The Egyptian band Ana Masry celebrated its fourth birthday on Saturday with a concert at Darb 1718 dubbed, ‘Songs with an Egyptian dialect, face and colour’.

The event went ahead despite the unrest in downtown Cairo.

“We are not forgetting what’s currently taking place in downtown…. We provide our support through music,” said an Ana Masry member.

At noon the stage was set and groups of young people began to take their positions in front of the stage.

Among the participating bands and musicians was Jazz guitarist Kareem Hossam Hosny from the Foo’ El-Sotoh band (On the Roof), who said it was “an honour to have played at this event.”

Dina El-Wadidi, a young Egyptian singer and musician, who became famous after the Egyptian uprising, played for the crowd as the sun was setting.

She sang in a pure voice and blended traditional mawaweel music with rock and jazz. The audience listened quietly, lounging on beanbags as she sang and cheering when she used political lyrics such as ikhla’a ba’a (Leave Now). “You know who I’m talking to,” she added with a giggle.

Her new song Asko Le Men (To Whom Shall I Complain), which mixes Egyptian mawal with Latin tunes, delighted the crowd.

Ana Masry closed the show with a collection of songs about Egyptian society tinged with its own brand of political mockery, such as Belady (Our Nation), Hetetna (Our Area), Lessa Bashar (Still Human), and Elhakouna (Help Us).

The band also incorporated Christian hymns and Sufi chanting into its modern repertoire. 

Mohamed Khaled, an audience member, said “It was a great day and I thank Ana Masry.”

Performers at the event included Malaleem Band (Cheap Band), Transistor Band, Uss we Laz2 (Cut and Glow), Ta2feel Masry (Egyptian Packaging), Foo2 El Sotou7 (On the Roof), and 3lama Band (The Sign Band).