The US Chargé d’affaires Evyenia Sidereas spoke about the role of Egyptian Women on International Women’s Day at the SheArts graduation performance, which took place on March 8 at the Grand Egyptian Museum.
At the beginning of her speech, Sidereas said, “Thanks so much for joining us today to celebrate International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s accomplishments in all fields. It’s such a special honour to be here at the Grand Egyptian Museum, one of the most beautiful spaces in Egypt. It’s honoured to join you here this evening and lend my voice to the celebration. I assure you, I’ll leave the singing to our talented artists, who are about to grace the stage with their inspired vocals and an awe-inspiring musical arrangement. But I want to take a few moments to speak about why this initiative is so important to my colleagues and I at the US Embassy in Cairo”.
Sidereas further explained that women do so much for Egypt and have proudly taken the lead at critical junctures in Egyptian history. Still, too often, the door is closed to women seeking a career in music or seeking a career in the arts.
“Because of this, we have been delighted to witness this partnership between the Nvak Foundation and SheArts to provide a pivotal platform for the promising Egyptian graduates of the Musheqa program. I never knew this, but I learned from my colleagues that Om Kalthoum’s father used to dress her in disguise so she could perform on stage with her brother and the men as part of their musical ensemble. This is a remarkable origin story for the woman who would one day sell more than 80 million records and become a global icon, not just an Egyptian star, but a global icon. And yet, despite Oum Kalthoum’s legacy, access to the Egyptian stage remains out of reach for many talented female performers,” Sidereas added.
In response, the partnership between Nevak and SheArts is about breaking glass ceilings and building a solid foundation upon which women artists can thrive.
The US Chargé d’affaires said that the 40 women who performed on the stage and Tablet El-Set represent the passion and positivity she has seen captured in so many faces in this room.
Sidereas said that the US government is committed to partnering with the Egyptian government to promote inclusive economic growth, reduce gender disparities, and empower women in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.
“For example, we work with both the Egyptian government and the private sector and local communities to improve the work environment for women, expand access to banking and non-banking financial services, and reduce the socio-economic impacts of violence against women and girls. As one of our speakers noted this evening, we’re looking for ways to expand our ability to do this work in the informal and formal economies across Egypt. We provide scholarships to talented women from underserved communities across Egypt to study fields contributing to sustained economic growth and development in Egypt’s best universities.”
The US government also supports female entrepreneurs through partnerships with business incubators and accelerators, entrepreneurship networks, and business development service centres to provide women with the skills, resources, and networks they need to start and scale up their businesses.
