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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters 'Our way towards a better life'
Rania KhallafMrs Suzannne Mubarak, addressing the inaugural ceremony of a new building for the Supreme Council of Culture on 23 June, said that "caring for arts and literature is our way towards a better life."
She affirmed the nation's belief in a "comprehensive philosophy, based on an integrated vision, that asserts that culture is the source of creativity."
Gaber Asfour, the SCC chairman, said the new building is a symbol of integration between the various generations and types of art. "The new building offers intellectuals an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience," he said.
The Council was first established in 1956 as the Supreme Council of Arts and Literature and its first chairman was novelist Youssef El-Sebai. The name was changed to the Supreme Council of Culture in 1980.
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni told the opening ceremony that the inauguration was "a celebration of the spirit of the future." Hosni praised Mrs Mubarak's efforts in the service of culture, pointing out the numerous museums and libraries which have been established recently in several governorates.
The three-level building, covering a 1,500-square-metre area, is adorned with paintings and statues. It includes a library, a book-shop, a conference hall and a cafeteria.
Mrs Mubarak will soon open the Denshway Museum, situated in the Menoufiya governorate, about 100 kilometres north of Cairo. The museum is dedicated to the seven martyrs of the village of Denshway who were hanged by British occupation forces on 26 June 1906.
According to Ahmed Nawwar, chief of the museums sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the museum aims to remind the young generation of the national struggle against British occupation. "The establishment of the museum has revived the national spirit among the villagers [in the area] as if the Denshway incident happened only yesterday," he said.
The museum is designed in the shape of an Egyptian pigeon tower, with its three levels connected by stone stairs in spiral form. Next to a replica of the gallows, the names of the seven martyrs are engraved on the museum's outer wall. Paintings and sculptures inside recount the incident in its historical sequence. There are five exhibition halls, with the middle one relatively dark to symbolise the nationwide gloom caused by the hangings.
"The museum is a cultural service provided not only to the people of Denshway, but to all the people of the Menoufiya governorate, which previously lacked a comprehensive cultural centre," said Governor Adli Hussein. "This museum will put the governorate on the tourist map."
Construction began in 1993, with costs amounting to LE5 million.
Another museum and a cultural centre are being planned for Shebin Al-Kom, the "capital" of Menoufiya.
