Tips from the culture desk: This week is mainly about Wednesday

This week's arts picks are diverse but are all concentrated around Tuesday and Wednesday, so you'll likely need to do some choosing. Tonight though, come to Mada Masr's third birthday celebration in the Swiss Club garden if you can.

Wiki Gender launch — Tuesday

This year-old project, an Arabic-language participatory knowledge platform for gender and women’s issues organized by the Arab Digital Expression Foundation (ADEF) and the Goethe-Institute Cairo, launches with an an open discussion and a call for more participants. Visitors can visit “open discussion corners” to discover the project, meet team members, ask questions and express interest in getting involved, then a presentation will explain its development, challenges and achievements before a reception and buffet with music by Bint al-Masarwa. Arabic with English translation provided.

6 pm, December 13 atGoethe-Institut Cairo, 17 Hussein Wassef Street, Midan al-Missaha, Dokki, Cairo. Free, but registration necessary by emailing [email protected]. Facebook event here.

Unfamiliar with Nadah El Shazly and Zeina — Tuesday

With the aim of spotlighting female producers, DJs and electronic musicians, DJ and producer Zeina has organized a night at downtown Cairo’s Zigzag that includes a vinyl workshop for aspiring female DJs (free, sign up in advance), a photo exhibition, a live set by vocalist and electronic musician Nadah El Shazly (starting at 10 pm) and a DJ set from Zeina herself.

8pm until 3am. 13 December, ZigZag, 6 Qasr al-Nil Street, downtown Cairo.

Stories of Suez — Wednesday

At a time when the struggle is one for movement, Alia Mossallam asks how and why we remain — through discussing the forgotten songs and stories of those who fought to stay in Suez between 1967 and 1973, when 750,000 citizens left the canal cities because of the war with Israel.  will discuss As the years rolled on and the politics of an impending war became increasingly complicated, remainers were forced to ask themselves: What if the higher political will faltered and the war for these territories was never waged? What could they do, as civilians? How much longer could they hold up, their lives on hold for seven years now? And if they left, would there ever be a home to return to? Mossallam recently wrote a text for Mada Masr on the same topic.

7 pm, December 14, Contemporary Image Collective, 5th floor, 22 Abdel Khalek Tharwat, downtown, Cairo. Free. Facebook event here.

45 — Wednesday

Starring writer and storyteller Sahar El Mougy, 45 is a one-woman drama directed by Nada Sabet. A 45-year-old woman slowly wakes up from anesthesia and reflects back on her life and her battles with fears, voices and dreams. Sabet’s Noon Creative Enterprise, which presents performing arts tied to a social cause, has previously toured the country with a show on female genital mutilation and worked with young people with hearing disabilities.

7 pm, December 14, Garage Theater, Jesuit Cultural Center, 298 Port Said Street, Cleopatra, Alexandria. Free but requires pre-registration by calling 01117911133. Facebook event here.

Contemporary Jewelry Designers Festival — opens Wednesday

Curated by artist and veteran jewelry maker Zeinab Khalifa through a selection of works submitted through an open call by jewellers of all ages and backgrounds, the Ministry of Culture’s third Contemporary Jewelry Designers Third Exhibition will be worth a visit. The initiative had its first two editions in 2002 and 2006, back when painter Farouk Hosni still ran the culture ministry, with Mohamed Rizk as its curator.

Opens 7 pm, December 14, Gezira Art Center, 1 Sheikh El Marsafy Street, Zamalek, Cairo. Runs through January 5. Free, open daily 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm 9 pm.

Dinner at the Movies — postponed to December 21

The latest in Dinner at the Movies, a convivial monthly night programed by Cimatheque and hosted and catered Eish & Malh, focuses on urban life in cinema including the poetic city symphony genre. Films include Charles Scheeler and Paul Strand’s Manhatta (New York, 1921) and Mannus Franken & Joris Ivens' Rain (Amsterdam, 1929), and Mohamed Khan’s Watermelon (Cairo, 1972). Brought out with each film is a different course of the meal, a creative culinary response to the film in question.

For the seated dinner, call 01098744014 or message Eish & Malh on Facebook. Others can sit upstairs on the mezzanine. Seating opens at 6 pm on a first-come basis. Films start at 7 pm. Meal cost between LE125 and 180.