Being a woman DJ in Egypt’s small alternative scene
STORY: Location: Giza, Egypt
This is DJ Donia Shohdy
She’s one of a handful of women DJs in
Egypt’s small alternative music scene
"In this field, I did not face problems as a woman in a direct way. On the contrary, in many instances I felt that sexism takes place in an opposite way, a very indirect way, because most of the people in the alternative and underground DJ scene understand very well what they are saying, they won't be openly sexist. I always hear comments like 'You're the best woman DJ', a person's ego would not allow him to confess that I'm better than him as a DJ, so he says I'm the best woman DJ. It is a categorization I consider sexist in and of itself."
She says the bigger challenge is the
restrictions her field faces in Egypt
Shodhy and her team organize accessible
yet independent dance parties
The alternative music scene is small and
organizing independent events is expensive
A few failed parties could force a DJ out of business
"There are a lot of people who need to add to this scene, whether men or women, because it is very poor and it does not have enough of an audience or resources to support these kind of parties which have certain regulations and certain prices that we are trying not to raise. We are trying to make the music we want despite all of these circumstances.”
