1st edition of Dandara Festival to bear the name of Abnoudy

CAIRO – 18 February 2020: Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem approved the activities of the first edition of Dandara Festival of Music and Singing that is scheduled to run from February 27 to March 3 at Qena Governorate.

This comes as President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi declared 2020 as the year of culture. The first edition will bear the name of the late great poet Abdel Rahman el-Abnoudy.

The festival is held in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Qena Governorate and South Valley University, Cairo Opera House headed by Magdy Saber, the General Organization of Culture Palaces headed by Ahmed Awwad and the Tourism Promotion Authority.

Abdel Dayem said that delivering the creative product to Upper Egypt aims to reshape awareness, rebuild the human capabilities, and promote public taste to implement the goals of the sustainable development plans by promoting valuable art and fighting vulgarity.

She added that the first Dandara Music and Singing Festival in Qena Governorate is an extension of the artistic and cultural activities held in Upper Egypt to confront intolerance and promote public taste.

It is noteworthy that the program of the festival includes 10 different concerts in six days for various Egyptian superstars, including Black Tema Ensemble, Medhat Saleh, West El Balad Ensemble, Ali al-Hajjar, Mai Farouk, Luxor folkloric troupe, Marimba player Nessma Abdel Aziz, Dina al-Wedidi, Hisham Abbas, and Massar Egbary Ensemble. The activities will be held in Dandara Temple, Qena Culture Palace and South Valley University.