تغييرات

==Context==  

==Context==  

Upper Egypt is known to be one of the most marginalized and alienated parts of Egypt. Egypt’s centralized model of development, have made the Upper Egypt (aṣ-Ṣaʿīd) people amongst the country’s poor with the least developed public services (health, education, culture etc.).  

Upper Egypt is known to be one of the most marginalized and alienated parts of Egypt. Egypt’s centralized model of development, have made the Upper Egypt (aṣ-Ṣaʿīd) people amongst the country’s poor with the least developed public services (health, education, culture etc.).  

Society at large in Upper Egypt, and especially women and youth, suffer from marginalization and exclusion. This feeling is further exacerbated by the dominant conservative social norms and culture which is drawn around hard gender lines, and little tolerance and acceptability of difference. Girls and boys face restrictions on their abilities to self-expression and self-exploration. Youth and women, specifically those working in art business face social pressure and stigmatization.  

Society at large in Upper Egypt, and especially women and youth, suffer from marginalization and exclusion. This feeling is further exacerbated by the dominant conservative social norms and culture which is drawn around hard gender lines, and little tolerance and acceptability of difference. Girls and boys face restrictions on their abilities to self-expression and self-exploration. Youth and women, specifically those working in art business face social pressure and stigmatization.  

Art and culture policies, like their sister economic policies, also suffer the same centralization, which makes Upper Egypt marginalized on the cultural level. This translates in little to no public support to local art initiatives and projects.  

Art and culture policies, like their sister economic policies, also suffer the same centralization, which makes Upper Egypt marginalized on the cultural level. This translates in little to no public support to local art initiatives and projects.  

On the ecological level, Egypt in general and Upper Egypt in specific have increasingly moved towards a service and rentier based economy. Over the last decades’ increased reliance on tourism, coupled with the absence of a comprehensive and sustainable environmental policies have damaged the environment. This is very clear in the case of Luxor, for example, which has historically relied heavily on agriculture for its livelihood. The dramatic shift from a society of producers to a society of consumers, i.e from agriculture to tourism, joined with the quasi absence of local environmental contingency plan based on sustainability, proved very expensive on an environmental and human levels. This has been translated into a surge in the Nile river pollution levels, a crisis in solid waste management, and the transformation of agriculture lands into lands at the service of rent developers.  

On the ecological level, Egypt in general and Upper Egypt in specific have increasingly moved towards a service and rentier based economy. Over the last decades’ increased reliance on tourism, coupled with the absence of a comprehensive and sustainable environmental policies have damaged the environment. This is very clear in the case of Luxor, for example, which has historically relied heavily on agriculture for its livelihood. The dramatic shift from a society of producers to a society of consumers, i.e from agriculture to tourism, joined with the quasi absence of local environmental contingency plan based on sustainability, proved very expensive on an environmental and human levels. This has been translated into a surge in the Nile river pollution levels, a crisis in solid waste management, and the transformation of agriculture lands into lands at the service of rent developers.  

One of the major stumbling blocks to environmental sustainability in Egypt, alongside the absence of environmentally just policies, is the country’s educational system, which fosters only rote learning. This translates into low public environmental awareness and engagement.

One of the major stumbling blocks to environmental sustainability in Egypt, alongside the absence of environmentally just policies, is the country’s educational system, which fosters only rote learning. This translates into low public environmental awareness and engagement.

==Rationale for the Proposed Project==

==Rationale for the Proposed Project==

In the low-income community in Luxor, children face marginalization as a result to their mere belonging to Upper Egypt; a part of the country that has been among the most alienated from most of development efforts in Egypt. To this, the children in Luxor, and in Upper Egypt face a subpar education, where art is marginalized and treated as secondary at best. Moreover, the uproar of children, especially girls, in a conservative environment that draws hard gender lines around social expectations and gender expressions (such as the one dominant in Upper Egypt) restricts children’s abilities for self-expression and self-exploration.  

In the low-income community in Luxor, children face marginalization as a result to their mere belonging to Upper Egypt; a part of the country that has been among the most alienated from most of development efforts in Egypt. To this, the children in Luxor, and in Upper Egypt face a subpar education, where art is marginalized and treated as secondary at best. Moreover, the uproar of children, especially girls, in a conservative environment that draws hard gender lines around social expectations and gender expressions (such as the one dominant in Upper Egypt) restricts children’s abilities for self-expression and self-exploration.  

Our project provides a model for bringing arts closely to those marginalized children. By making music available to one of the most vulnerable groups in society, children and girls in specific will be provided with an opportunity to discover their voices in a safe space for creative self-expression that will allow them to claim and enjoy their cultural rights and to promote a culture of freedom, diversity and steadfastness.

Our project provides a model for bringing arts closely to those marginalized children. By making music available to one of the most vulnerable groups in society, children and girls in specific will be provided with an opportunity to discover their voices in a safe space for creative self-expression that will allow them to claim and enjoy their cultural rights and to promote a culture of freedom, diversity and steadfastness.

In the long term this opportunity will help children to foster perseverance, discover courage to initiate personal and collective change, to increase their levels of confidence, articulation abilities, creative capabilities and to foster curiosity to learning.

In the long term this opportunity will help children to foster perseverance, discover courage to initiate personal and collective change, to increase their levels of confidence, articulation abilities, creative capabilities and to foster curiosity to learning.

Children, who will be playing and producing music with these instruments made by recycling garbage, will also be delivering a strong environmental message to the community and stakeholders. By turning trash into art, children will be able to inspire alternative waste policies, habits and practices. Through the program music will be used as a tool to advance environmental sustainability, and creative waste management as a mean to empower marginalized children.

Children, who will be playing and producing music with these instruments made by recycling garbage, will also be delivering a strong environmental message to the community and stakeholders. By turning trash into art, children will be able to inspire alternative waste policies, habits and practices. Through the program music will be used as a tool to advance environmental sustainability, and creative waste management as a mean to empower marginalized children.