Tracing the Smoke
A short scene from the documentary exploring Middle Eastern cafe culture shot in Cairo, Egypt –– from Jan-May, 2004.
Shisha culture is exploding in Cairo, breaking down barriers of nationality, social-economic strata and gender. To Egyptians the Shisha represents a truly Arabic symbol of the values and wisdom of the past and the collective desires for recognition in the present and respect in the future. Exhaling the thick dark smoke from the Shisha generates a metaphorical barrier to the onslaught of westernized products and culture. In Shisha culture the cigarette represents the selfish individualism of the West in contrast to the Shisha a symbol of the Islamic values of family, community and clan.
" Cigarettes are for nervous people, competitive people, people on the run […] When you smoke a naghrile (shisha), you have time to think. It teaches you patience and tolerance, and gives you an appreciation of good company.”
–– Ismet Ertep, 71 years old
Attending a literary salon hosted by
Smoking Shisha in a Cairo Cafe
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