For the very first time, young hip-hop artists from Germany, France, Turkey and Egypt are gathering in Alexandria to prepare joint performances in the name of rebuilding bridges between people across Europe and the Mediterranean Region. This week, twenty-three hip-hop artists will convene in Egypt to take part in the project “Hip-Hop Connection”, a new initiative aimed at using culture and music to give a voice to young people in the Region and build trust between people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

‘Les Gourmets’ of France, ‘Ayben’ of Turkey, ‘Berlin Allstars’ of Germany, ‘Y-Crew’ and ‘Wighit Nazar’ of Egypt are all well-established youth music groups in their respective countries, although the initiative represents the first opportunity for them to come together through a series of workshops and joint performances, to share their diverse experience and create new musical works together.

The programme will culminate in a major cultural event on the evening of Friday 18th June, to be hosted at the historic Villa Antoniadis Gardens in Alexandria, allowing civil society groups and the public at large to experience a unique international performance of this innovative art form and to be part of an important gathering celebrating diversity in the city and wider Region.

The pioneering programme has been launched by a consortium of Alexandria-based cultural institutions including the headquarters of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, the Goethe-Institut and the French Cultural Centre , and carried out with the support of a range of supporters including the Franco-German ‘Elysée Fund’, the Turkish Consulate and the Delegation to the European Union based in Cairo. Following the public event of the 18th , the artists will travel to Cairo where they will perform at the Sawy Cultural Wheel, Centre, before returning home to their countries with the aim to multiply the impact of their new collaborations and joint initiatives and engage more young people to get involved in cultural work in favour of Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation.

Invitation to Hip Hop Connection Alexandria 18 June 2010 07:00 PM Villa Antoniadis Gardens Albert Elawal str., Canal el Mahmoudiya - Alexandria Free Admission To download the poster of the event click here To download the leaflet of the bands click here Visit our website: http://www.euromedalex.org/summernights2010