On the 21st of June, the world witnessed a jaw dropping ceremony to commence the 2019 African Cup of Nations, hosted in Egypt. Millions of viewers from Egypt, the Arab World and Africa tuned in to watch the ceremony taking place at the Cairo International Stadium where the opening match between Egypt and Zimbabwe was being held. The ceremony was officially inaugurated by a word from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisy and CAF President Ahmad Ahmad.
70,000 enthusiastic fans engulfed the stadium waving their flags high, fireworks lit the dark skies and the tournament’s official song blast into the abyss, as the night began to unfold. The tournament’s upbeat anthem was performed in three different languages: French, English and Arabic by renowned artists Hakim (Egypt), Femi Kuti (Nigeria) and Dobet Gnahore (Cote d’Ivoire).
A 14 minute interactive show integrated with chilling music, mesmerizing lights and out of this world visual entertainment were enough to make every Egyptian swoon with pride and bewilderment at the beauty of Africa’s vibrant culture and Egypt’s historic civilization, showcased so brilliantly.
Via Synergy
Whilst watching the ceremony, everyone had one question in mind. Who was behind the master works of such an intricately woven and innovative event? Well, 925 was lucky enough to exclusively sit down with the agency behind it all, bringing you the inside scoop and intimate details of what went down.
Representing Synergy and speaking to us today, is Amira El Zoheary, the Senior Account Director orchestrating the event on ground happenings and weaving all the magic into a stunning quilt of representation and pride.
925: So Amira, can you tell us about the actual process and timeline of planning the event? How long did everything take from start to finish and what went on behind the scenes to bring something so spectacular to life? Give us the juicy details.
Amira: For starters, Synergy is an advertising agency founded in 2003 by Tamer Mursi which later became part of Egyptian Media whose Chairman and CEO is also Tamer Mursi. Synergy was awarded the project early this year and we started working immediately, hiring the best of the best.
It took us a little over four months to prepare for such a huge event, which is actually a very limited amount of time considering the logistics and gargantuan production. Although it was a very hectic and tiring period of time, the end result was absolutely worth it all. We briefed three international agencies that specialize in major sporting events, with a vision. A vision that simply showcases to the world: Egypt’s civilization, heritage, modern Egypt and solidarity with African countries. This ultimately resulted in a theme comprised of four different ‘chapters’ at the event.
In terms of creative concept and design, the final approvals took us around two months to finalize. The remaining two months were all about implementation and securing the right calibers. The show team was compromised of 2000 people, each with their own role and responsibility, working endlessly around the clock. We spent around 20 consecutive days rehearsing lights, sound, carpet positioning (to put on the grass and fold it back) duration, installation and dismantling of the pyramids, dancers’ movements around, in and out. We had to time it all in order to be fast enough and go in and finish on time, without being a minute late. Every second counts when your orchestrating something so substantial. The physical dismantling of the entire show set had to be cleared within a record 10 minutes, which we rehearsed again on the day of the actual show.
Via Amira El Zoheary
Our main challenge was the grass and this was due to several reasons. One of them obviously being the time limitation and another being the list of rules that compromise preserving the grass. There are many rules of preserving the grass from movement and diseases that may spread before the opening match and the following ones. Our team had an expert in this area and we worked together in order not to harm the grass, respect the rules, and still execute our final rehearsal on the main field of play. It takes a village!
Via 925
Via Synergy
925: Can you tell us a bit about all the different stakeholders and parties that participated in the event (Fireworks, Visual, Music, Art, Choreography etc.)? We heard that you hired the best of the best to carry out all the different jobs separately. Can you tell us a bit more about the people behind it all?
Amira: As I already mentioned, we had met with a few international agencies specialized in sports ceremonies and the bid was in favor of Blink Experience. They are an affiliate of Circo de Bakuza the well-known agency who organized the last Champions League event and many other massive worldwide ceremonies. We imported every single item and machine used including: the lighting, sound, pyro, projection mapping, you name it. The carpet we used for the show was specially made and stitched in Europe, in order to be light and breathable for the grass, which is a big deal, and for the projection mapping usage. Synergy are behind the main concept, the only decision makers and the sole contact for all stakeholders, between all parties including CAF and the government to finalize all topics.
The fireworks, pyro design and implantation were all done through a French expert that we hired. Pyro is a type of firework that doesn’t harm the grass or fall on the ground. Presentation, safety and eco-friendliness were also amongst our top priorities.
The choreographer is one of the best in Europe and they came to Cairo to be present at everything including casting and auditions. The music was composed to match each chapter synchronized intricately with the visuals, consistently emphasizing on the audiences’ senses of sight and sound.
Via ACN
As for the official song of the opening ceremony, we began working on the lyrics with Mohie Hawwar our Creative Director; who is an expert in writing lyrics and has many well-known songs (love songs, patriotic, ads, and jingles). We chose Hakim due to his wide fan base and his warm and energetic presence at live shows.
Via Amira El Zoheary
Dobet Gnahore is one of the most famous French and African singers in both Africa and Europe. She’s originally from Cote D’ Ivoire and lives in France. She was a nominee at the World Music Awards and shared an award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with Indie Arie at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Via Amira El Zoheary
Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, born in London and raised in Lagos. He is a winner of Monaco’s “World Music Award.” The mix between French, English and Arabic was meant to reach out and inspire all the African nations and deliver one message: Unity. From the day it was released, the song was number one trending on YouTube.
Via Synergy
925: We know financials are usually a ‘hush hush’ but can you give us an estimate on the event’s budget and how much it cost to make it all possible? Also, in regards to the closing ceremony, should fans be expecting something just as extravagant? Or will it be on a smaller scale?
Amira: Usually closing ceremonies take place on a much smaller scale, however, we are still working on something impressive yet not as big. For the budget, unfortunately, my lips are sealed.
925: We know this experience was probably different for all the different people involved but tell us a little more about your own personal experience and what you went through.
Amira: I always knew it was going to be big but the huge impact it left on audiences around the world is what really surprised me and left me absolutely awestruck for days after it all ended. The experience was beyond educational! I met with many entities and dignitaries, which added to my experience. It was amazing for me to see how the government prepare and work on a national project .The difficulties we faced to reach where we are today were very stressful at times but in the end are a very valuable learning experience that I will always cherish. Sleepless nights, stressful moments, mental and physical effort yet we all (Synergy, Blink & Circo de Bakuza) were one team with one goal: “Throw a successful ceremony.”
Via Amira El Zoheary
It made me feel proud, lucky and gratified to Synergy and our CEO Hassan Kamal who chose me to work on such a huge project. It was a once in a lifetime chance and I’m grateful for it all.
Via Amira El Zoheary
The Egyptian national in team is in fact the most successful in Africa, having won the Africa Cup of Nations a whopping seven times! These include: the inaugural edition in 1957 and on home soil in 1959, as well as the 1986 edition, Burkina Faso in 1998, 2006 in Cairo, Ghana in 2008 and Angola in 2010. Egypt has also been as high as ninth in the FIFA World Rankings, making the team one of only three African national teams to enter the world’s top ten.
Players from the Egyptian national football team in one of Ahmed Kadry’s impressive photographs
The ACN, also known as the Total 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is organized by the Confederation of African Football and will continue to run until the 19th of July 2019.
Via Ahmed Kadry
