Entertainment in Africa
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A
Ratz Bar
This dark, cubby-like bar has rats daubed on the walls rather than running across the floors. Try one of its tasty and well-priced cocktails (R25).
reviewed
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B
Crazy House
Housed in a historic two-storey wooden building, the Crazy House serves cheap beer, and there's even a billiard table - what more do you need?
reviewed
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C
Odeon Cinema
Just off Harnet Ave, near the telecommunications building, the quirky Odeon Cinema, with its authentic Art Deco interior, is attractive.
reviewed
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Le Moulin Rouge
For dancing, try Le Moulin Rouge at the northeastern end of town, which plays everything from Malagasy to Euro-pop.
reviewed
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D
Café Restaurant Bab Laachour
To warm up for an evening out, you could try the terrace at the Café Restaurant Bab Laachour.
reviewed
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E
Au Copains d'Abord
The live music, sometimes played by blind musicians, goes well with the pizzas at this lively spot.
reviewed
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F
Restaurant-Café Seles
Restaurant-Café Seles is a cozy little spot with cushion benches, perfect for a drink or food.
reviewed
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G
Fendika Azmari Beat
This azmari beat rivals Yewedale and is only a few minutes' walk down the street.
reviewed
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H
Vic Baboo's Café
Vic Baboo's Café is where foreign travellers go for its extensive cocktail menu.
reviewed
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Harvey Wallbanger’s
A smart, trendy spot on the top floor, above its very own restaurant.
reviewed
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Glacier Inn
Drinks and local-style meals in a large garden.
reviewed
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Out in Africa: SA International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Focusing on gay-themed films, both drama and documentary. Held in September in 2008 but dates change so check website.
reviewed
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El Tugareya
Although it may not look like much to the uninitiated (it doesn’t even sport a sign), this 90-year-old institution is one of the most important ahwa s in town. It’s an informal centre of business and trade (the name roughly translates to ‘commerce’), where deals are brokered in the time-honoured tradition – over a glass of tea. The cafe is separated into multiple rooms, covering a whole block. The southern side is a male-dominated area dedicated to games and informal socialising, while along the Corniche you’re likely to be part of a rambunctious mix of writers, film-makers, students, expats, and courting couples filling the hall with a cacophony of animated…
reviewed
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Centro de Portugal
This hard-to-find expat haven is fully equipped for fun: a garden bar in a leafy patio, an inside bar with darts, foosball and pool, plus a tiny disco complete with mirrored ball. Best of all, the beverages are very cold. Drinks are purchased via an unusual card system: E£70 gets you five credits; beers are one credit, while cocktails are two. The food menu (dishes E£40 to E£55) sports Western standards, from noodles to pasta to fish, along with the house speciality – pepper steak. It’s a great place to unwind, hidden away from the hubbub of the city, and meet local expats while sucking down an icy gin and tonic. The entrance is unmarked; look for the gate on the south…
reviewed
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Cape Town International Convention Centre
Since opening for business in 2003, the R582 million CTICC has barely paused for breath, packing in a busy annual program of exhibitions, conferences and other events such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and Design Indaba. There are plans to demolish the Customs House on the other side of the raised freeways and extend the CTICC towards Table Bay, almost doubling its size and making it South Africa’s first six-star green-rated building. Step inside the main entrance to admire the giant relief sculpture in the main hall, Baobabs, Stormclouds, Animals and People, a collaboration between Brett Murray and the late San artist Tuoi Steffaans Samcuia.
reviewed
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J
Arous el Zilzila
This fantastic ahwa across from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is practically unique in Alexandria – you can sip tea and sheesha to the sound of waves rolling in, smelling sea air instead of petrol fumes. Directly on the water, it has rustic open-air tables and palm trees with cheerful coloured lights, set around a small curving beach where you can hardly hear the traffic. It’s a great place to relax in the sultry breeze, enjoying the Mediterranean vibe. To find it, look for the modern sculpture with three white needles, directly across the Corniche from the library. Walk past the sculpture towards the sea; the entrance is down the steps to the right.
reviewed
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K
Cap d’Or
The Cap d’Or, just off Sharia Saad Zaghloul, is a top spot to relax, and one of the only surviving typical Alexandrian bars. With beer flowing generously, stained-glass windows, a long marble-topped bar, plenty of ancient memorabilia decorating the walls and crackling tapes of old French chanson (type of traditional folk music) or Egyptian hits, it feels very much like an Andalusian tapas bar. Crowds come to drink cold Stella beer, snack on great seafood, or just hang out at the bar and chew the proverbial fat with fellow drinkers. Thursday and Friday nights are more ‘open-minded’ than most nights in Alexandria.
reviewed
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Ndere Centre
If you're interested in traditional dance and music, try to catch a performance of the Ndere Troupe. It's composed of members of the many ethnic groups in Uganda and has gained international acclaim on world tours. The troupe has a new base in Ntinda, the Ndere Centre, out beyond the Blue Mango, which includes an auditorium, a restaurant-bar and even some accommodation. Performances take place every Sunday at 18:00 and are inexpensive.
It also promotes a comedy night, every Friday at 19:00. Those with a serious interest in African dance could stay here. 'You stay in this guesthouse, you are sure to become a philosopher', it promises.
reviewed
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L
Stade Olympique
Five of the 14 soccer teams in the Tunisian first division are from Tunis, including archrivals Club Africain and Espérance Sportive de Tunisie. Both use Stade Olympique as a home ground. Matches are usually at 14:00 on Sunday.
You'll find fixture details in the Saturday press. The teams are referred to by their initials - CA for Club Africain, and EST for Espérance Sportive de Tunisie. Other Tunis clubs include Stade Tunisien (ST) and Club Olympique de Transports (COT) from the western suburbs; Avenir Sportif de La Marsa (ASM) from La Marsa; and Club Sportif de Hammam Lif (CSHL), from the southern suburbs.
reviewed
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M
Théâtre Royal
Twenty-five years in the making, the Théâtre Royal is a sore subject for Marrakshis still waiting for a completed interior - apparently the work wasn't done to specifications, the money's gone, and the whole legal ordeal's become a monumental embarrassment. Meanwhile regular performances are held in a Carthage-style outdoor amphitheatre with hard seats but terrific acoustics.
Tunisian architect Charles Boccara's Maghrebi monument features Egyptian Art Deco papyrus pillars, a Sahara sand-coloured portico, and showstopping Moroccan exposed brickwork in the domed foyer.
reviewed
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Café Du Grand Balcon
The best spot to catch all the action in the Djemaa, with permanent crowds on the front patio to prove it. Older gents hang out inside to avoid the patio jostling and panhandling on the patio, but only families and clandestine lovers actually go upstairs to the quiet 'grand balcon', where service is erratic at best. The OJ here is not freshly squeezed, but there are mean espressos, frothy cappuccinos, and proper tea with mint or steamed milk.
Technically this place serves ice cream, but there's far better around the corner at Ice Legend.
reviewed
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O
Topkapi
Tucked below the street opposite the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and behind a moored restaurant boat, this mellow Nileside hangout is easy to miss. Once down here, though, parked at a picnic bench and enjoying a sheesha and beer, it's easy to forget the traffic on the corniche. Inside the tentlike main room, a DJ spins hip international and Arabic tunes, and the menu (mains around £E25 to around £E42) is a quirky mix of local and Turkish flavours, with nightly specials.
It occasionally hosts special, ticket-only parties.
reviewed
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P
Horreyya
The Horreyya (there’s no real sign outside – look for a pale-pink facade and plywood over some of the windows) is one of the city’s classic ahwas. Here you stare dreamily through the sheesha smoke up at the high ceilings, down at the sawdust-strewn floor and out across a great cross-section of customers. Bonus: there are regular, ongoing chess matches here that attract some truly gifted players. Another bonus: beer is also available, but it’s only allowed to be quaffed in designated areas, far away from the boards.
reviewed
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Q
Magha as-Sa'a
Opposite the Ottoman clock tower in the medina is Tripoli's outstanding traditional teahouse. You can sit outside, but make sure you check out the ground-floor room with its eclectic and distinctly musical themes - an old electric guitar, an archaic juke-box and gramophone. There are good views over the square from upstairs. Not surprisingly, this place has become a favourite of tour groups, but enough locals also turn up for it to feel authentic.
They claim never to close but we didn't turn up at 04:00 to confirm.
reviewed
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R
Groppi’s
Distinctly not part of the new coffee wave, Groppi’s high point was more than 50 years ago when it was one of the most celebrated patisseries this side of the Mediterranean, as well as the preferred venue of ritzy society functions and concert dances. Today, the offerings are sadly poor and overpriced, and the tearoom reeks of cheap tobacco. The only hint of glitter remaining is in the beautiful mosaics around the doorway, but it nevertheless continues to appeal to hardcore nostalgia buffs.
reviewed