!
  • Mushroom Sauce
    • In the same pan melt a large knob of butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and leisurely cook until golden brown for about 4 to 5 minutes.
    • Just before they’re done add a tablespoon of minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook until garlic is golden.
    • Add broth, cream and grated Parmesan. Stir then lower heat to medium.
    • Stir occasionally and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens. Serve over steak!
  • Blue Cheese Sauce
    • Blend together blue cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, garlic clove, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, ground mustard powder, and salt.
    • Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes for flavors to blend
    • Serve over steak and garnish with additional crumbled blue cheese!

More recipes by Crave

The Sage Experience: High-End Dining Mobile Restaurant

The Sage Experience is an immersive, visceral dining adventure, one that takes you on an elegant, quality gastronomic ride for gourmet steak cuts and complementing sides. It is a mobile restaurant concept born out of a fiery passion for all things steak, and a market demand to be pampered and served after months of quarantining; conceived, managed and operated by partners Amr Barghash and Ahmed Meligy.

The Sage Experience unfolds in an outdoor space in someone’s private home. An entire set-up is efficiently laid out shortly before eating time, it entails a mobile kitchen, dining set up (table and chairs), dinnerware, cutlery, drinking glasses, and even mood-lighting. Each element is meticulously chosen, each one an integral part of the final ambiance.

In this hassle-free dining experience, the hosts themselves are guests, and the inside of their house is entirely undisturbed. On this particular early fall evening, the stars were aligned, the breeze subtle and the bellies primed.

Self-sufficient in every way, The Sage Experience provides a set menu, served by a stealth-like staff who are light on their feet, all ex-employees of high-end F&B outlets, so you’re in safe hands.

Signature Dishes & Dishes sampled

The entire set menu has garnered quite a reputation. Let’s just jump to it and say that the steak offerings on that one blissful evening were the best meat sampled by any of the 14 dining guests who accompanied us on this truly exhilarating palate party.

Our evening began with Beef Tartar and Beef Tataki crostinis, Sage Fries, and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad. Needless to say, the tender beef starters melted in our mouths and set the bar really high for the rest of the evening, a bar that continued to rise as we sampled dish after dish of culinary perfection.

As the evening went on, the air charged with a nice chillout beat and the lively chatter of dinner guests, our taste buds were treated to sliced Beef Tataki that dissolved on our tongues, cooked medium rare right before our eyes on a flaming grill, as well as a young Angus Rib Eye cooked rare and served with Chimichurri sauce, and a powerful sliced Tomahawk served with the richly flavorful bone on the side.

The Sage Experience will challenge you to step out of your steak comfort zone and try new cuts and new levels of doneness you may not have the courage to order at a restaurant.

Each impeccable cut had a perfectly charred crust and was a melt-in-your-mouth delight, we relished the natural, earthy meat flavors released by flame grilling.

Sauces subtly complemented rather than overwhelmed. Slices of supple tenderloin roast cooked medium also graced our table, served with a delicate truffle sauce that once again did not overpower the inherent flavor of the meat.

A Truffle Pasta made its way on to our plates somewhere between all the meat perfection, cooked flawlessly al dente, with that unmistakable deeply earthy, nutty, truffle aroma. A simple dish with an intense flavor profile.

The Meat Used

Co-partner, Amr Barghash has long been a meat aficionado, skilled at sourcing special meat cuts and perfectly cooking each one in the manner that enhances it the most. As such, we were treated to the highest quality cuts found anywhere in Egypt: tenderloins, Argentinian Angus ribeye, South African young Angus ribeye, and Tomahawk.

Beverages Available

Hosts and guests are welcome to bring their own beverages or spirits and the waiting staff will serve.

Décor & Ambiance

The Sage Experience dining set-up will put you in a Cote D’Azure frame-of-mind. Think of it as boho-glam: a wood table big enough to seat 15 people, white-canvas director chairs, charming string of light bulbs, and mix-and-match dinnerware arranged in a pattern.

Social Distancing and Hygiene Standards: The waiting staff and chefs are all wearing masks and gloves.

Price Range: High-end but well worth it for the amount of meat you’re being served, the impeccable cooking skills, and the prime quality cuts.

Worthy of Note: A minimum head-count of 15 people is required to book, as well as a garden or a yard. Staff do not require to enter the host’s house to use the kitchen or any of the host’s serving or dinning-ware

Contact information:

Tel: +2 0115 695 6555

Instagram: @thesagexperience

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Diwan November Reads for Fall 2020

Check out this November’s Diwan book recommendations about traveling, leaving your comfort zone, power, war and culture.

1. Half

by Sherif Loutfi

Half is a call to forge your own route in life by abandoning fear, pushing boundaries, staying in the moment and embracing change.

Sherif Loutfi invites us to follow in his footsteps and go on an adventure. He shows us that by expanding our geographical horizons, we can connect with the most inner depths of our being.

This read will inspire you to leave your comfort zone, create your own path, discover unknown territories, and meet people from all walks of life. You will know you reached your destination when you encounter your second half, welcome it to the surface and rejoice in the blissful union of both halves.

2. The Room Where It Happened

by John Bolton

As President Trump’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton spent many of his 453 days in the room during the Trump presidency. The result is a White House memoir that is the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration, and one of the few to date by a top-level official.

With almost daily access to the President, John Bolton has produced a precise rendering of his days in and around the Oval Office. What Bolton saw astonished him: A President for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation.

3. The Art of War

by Sun Tzu

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (5th century BC) by military strategist Sun Tzu. It remains the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare and has influenced both Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, lifestyles and beyond.

The idea is knowing when to fight and when not to fight, avoiding what is strong and striking at what is weak, knowing how to deceive the enemy by appearing weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

4. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century 

by Yuval Noah Harari

21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today’s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever.

Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive.diwan

More book recommendations

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How Men Can Keep Their Heart Health in Check

Of the most common health problems faced by men are heart-related issues. In this month’s article, Tabibi will give you tips on always being on top of any underlying heart issues.

With age, the health of a man’s cardiovascular health becomes a high priority. According to Tabibi’s Specialist Dr. Karim Mashhur, males should regularly check their heart functions, a service Tabibi provides, through its clinics or home visits.

What To Do

Moreover, it is essential to have and maintain a healthy lifestyle to preserve heart function in the face of aging by staying at a healthy weight and being physically active, a nutritious diet should keep cholesterol levels in check.

While staying active reduces stress and prevents any unhealthy behaviors that come with stress like smoking and stress-eating. Besides preserving your heart’s health, keeping a balanced diet and exercising regularly keeps your blood pressure levels in check.

Maintaining a healthy heart comes down to six factors; exercise, body weight, diet, stress, cholesterol, and blood pressure. According to many studies, people who take these six points seriously have a 90% lower chance of developing heart diseases.

Having a family history of heart problems can be problematic, and that is why no matter how young or old, it’s important to understand that heart disease is a lifestyle disease and could be easily avoided if the right measures are taken.

Tabibi’s specialists are ready to give you a heart check-up if you need and if you have any questions, call 16724 to book an appointment.

If you are feeling any pain or tightness in your chest, make sure to seek immediate help.

Men’s Hair Loss: Indications and Treatments from the Experts

This article was brought to you by Tabibi 24/7, Cairo’s leading Family Medicine & Pediatrics group practice. Tabibi operates 24/7 and offers its services at the comfort of your own home or in one of its clinics.
 
For more information, call 16724 or visit  www.tabibi247.com

AUC Bookstores: Migrant Dreams: Egyptian Workers in the Gulf States

Social and cultural anthropologist, Samuli Schielke delves deep into the lives of migrant workers in Migrant Dreams: Egyptian Workers in the Gulf States (AUC Press, 2020). Schielke works as a senior researcher at Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin.

You say that “working in the Gulf for money is a moral, spiritual condition, and imagination is a scarce resource.”

This book is all about the moral projects people need money for, and about dreams that are not free. I think that the economy, morality, and our hopes and dreams are not autonomous realms.

They often reproduce each other, and when that happens, it becomes a very powerful and compelling process, where people both want to, and have to, participate.

 

What is the biggest hardship migrant workers in the Gulf face? Monotonous job, meager salary, poor accommodation, sponsorship policy, lack of legal recourse, unpaid salaries, racism . . . ?

I wouldn’t know how to separate these hardships. They add up together to a powerful system of exploitation in which people are compelled to continue working for profits that are meager but nevertheless better than packing up and going home.

A more paradoxical hardship is that, especially when people do manage to make some profit out of their work, it becomes more difficult to return home, and they end up staying for one more year, and then another and another.

You state that “Egypt is a migrant nation.” What is the long-term effect of migration on Egyptian society?

I don’t know yet what the long-term effect of this will be. But already now we can see that migration has created families and communities that exist across distances, between villages and cities, and between Egypt and countries abroad, and long-term absences and a degree of estrangement have become prevalent features of people’s lives.

Overall, it has given conservative and identitarian movements new strength while at the same time distancing people from traditional ways of life. Egypt, after the first forty years of international mass migration, has become a society that is overall very conservative but no longer traditional.

Migrant workers by law are not allowed to settle permanently in the Gulf. If they were though, would that change anything with regards to their financial security and social mobility?

It would be a major improvement. Then many people would settle permanently in the Gulf and make it their home — at least those with higher incomes who could afford to rent apartments and pay for schooling.

And they would make political claims and want to be recognized as citizens with equal rights and obligations, as do migrants and their descendants in Europe and North America. Which is why the Gulf monarchies do not want to allow it.

If there were more economic opportunities for young Egyptians here in Egypt would fewer workers migrate to the Gulf?

As long as there is a large income gap between Egypt and the Gulf, there will be large-scale migration. Egypt also has a very high rate of population growth, and it is difficult to create jobs for so many more people coming of age every year.

However, more opportunities in Egypt would definitely mean that the pressure to migrate would be less strong than it is today.

More book reviews here

Lucca: Alfresco Poolside Brunch at Royal Maxim Kempinski

Drawing on Tuscan cuisine, with some time-honored family dishes from Sardinian-born, Chef Giovanni Seu, ‘Dolce Vita’ Friday brunch at Lucca is an indulgent and memorable celebration of the best of Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. 

Signature Dishes & Dishes Sampled

Their signatures are the antipasti, pizza, pasta. And the bread is not to be missed. We ensconced ourselves at a comfortable table overlooking the pool as soon as we arrived, appetites primed and ready after having walked past the incredible display of antipasti and decadent desserts. The serving staff was eager to help us select our antipasti, and truth be told, there were very few items that we didn’t have space to sample.

The Vitello Tonnato was finely sliced, faintly pink and accented with the traditional accompaniment of tuna, capers and anchovies. Tender and melt-in-the-mouth, we could have happily gone back for more. But there were too many other tastes to explore, so we pressed on with Octopus salad, Bresaola salad with Parmesan and Ruccola, cold stuffed tomatoes, onion marmalade, stuffed zucchini and grilled marinated peppers with anchovies (both recipes handed down for generations by the family of Sardinian-born chef Giovanni Seu), and an embarrassingly large plate of assorted bread.

That was nearly our downfall; we loved the focaccia, the onion and pepper rolls, the intriguing black bread, made with squid ink, little cheese croissants and freshly baked rolls. We barely had time to catch our breath before a wooden platter of piping hot pizza landed before us, to be quickly joined by arancini balls, fragrant and full of fluffy rice. Both totally authentic, they whisked us back to Italian holidays from earlier times.

We ventured on to try succulent grilled salmon, grilled chicken breast, fillet of beef on skewers, juicy grilled shrimp and perfectly cooked seas bass. Everything looked, smelled and tasted divine, and we were challenged to find space for the flavor-packed Lasagna and Eggplant Parmigiana that filled the last spot on an already crowded table. We took things slowly, savoring every bite, and enjoyed the atmosphere before approaching the dessert display.

Should we hang our heads in shame? But we had to sample everything; it would have been a sin not to. The prettiest macarons, the most mouthwatering tiramisu, the richest chocolate ganache cake, the most sublime truffles. Ah… this is what a perfect brunch should be about.

Other Menu Options that Appealed & Beverages

The Friday brunch offers such a huge array of dishes that it is the ultimate tasting experience. We would go back in a heartbeat and do it all over again. It offers cold and hot beverages and a fully-fledged bar.

Décor & Ambiance

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the hotel overlooking the patio and pool. On our visit the seating was on the outdoor terrace, with hot food stations set up to make selection easy.

The antipasti, salads and desserts were in the cool air-conditioned interior of the restaurant, artistically displayed and tempting to the eye. The vibe was lively, with music pumping out in the background, although maybe a little too enthusiastically at times for our ears.

Social Distancing & Hygiene Standards

The service staff and management were in smart uniforms and wore matching masks. Very chic, hygienic and it set us at ease.

Tables were well spaced, cutlery was clean and cellophane wrapped, along with serviettes, and hand sanitizers were on each table. We felt completely relaxed, so job well done Lucca!

Clientele mix: Hotel guests, family groups, couples. Both ex-pats and locals.

Price range:  Excellent value, with a local beverage package option available as well.

Contact information:

Brunch opening hours: 1 pm to 7 pm.

Address: Royal Maxim Palace Hotel – Kempinski New Cairo.

Tel: 02 224 95300 / 0109 711 1151

Facebook: @kempinskiroyalmaxim

Instagram: @kempinskiroyalmaxim

More on Lucca at Royal Maxim Kempinski

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