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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons
KEEP CAIRO CLEAN!
By Amany Abdel-MoneimTo celebrate the "Environmental Festival 2000," the US-Mid-East Music and Fine Arts council has been presenting the world's premiere ballet of Charles-Camille Saint-Saens masterpiece, "Carnival of the Animals,". The festival, held under the auspices of Minister of Environmental Affairs Mona Makram Ebeid, started early last month and will run through 13 September. The festival's primary aim is to promote environmental awareness among children, particularly on the disposal of solid waste. Workshops on environment and puppet shows for children will be organised for two days in each of the 17 centres chosen in Cairo and Giza. The highlight of the festival is the "Carnival of the Animals." It is a musical for orchestra pianos and xylophones in 14 movements, composed by Saint-Saens in the 19th century. "The ballet aims to make the younger generation more aware of the importance of environmental cleanliness and bridging the gap between children and environmentalists through an entertaining message that urges children to protect the environment," said Nazih Girgis, chairman and founder of the US-Mid-East Music and Fine Arts Council.
The festival is organised by the Ministry of Environment's Guidance Department and Nazih Girgis, in cooperation with Green-COM, an American organisation.
Girgis wrote and narrated a text to accompany the music. The plot is as follows: A group of children decide to go on a visit to the Cairo zoo and discover that all the animals and birds went out of their cages to collect the garbage left behind by zoo visitors. After the zoo has been cleaned, the animals and birds join in group and individual dances expressing their joy over the clean zoo. The last scene is the carnival dance in which the audience is reminded of the importance of keeping a clean, beautiful and healthy environment. The ballet is directed by Girgis and choreographed by renowned ballerina, Fatma Marzouk.
