In the dusty courtyard of a youth centre in an Upper Egyptian village, children sit in uneven rows on the ground.
An elderly man, leaning on his wooden cane, watches from a distance.
There are no velvet curtains or plush red seats typical of Cairo’s grand opera houses, but as the music begins and the actors enter, this austere place transforms into a stage.
The scene is the frontline of the “Confrontation and Touring Theatre” initiative, a government-led programme designed to bypass urban cultural hubs and bring the arts directly to Egypt’s most remote villages.
Launched in 2018 jointly by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the initiative operates under the umbrella of the Haya Karima(Dignified Life) framework.
It mainly aims to achieve cultural justice and spread awareness, Ministry of Social Solidarity officials said.
“It seeks to do this by presenting high-quality artistic performances for free in villages covered by the Haya Karima initiative across Egypt,” NermineMansour, director-general of the Elderly Care Department in the Social Solidarity Ministry told The Egyptian Gazette.
Since its inception, the project has evolved into a key state tool for building public awareness.
In 2024, the Confrontation and Touring Theatreinitiative made impact in 140 villages. It has developed an ambitious plan to benefit around 1 million people across 20 governorates in the 2025/2026 cycle.
To achieve this goal, the initiative cements cooperation between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Culture.
Haya Karima has played an effective role in supporting the expansion of the initiative by providing cultural infrastructure, facilitating access to villages and remote areas, and securing venues for performances in youth centres and upgraded palaces of culture.
In lending support to the initiative, Haya Karimaenables the spread of purposeful art and cultural awareness among rural communities, with the end goal of achieving cultural justice, specialists say.
“Haya Karima provides platforms and venues for the performances, including youth centres, public squares, and cultural palaces,” Mansour said.
“It also improves road networks and comprehensive village development across 20 governorates,” she added.
She noted that these actions eased the transport of stage equipment and theatre troupes to underserved communities in different parts of Egypt.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, HayaKarima organized awareness campaigns to encourage people to attend performances, ensuring wide engagement, particularly in Qena, Damietta, and other governorates, according to Mansour.
“This collaboration has helped deliver cultural messages to thousands of citizens in villages and rural communities, creating a significant impact in spreading awareness and meaningful art,” she said.
The programmes of the initiative are a cornerstone of Egypt’s soft power strategy, intended to build national awareness and strengthen the Egyptian identity, counter extremist ideologies and misinformation, and foster social cohesion in marginalised areas, the Ministry of Culture says.
In Upper Egyptian governorates, such as Luxor and Aswan, storytelling musical acts like “Al-Simsimiya”, which extolls the heroism of the popular resistance against foreign occupation, have been used to tackle complex social issues.
Mansour said such acts focus on social issues,fighting extremism, and correcting misconceptions, aligning with Haya Karima’s goals.
She noted that the selection of the areas where performances are made under the initiative is based on specific criteria, mainly focusing on remote villages and areas included in rural development initiatives.
The initiative, she added, wants to give children in different regions access to such a distinguished cultural content.
“The themes of the performances are carefully selected to match the needs of different communities,” Mansour said.
Mansour referred to challenges on the road to giving people in rural areas access to the initiative.
Most of the villages, she said, had no theatres or properly equipped performance venues.
“This was why we had to use mobile theatre techniques and relied on public squares and youth centres as alternatives,” she said.
She also cited difficulties facing the transport of stage equipment and actors to remote areas, especially due to rough roads.
“We designed flexible, easy-to-assemble sets and coordinated with local authorities to provide necessary equipment and support,” Mansourexplained.
Most difficult still was how the people taking the initiative to such remote areas would deal with the conservative nature of the people living in these areas.
Mansour said this was far from easy.
“We presented meaningful performances that respect cultural heritage, while addressing social issues in a refined artistic manner,” Mansour said.
“We also conducted field promotional campaigns before performances, involving local community leaders to encourage people to attend,” she added.
