Street entertainers, I thought, were a thing of the past. The magicians who performed on sidewalks were an old phenomenon, a disappearing act. A recent documentary directed by Ahmed Abou Zeid, “El Hawy (The Magician), however, has said the magic words and breathed new life into a dying art.
The documentary, which was screened at Al-Kotob Khan bookshop in Maadi, related the story of three individuals, from different age groups and circumstances who decided to become street entertainers.
For anyone who has never seen a street entertainer in real life, the documentary shows performers traveling around town in search of an audience to impress with their tricks. Breathing fire, jumping through a wheel that is set alight, or eating pieces of glass are part of their repertoire. They perform their daredevil antics in the hope of entertaining audiences, and perhaps making them reach for their wallets.
Abou Zeid’s documentary opens with a close-up of one of the tricks performed by street entertainers, where the entertainer lies on a bed of nails while another man walks over his body.
The documentary follows three families who make street performing their lives. One character is a husband who was convinced to adopt street magic as a means for earning a living by his wife’s family who work in the trade. They persuaded him to take up magic and give up his job as a petty thief.
The second story is about a child who was fascinated by the magic in the shows and asked some people who work in the business to teach him how to do the tricks.
The third, and final, story depicts a whole family who has been performing for generations.
The movie portrays a lot of passion, the kind of passion we lack in our daily lives. Abou Zeid manages to portray the entertainers’ love for their art. While the entertainers are not selling a product or service, and their jobs may not seem of value to society, their life stories are inspiring. So much so that it makes us feel that their art is a significant contribution, even in a small way.
The looks in the eyes of Abou Zeid s main characters, full of energy and motivation, was amazing. Unlike most of us who work in seemingly more important jobs ¬- the kind that keep society functioning – these street performers believe that their contributions are unique. This dedication moves them to pass on the craft to the younger generation to so that the business can persevere.
