(Photo from I am Cairo)
By Fatma Ibrahim
I Am Cairo Radio online radio station, broadcasted from Plan B lounge in Heliopolis, launched last Thursday offering different musical genres 24 hours each day in addition to radio programming featuring live interviews and special performances.
Luuk Waardt, the online station’s founder, explained what kind of topics the channel would tackle. “We are interested in talking about Cairo, the city itself with all its contrasts. Politics is not our field of interest at all,” he said. “It is not about what is going on now; it is about how we can make Cairo better,” added Emma Farid, host of the radio programme Roadshow.
Farid’s show features live interviews and special appearances by DJs and performing artists. Roadshow will initially be broadcasted two times from Mohandessin and Heliopolis, then transition into a daily programme after Ramadan.
“The overall atmosphere in Egypt is not very pleasant at the moment, and we will try our best to change that. To begin with, we will be focusing on young people’s positive initiatives and contributions to society. We are also launching the I Am Cairo Love campaign to reinforce the love and loyalty of all Cairenes,” added Farid. The sentence that reflects the spirit of the team, written on the website, is “Cairo: why do we love her? Maybe it is her true identity, glorious history, or unprecedented soul”.
I Am Cairo is not only a trade name for the online radio station, but also for a monthly magazine and a city guide website. Waardt believes that “Cairo deserves the love. There is a lot of beauty in her. We just need to see it, and highlight it.”
