Pack of Cards

* Would you believe that the other day, as I was channel-surfing merrily, I heard the sound of a clarinet that I would have recognised anywhere. Sure enough, above the instrument there was a very familiar face: there, before my eyes, was Sherif El-Razzaz with Japanese pianist Yoko Masura, who had just won first prize in the chamber music competition held recently in Saloniki near Athens. Quite by chance, I had tuned in just in time for a retransmission of the award ceremony. From what I hear, the musical couple have a very full international schedule now which extends to 2000 and beyond, but I am quite sure that we will be hearing from them quite soon in Cairo.

Nazli Madkour, daughter Sara and husband Mohamed Salmawy, playwright and editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo

* Strolling down Brazil Street, one used to pause, not so long ago, to see what was new at the Safar Khan antiquaire . Rarely was one disappointed. Furniture, objets and artwork rendered venerable by the patina of time were mixed with new pieces and modern paintings, making for an exciting atmosphere. Egyptian artists and craftsmen invariably brought the best of their production to this famous showroom, where many budding Egyptian artists, as well as those in full bloom, were introduced to the public.
Those of us who are no longer 20 also have memories of the very first Safar Khan as a bookshop where young university students, today pillars of our intelligentsia, were kept busy tidying the numerous books and publications which covered the shelves and tables. Recently, the place has undergone yet another metamorphosis, and has become an exclusive upmarket gallery where renowened artists show their works. If you hurry up, you still have time to see the current exhibition, that of Nazli Madkour, which has been the talk of the town. Nazli's work is not accessible to everyone of course, and to understand the deep meaning which impregnates her paintings, you really must acquire a measure of the intuition that mysteriously links the mind to the heart. Even those who can't quite make the leap, however, will be moved on the superficial visual level by forms reminiscent of the secret movements of the earth, the wind and the colours of long-forgotten dreams.

* I know for sure that many of you know about Nawal El-Saadawi and the causes she has championed throughout her life. Now, you will be able to read about this life in her autobiography, A Daughter of Isis, translated by her husband Sherif Hetata and published by Zed Books, London. Here is what Doris Lessing had to say: "This is a book that we should all be reading... What a hero is Nawal El-Saadawi!"

* The Society of Writers on Environment and Development held a competition in 1998 under the title " Environment and the Law", and the results announced just last week made for a pleasant surprise. Our very own reporter Mahmoud Bakr managed to grab one of the first prizes, which is not at all surprising since he has been working very hard in the past few months, spreading environmental awareness all around. Other recipients were Al-Ahram's prominent photographer Khaled El-Fiqi, fellow Ahramist Khaled Mubarak, and the St Joseph Maronite School which was awarded the prize for best school journalism. Tareq Allam, presenter of the TV programme "Always Beautiful, Always Great", Ibrahim El-Meligi, producer and presenter of the programme "You and the Environment" (broadcast on Radio Centre Delta) and Fayza Fahmi, artistic director of Al-Ahram Al-Iqtissadi magazine, also received awards. The late caricaturist Salah Jahin was given a prize recognising the foresight expressed in his caricatures. Jahin knew, long before the rest of us did, that we were irretrievably damaging our beautiful planet and he said so in verses and futuristic drawings which preceded the Environment Law by a couple of decades.

* Last week, South African Ambassador Frank Mdalose delivered a keynote address at the African Society, 5 Ahmed Hishmat Street, Zamalek, for a symposium on South Africa's post-apartheid policy, with special focus on the South African contribution to the resolution of the Lockerbie affair between Libya and Western nations. Ambassador Mdalose's lecture coincided with the run-up to South Africa's second all-race elections, which saw the ruling ANC swept once again to power. Incidentally, the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who is currently visiting South Africa, attended President Thabo Mbeki's inauguration celebrations. I was there too, and I can tell you it was a party I will be describing to my grandchildren well into the coming millennium.
As for the equally stimulating seminar, which was well attended by African diplomats, academics and students of African affairs, it was organised by the Cairo-based Pan-African Association, whose president is non other than our very own Gamal Nkrumah.

* Belgian King Albert bestowed L'Ordre de Leopold, Belgium's highest state honour, upon Egypt's Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Abdel-Rahim El-Zurqani, deputy undersecretay of state for Foreign Cooperation. El-Zurqani has served as a diplomat in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Portugal, Paris and Brussels. Belgian Ambassador Gaston van Duyse-Adam presented El-Zurqani with the medal.