Rawãya: The Water Women

Bambah Qadin, once a princess, a widow, a grieving mother, then a water woman. She built Sabil Umm ‘Abbas in memory of her son, ‘Abbas Hilmi I, who was killed by two of his slaves in 1854.

Clara Brown, Aunt Clara as she was known, once a slave, a mother, a free woman, then a water woman. She started her business, a laundromat, when she settled in a small town after a long journey searching for her children who were sold into slavery. And as her business grew she was able to help so many slaves establish themselves.

Listen to the stories of these water women at our audiovisual performance ‘Rawãya: The Water Women’, where the world-renowned storytellers Chirine El Ansary and Donna Bryson will virtually share their thoughts on influential women from their respective home countries; exceptional historical figures who in the nineteenth century – oceans and continents apart – fought for women’s empowerment and were able to leave a positive imprint on their communities.

This is a public event.

Language: English and Arabic.

The performance will be held in Sabil Umm ‘Abbas from June 3rd – 5th, 2021.Each night will have 6 repetitions of the same performance, half an hour each, taking place between 5 and 8 PM. This way, you will be able to experience the performance in groups of 8 in this large structure allowing for safe social measures. Please note that there could be a waiting time depending on the number of people who are already inside the place.

About the project

Rawãya is a project that brings together Donna Bryson, an American storyteller, and Chirine el-Ansar, an Egyptian storyteller, in a unique collaboration to develop a joint audiovisual performance in the historical building of Sabil Um Abbas in the heart of Historic Cairo.
This performance do not require the physical presence of either performer in the space, but it’s rather a short audio-visual performance prepared and performed by them.
In this Communities Connecting Heritage (CCH) funded project, Athar Lina is working with female artists to provide al-Khalifa’s community with a unique cultural and artistic experience while opening the Sabil for community use and engagement.

About Chirine el-Ansary

Chirine el-Ansary is an Egyptian storyteller who has been working with Megawra for the past 8 years on developing storytelling performances inspired by the heritage of al-Khalifa and its oral history. In addition to her work with Megawra Chirine el-Ansary has participated in many international festivals, taught several workshops in Egypt, France, Lebanon, and Syria. She is a PhD candidate at Goldsmith College in London.

About Donna Bryson

Donna Bryson was born in Florida, grew up in California, earned bachelor’s and master’s from Northwestern University in Illinois, and has reported from four continents. She is currently a journalist living in Colorado with her husband and daughter. Bryson’s work has been published by, among others, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Beast, Equal Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, The New York Times, Stars and Stripes, VICE, and The Wall Street Journal.