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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Opera on the Nile
By Rehab SaadOn 1 June, a one-hour opera titled Blessed Be Egypt My People will be performed at the Church of Saint Mary in Maadi, the point at which the Holy Family embarked on its journey to Upper Egypt.
"We are celebrating the completion of the first phase of the project for the commemoration of the route taken by the Holy Family on their flight into Egypt," said Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui at a press conference announcing the opera. "I believe this new project is one of our most important."
Composer Mohamed Nouh, who is directing the performance, said it consists of 11 scenes that tell the story of the Holy Family's journey. Included in the production are the birth of Jesus Christ in Palestine, the persecution of the family by the Romans, their flight to Egypt and their journey in this country which started at Farama in northern Sinai and continued until Al-Moharraq Monastery in Assiut in southern Egypt.
In addition to recounting the Holy Family's journey, the opera, according to Nouh, highlights the role of the Egyptian people in welcoming and protecting the family from the Romans both inside and outside of Egypt.
Considerable thought and effort has gone into both the content of the performance and its form. While the music, according to Nouh, is "typically Egyptian," the libretto is in ancient Coptic. Dr Kamal Farid, a professor of the language, translated the lyrics into the language prevalent in Egypt at the time of the Holy Family's journey.
Designed to be performed outdoors, the production attempts to create an ambiance that evokes the actual setting in which the events took place. "The audience will have their backs to the church. They will face the Nile where the performance will take place. For the backdrop, we chose an area where there is not a single modern building; no light posts, nothing but palm trees. We want people to feel they are back in the third century AD," Nouh said.
Ancient, though, need not be dull. Given the magnitude of the story, the opera's producers are no doubt eager to make it visually sumptuous. Laser lighting, water screens and even fireworks that illuminate feluccas sailing on the Nile are incorporated into the production.
Mohamed Salmawi, the creator of the opera, spoke about the challenges of developing a dramatic production depicting an event about which the main facts are known, but for which detailed information is scarce. "The Bible says the Holy Family came to Egypt but it did not say how long they stayed nor exactly where they went. This needed research. We found this information on a papyrus now housed in Cologne, Germany, which relates that the family stayed for four years along with details about their experiences, adventures, their pursuit by the Romans and the friendliness of Egyptians towards them," he said.
Two other sources that Salmawi consulted extensively were a book written by the 23rd Coptic pope, who headed the church centuries ago, as well as a book prepared by the Ministry of Tourism with assistance from Pope Shenouda III, the current pope of the Coptic Church.
The first part of the Holy Family's route -- from Farama to Old Cairo -- is being developed by the Ministry of Tourism while the work on the other phases will be carried out by the National Egyptian Heritage Revival Association, a private organisation which includes among its members Muslim and Coptic businessmen, intellectuals and professionals.
