Characters of Egypt is a festival held in Egypt that connects the different tribes and ethnicities of Egypt together. It started when the elders of some tribes sat together one evening near Marsa Alam to discuss the issues that the many tribes and communities were facing. The most common of all issues was the lack of judicial and fairly-applied law. With communities so close and interrelated it was really difficult to judge any case fairly. This led the elders to come to a decision, wherein a new system was adopted. Under this new system, an impartial judge was sent from one tribe to another to solve cases and ensure free and fair justice for everyone.
Characters of Egypt thus are the biggest annual cultural festival in the country which is aimed at fulfilling the goal of tribal togetherness and justice. The event is organized on a large scale and invites tribes from all over Egypt, the Nile Valley, the Sinai Peninsula, and more. It aims to help the diverse tribes get connected while exposing them to each others' unique cultures. Also, the local and foreign tourists get to learn about each others' music, dance, poetry, sports, and education and attend tribal meetings which give them an insight into these tribes of Egypt and how they can work together for a better future.
The event is held once every year for three days. It was founded and managed by Fustat Wadi El Gemal, who manages the eco-lodge, the venue where Characters of Egypt takes place every year. There are many volunteers who help in making the event a success. It was Gemal who decided along with a group of people of putting the initiative together of traveling around Egypt for eight months, meeting the different tribes, and convincing them to participate in this event. The festival aimed at making people of different tribes realizes they all share common worries and grievances, which can be resolved or at least lessened only by coming together.
The festival’s objective is to create awareness about the cultural differences that are present between the many groups residing in Egypt as well as the similarities. This diversity is celebrated and understood by the display of indigenous practices, cuisines, beliefs, music, sports, arts, clothes, tradition, and communication. There are many exhibitions held during the festival to showcase this diversity in a detailed way for tourists too that come to attend this festival from far-off places. Characters of Egypt try to take proactive steps and measures which can help in the betterment of the economic situation for the inhabitants of the many tribes including a campaign to promote tourism.
The three-day festival of the Characters of Egypt gives visitors the chance to attend a cultural feast that you won't find anywhere else. There are many sporting events, musical events where tribes perform their traditional music using traditional instruments, and many more fun activities such as sessions on water conservation, green tourism, storytelling, poetry, and a chance to see open tribal meetings.
Tribal Egypt
Altogether Egypt is home to 45 tribes comprising around 300,000 people. They live a nomadic life and have a diversified range in terms of customs, language, and more. Every tribe has a contact person who helps in gathering groups of people participating in development, sports, law, and culture. The experience is truly an amazing one to help anyone get close to the culture.
