This photo was taken in the marketplace in Jaffa, coming back from the beach. The day was over, and people were taking down the stalls, and from a sound system somewhere, an Egyptian pop song — I later found out it was Hakim’s “El-Kalam Dah Kbeer”— was playing.
As soon as the music came within earshot all the kids perked up and started shimmying and half-dancing. Mahmoud was holding his surfboard, and could only wave to the beat, but one of the other kids who was holding a boogeyboard did an elaborate twirl and dip.
Some songs are kinda magical like that.
