Hey there,

We know the weather is getting cooler, and as the saying goes, the winter blues are starting to settle in. While we aim to keep this newsletter light-hearted during life’s already tense moments, we also want it to carry a bit of depth and a touch of poetry for the days when you need to sit with your grief and reflect on what it means to simply be human.

As Brazilian author Clarice Lispector once wrote, “Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?”

Also, Egyptian Streets has officially opened Early Access for people based outside of Egypt to its first ever limited-edition merchandise collection, created in collaboration with four independent Egyptian artists whose work brings everyday Egypt to life in original, meaningful ways.

We hope you enjoy reading!

Warm regards,

Mirna Abdulaal

The time and effort behind this newsletter come from the Egyptian Streets team of independent, grassroots journalists. By subscribing for just USD 1.66 per month (EGP 80), or as little as USD 0.84 per month (EGP 40) for students (paid annually), you’re directly supporting the creation of content like this and helping sustain independent media in Egypt.

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Spotlight

^{Meet Maged Ehab}

Great design starts with the courage to say no to mediocrity and the willingness to experiment, to discover new ways of expressing emotions, cultures, and people. Often, the way we see cultures is shaped by what we’ve been taught, but a truly remarkable designer challenges these stereotypes, and brings a fresh, imaginative perspective. Maged Ehab, an Egyptian designer, does exactly this: he interprets Egypt through his own vision, revealing a world beyond familiar narratives; a world only he can design and share. Discover his work here.

Speaking to Egyptian Streets, Maged shared more about his cultural picks and work below:

How did you develop your own style over time?

It’s all about my childhood, when I started using pen and brush at the age of six. My grandfather was an artist, a painter, who spent 25 years of his life creating art in Milan, Italy. He decided to teach me everything during my childhood, so I grew up surrounded by our family’s art techniques. But I also had a special passion of my own: calligraphy. I was drawing letters everywhere, all the time, until 2018, when I turned professional and began my career.

Are there certain habits or rituals that help you find inspiration?

Sure, there are many habits and rituals that inspire me. Reading always feeds my knowledge and sparks most of my poster ideas, especially since I often read about mythology, crime, and spirituality, which really fuels my imagination. And coffee, yes, it might sound a little strange, but every blend gives me a different kind of inspiration for my art. Meditation is another one of my special secrets that nurtures my creative process.

⁠How does Egypt influence your work?

This is a very timely question, haha! I’m already preparing a new collection of posters inspired by our Egyptian mythology. I’m really obsessed with Egyptian culture, including our modern street culture, and I always get a lot of inspiration from it!

Why do you love highlighting calligraphy in particular?

I was born and raised with a deep love for Arabic lettering and a passion for discovering Islamic art. From a technical perspective, I’ve always believed that calligraphy and typography are among the hardest skills any designer can master, and mastering them can take your career to the next level of professionalism.

⁠Is there a particular project that you want to highlight?

Honestly, every artwork I create feels special to me, and I love the sense of growth I get after completing each poster. But I have a particular fondness for my latest piece, because it feels like it represents the next level of my artistic journey.

Merch Drop

^{Limited-Edition Merch Drop}

Egyptian Streets has officially opened Early Access for people based outside of Egypt to its first ever limited-edition merchandise collection, created in collaboration with four independent Egyptian artists whose work brings everyday Egypt to life in original, meaningful ways.

The Early Access window is currently available for global audiences only. A dedicated Egypt-based launch will follow soon, with local pricing and production being finalized to ensure affordability and availability inside Egypt.

This collection is more than apparel. Each piece carries stories that feel familiar. The humor we inherit. The sayings our parents repeat. The street scenes we pass without thinking. The warmth and chaos that shape us.

Read more here.

Feature

^{A Meditation on Grief}

Grief can reshape memory. After the loss of a loved one, memory becomes a way to re-live one’s life, to trace its arc from start to finish. And in revisiting it, new memories surface, ones that reshape your understanding of who you are and how you have lived.

My Brother, My Brother (Short 2025), an autofiction animation by Egyptian twin filmmakers Abdelrahman and Saad Dnewar, is a meditation on loss, not as an endpoint, but as a threshold to healing. In a way, the film suggests that we carry the people we lose much like the womb once carried us, held within, shaping us from the inside, just as a child grows within a mother’s body.

Read the article here.

^{Grieving with Purpose}

“Do we mourn, or do we not?”

This question stayed with Faisal Abuzour long after he lost contact with his grandmother and aunt in Gaza. Few people are afforded the space to sit with their grief, to gather their thoughts, or to process loss without interruption. Often, grief behaves like an uninvited guest, lingering and waiting to be acknowledged, unsure if it will ever be asked to leave.

Although grief isn’t something experts or institutions typically quantify, there is a growing interest in understanding how this single, powerful emotion shapes public behavior. It can influence whether people take to the streets, how they respond to calls for action, and even their capacity to organize into broader social movements.

Read the article here.

What to Read

^{The Stream of Life}

If there’s one writer who can capture grief and emotion without ever feeling the slightest bit artificial, it’s Clarice Lispector. Reading her feels like stepping into an endless stream of consciousness, as if you’re brushing up against eternity through a single word or sentence, because somehow even one word can hold the entire sky in its meaning and depth. It’s remarkable how powerful language can be, and for so many writers, the only way to make sense of grief is to write their emotions into the world.

Read more here.

What to Listen to

^{High Highs to Low Lows}

Shifting from high highs to low lows is something all of us can understand, and that’s exactly what makes French-Algerian singer Lolo Zouaï’s music resonate so deeply. She captures the emotional landscape of her generation without overcomplicating it or turning it into something dramatic. Her song is a simple, honest reflection on the hope of achieving success — in life or in a career — only to realize that those high highs were really just setting the stage for the lows that follow.

Listen here.

What to Watch

^{Top Chef}

Top Chef is BACK, finally. The best thing about cooking competitions is how they make all of us feel like we somehow know more than the chefs, right up until a challenge appears and you realize cooking is absolutely not for everyone. These tasks are tougher than some real work deadlines. But the real joy is in rooting for the chefs, learning their stories, and then following their journeys on social media. Fun fact: Chef Mostafa Seif, now at Khufu’s and known for his incredibly creative dishes, was once a Top Chef winner.

Watch it in Egypt here and in the US here

What to Drink

^{Pink Latte}

Just when we thought our coffee obsession had finally peaked, Dancing Goat Coffee goes ahead and takes it up a notch with a pink latte, and honestly, we can’t wait to add it to our growing list of obsessions. Yes, we’re already in love purely because of the color, but also because our stomachs could probably use more nutrients from berries, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. It might sound like an unexpected mix, but it’s definitely worth a try.

Find out more here.

What to Visit

^{Fatma Said}

If you missed her breathtaking performance at the Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening, consider this your second chance. Fatma Said’s mesmerizing voice, joined by conductor Nader Abbassi, is returning to the museum’s Pyramids View Theatre. Expect to drift, dissolve, and get completely lost in her enchanting vocals while taking in the stunning architecture of this majestic space. Honestly, this is exactly the kind of date you take your new girlfriend to.

Find out more here.

Saudi Spotlight

Saudi Feast Food Festival

Visitors can expect a diverse program that goes far beyond food stalls. The festival’s Competition Zone will host live cooking battles, where amateur and professional chefs alike demonstrate their skills. Meanwhile, the Culinary Arts Heritage Zone showcases the roots of Saudi cuisine, highlighting regional influences, age-old cooking techniques, and the stories behind traditional dishes.

Read more here.