ABSTRACT
At once a vague concept and a real occurrence, the term mirrors a web of existing questions, discussions and debates that permeate Egyptian society concerning the rising tide of Gulf influences, namely, a suspected Gulfanization in political, religious, cultural and media spheres. The proposed urban projects in the report sparked numerous debates and questions in Egyptian cultural and intellectual circles. Nowhere was the phenomenon of Khalganat Misr represented and discussed so openly in public in recent times than in Qahwa Sada, Bitter Coffee, an Egyptian theatre play that attracted tremendous attention and positive reviews. Premiered in 2008 and performed by 36 amateur actors and actresses, the play is a black comedy satirically lamenting the sweeping social, economic, political and religious chasms and flaws that are en-Gulfing the country. The recent history of economic exchanges, particularly Gulf investments in Egypt over the past four decades and the rise of petrodollars as an economic force.
