Female drummers find a beat in Cairo
A duo of young Egyptian women are drumming their way across Cairo and hope to spread their art among other aspiring female musicians.
Two young Egyptian drummers are defying their country's social norms and taboos by taking part in an art form that has scarcely been practiced by women and is usually associated with belly dancing.
Donia Sami and Rania Omar started the first female drumming band in Egypt to challenge Egyptian society's stereotypes and encourage more Egyptian women to take up their art.
“Art is for everyone,” Donia, 21, told Al-Monitor. “Playing any instrument is a right of every woman on earth, especially if she is passionate about it,” added the young drummer, who began to play at the age of 16 and is also studying acting and directing.
In Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, banging on drums has usually been associated with men rather than women, and performances by female drummers are seen by conservative societies as abnormal and shameful. Some people also believe that women cannot be drummers because the art requires physical strength, stamina and endurance.
