The Culture House of Ber-Tebat, read the freshly installed sign that marked a 26-year-old dream come true. The second floor of a previously unused government building has now officially been rented to serve the cultural community of Ber-Tebat village in Maghagha, Minya.
It is a typical lazy summer morning in Ber-Tebat. Children are busy rehearsing songs, Sufi chants, Quran recitation, and taking part in reading and drawing sessions. Although electricity has not yet been reconnected, limiting the house's activities to daylight hours, the sound of children enthusiastically engaged in their summer activities drifts through the large open windows. For the first time, they have a place of their own.
The man behind the idea
Poet, novelist, and screenwriter Ashraf Mohamed is the man behind the Culture House, the culmination of more than 26 years of cultural work in the community. Launched a few months ago, the house is the result of Mohamed's tireless efforts and repeated requests to repurpose a floor of an abandoned government building in Ber-Tebat into a cultural centre.
Having secured permission a few months ago, Mohamed is now awaiting the building's affiliation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, which would exempt the project from paying rent.
"Ber-Tebat is a central village with facilities that serve eight other villages, 12 farms and hamlets, as well as 15 rural estates," Mohamed told Ahram Online, explaining the potential impact of the Culture House across the wider area.
However, Mohamed's cultural efforts and commitment to enlightening the people of his village go much deeper.
The Roots
In his home village of Ber-Tebat, Mohamed has worked to address social issues that touch on many of the prevailing cultural attitudes in Upper Egypt. His independent series are uploaded to YouTube, while his plays are staged in the traditional Al-Samer theatre style, tackling issues ranging from human values to social problems such as child marriage.
"The idea is to maintain a state of enlightenment," Mohamed told Ahram Online. "We have long had a problem communicating with 'the other' in Upper Egypt, whether people of a different religion, gender, or ideology. The idea of addressing this came to me a long time ago," he said, adding that he grew up in a very different environment, where "the other" was never really different.
"I remember Khalty (Aunt) Souad, the wife of Khali (Uncle) Bousha. She couldn't read, but she had memorized all the folk songs of our village. She had no children, yet she treated every child in the village as her own. She didn't go to church regularly, but she was full of light. We spent our days at her home, nourished by her abundant love. When she died, we cried for her and missed her tremendously. I believe that human closeness transcends family ties," he recalled.
"Before creating this Culture House, I started the mastaba (traditional bench) talks and the Samer theatre. Before the internet and PlayStation, storytelling was very popular in the village, especially on full-moon nights during the harvest season. Until I reached the ninth grade, there was no electricity in the village, so I grew up using gas lamps for lighting and listening to the stories my grandmother told us while baking on summer nights," he added.
Inside the Culture House of Ber-tebat
The main hall was crowded with children and parents who had gathered to welcome visitors from Cairo, who had travelled to see the new Culture House.
The first session was led by Professor of Architecture and cultural activist Heba Safey Eldeen, who spoke about the importance of culture, knowledge, and art. The children shared their many talents with her, ranging from singing and drawing to calligraphy.
The second session was organised by Khazana School for Heritage, which introduced the children to Senet, the ancient Egyptian board game. They were thrilled to play the game while learning about its history.
The third session was dedicated to the young local talents of Ber-Tebat, with children filling the hour with songs performed in their well-trained voices. The programme also featured folk songs performed by a local trio of male singers from the village.
Photo Courtesy of Naser Abdel Gelil.
The History of Ber-tebat
Ber-Tebat has a rich history and its own archaeological sites. Although there are no clear records explaining the meaning of the village's name, at least the first part, "Ber," means "house" in the ancient Egyptian language.
According to Nasr Abdel Gelil, antiquities inspector for Maghagha District in Minya Governorate, Ber-Tebat is a historic village with its own excavation site, located southwest of Maghagha and close to the archaeological site of Bahnasa.
"Excavations carried out between 2003 and 2021 revealed remains dating to both the Coptic and Greco-Roman periods," he told Ahram Online.
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