Cairo has always been known for its ‘ahwas’ or coffeeshops, where one can enjoy the sheesha, play backgammon and watch the world go by. From the Fishawi café which is said to have been frequented by the Nobel Laurete Naguib Mahfouz, to those that are part of an international chain, Cairo has it all. Amidst this abundance, there are a few that have positioned themselves as promoting creativity with coffee.
Art Café was started in the year 2002 by Hoda with the aim of providing a space where art and craft could be done in very pleasant surroundings. She started with a small room in the garden of her grandfather’s villa in Maadi and today the Art Cafe extends to cover almost the entire garden, with plans afoot to set up in 6th of October city as well as New Cairo.
Hoda admits that the idea of providing refreshments was an afterthought. The caffeine kick is known to inspire creativity and camaraderie-the perfect ingredients to create that masterpiece. Jewellery making, decoupage, patchwork, candle making, photography and even cooking can be indulged in to unleash the creative side of you. Drop-ins can take jewellery classes, wood-work and other art classes. Also, recently the walls of the enclosed space at the Art Café, display paintings, collage and photography work by budding artists. Not all of them are for sale though, as some of the exhibitors are only looking for critique on their work.
Hoda had been inspired to start the Art Café by a ceramic cafe that she frequented in Dubai with her children-much like the Il Penello Café that has three locations in Cairo. Maher Boghdady opened the first outlet in 2004 in Heliopolis and has already expanded to cover Mohandisseen and Maadi with plans have more than 20 oulets in the next five years.
Boghdady, in turn, was inspired by the success of paint-your-own pottery concept in the American markets and decided to introduce a similar model in Cairo to provide for ‘constructive distractions.’
This café offers a ceramic experience with a chance to paint your own pottery and to create that perfect piece to be displayed on the mantle in your living room or as a gift for your valentine. One can choose from the wide range of earthenware designs available at the café; there are flower vases, toy cars, candle holders, figurines soap dishes and many more. Paints, paintbrushes and aprons are all provided by the café. The staff will put your “masterpiece” in a kiln and the glazed pottery will be ready to take home after five days. The warm interiors of the Il Penello are very inviting and their menu has Italian coffees, pastas, sandwiches as well as a breakfast menu.
Borghady had sought to provide an alternative to the done-to-death and completely non-productive cafe scene, accented by smoking sheesha and gazing at large television screens.
Echoing Borghady, Amgad Emam went into business with ‘Da Club’, that opened its doors a couple of months back. “A home away from home” is how he describes his venture in Heliopolis. The sheesha and television sets are conspicuous by their absence at this new leisure space and have been replaced by canvas, chess sets and books. Emam has designated five recreation corners at Da Club – a reading corner, chess corner, an art space, kids section and craft section. The interiors have been artistically and thoughtfully done up. The wall of the chess corner has been done up with black and white cloth draped to resemble the chessboard. Comfortable lounging chairs as well as a rocking chair complete the reading corner, with books provided by the Al Balad bookstore in downtown. The lanterns hanging from the ceiling are all hand crafted by Emam and he will help you to make one for your home with the supplies available in the craft corner. The artworks by some of the patrons adorn the wall of the art section and Emam has plans to hold bi-annual exhibition of the work done at the DA Club.
“All the people think that a cafe is sheesha and television and lots of people making noise and this is the mindset that I hope to change,” says Emam, while elaborating on the reasons for starting Da Club. He readily admits that this is going to be a big challenge but insists that he has already received positive feedback with people appreciating the chance to spend their leisure time in a much more constructive manner.
Kunst Gallery in tree-line alley in downtown has been on the scene for the last year and is aimed at “presenting an art gallery, a cafe and a bookstore altogether under the same roof.” The Ethos Cafe in Maadi displays work by local artists on its walls and the customers are encouraged to put up their artwork on the board that is covered with photos and sketches.
On a similar note, the Arabica Cafe in Zamalek provides sketch pens and paper to doodle, while waiting for the food to arrive. And if your squiggles and scribbles resemble art, then your work will be immortalised on its walls.
The meaning of leisure and what to do in the leisure time is slowly but definitely undergoing a change; every minute of the idleness needs to be accounted for. These concept cafes are like a breath of fresh air on the otherwise lacklustre recreation scene.
But then again, is it not that the luxury to do ‘nothing’ with your time the kind of stuff that dreams are made of in these busy times?
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