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(AP) - Two girls from Egypt are trying to change society's perception of the tabla by setting up a female-only tabla band.
"Buka Ladies" was designed to challenge gender stereotypes in music and dissociate the tabla from belly dancing.
The fast and rhythmic beats of the tabla, an instrument that has been played by men throughout the Middle East for hundreds of years.
That was until Rania Amr and Donia Sami came along. This female duo are trying to encourage more women to take up the tabla and have set up their own group called Buka Ladies.
"People think that if somebody plays tabla, a belly dancer should be there to dance to the tune", explains Donia. "Rania and I want to change people's perception of tabla."
Sami has been studying tabla for almost five years at a music school in Cairo. She says very few girls at her school major in drums due to social pressures.
"Parents may disapprove of you playing tabla arguing it is a man's instrument, but they may allow you to play any other soft instrument like violin or piano, instruments that I do not like", she says.
The two girls sit in a friend's studio rehearsing for their upcoming show. Buka ladies have been invited to perform at a coffee shop whose owner heard about them through social media.
But not everybody has been so positive about their videos on the internet.
"It is the man who should play tabla and the woman should dance. What would happen if a girl played tabla? Who would dance in this case? We keep getting this ridiculous comment. However, we take it very lightly and we do not care", says Rania.
They say even other women are sometimes confused by their choice of instrument, wondering if it damages their finger nails and makes them feel masculine. But the girls insist they can continue to be glamorous and feminine while playing the tabla.
At the coffee lounge, some of their Facebook fans have shown up to watch their performance. Ramy Yassen, a 26-year-old electrical engineer, admires the duo's originality.
"What is new about Buka Ladies is that they are women playing tabla professionally and presenting something different. We are used to seeing men playing tabla but it is quite unique to see two girls forming (a tabla) band."
Rania and Donia dream of turning "Buka Ladies" into a larger brand, including a school to teach women how to play tabla and a bigger band which could perform at prestigious venues.
With their combination of talent and determination it seems nothing will stop these girls achieving their ambitions.
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