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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 2 - 8 November 2000 Issue No. 506 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 2 - 8 November 2000 Issue No. 506
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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On screen
Shangahai Noon
A humourous kung fu-western directed by Tom Dey and starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. When princess Pei Pei is kidnapped from the palace, the Chinese Emperor sends imperial guard Chon Wang (Chan) to America with her ransom in gold to bring her back. The ransom is stolen, and Wang joins up with an outlaw (Wilson) to recover both the gold and the princess. Their exchange of accusations of ineptitude is simply never ending. A veteran kung fu superstar, Chan continues to do all his own stunts, which, besides the occasional laughs, makes this film worthwhile entertainment.
Egypt Region Interview International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters At the opera
Ten days of concerts will be held during the Ninth Arab Music Festival, launched yesterday, offering performances by 28 singers from 14 Arab countries at the Cairo Opera House complex and in Alexandria. Magda Al-Roumi (Lebanon), Wadie Al-Safi (Lebanon), Hani Shaker (Egypt), Sabah Fakhri (Syria), Lutfi Boushnaq (Tunisia), Salma (Palestine), Fouad Al-Zabadi (Morocco), Walid Ibrahim (Emirates), Mansour Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) are among the singers who will appear. This year's offerings include a tribute to Karem Mahmoud, featuring a selection of his music and an exhibition of his films and personal belongings. Young Egyptian singers Maha El-Badri, Riham Abdel-Hakem, Hamdi Hashim, and 12-year-old Islam El-Amir will take part in the festivities alongside veteran performers. In yesterday's opening ceremony, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, Festival Head Samir Farag and Secretary-General Ratiba El-Hefni presented honourary awards to 10 pioneer musicians and artists, both living and dead: Buthaina Farid, Fouad Helmi, Gamal Salama, Mahmoud Qattat, So'ad Mohamed, Sayed Ismail, Zeinab Younis, Abdel-Aziz Enani, Ahmed El-Masri and Karem Mahmoud. The festival will also tackle a number of contemporary musical issues in the Arab world. Participants will resume last year's examination of Abul-Farag Al-Isfahani's Book of Songs, and witness poetry competitions in which rivals chant two poems by Sheikh Abul-Ala Mohamed and Abdu El-Hamouli. Monetary awards for the winners range from LE1,000 to LE5,000.
See listings for venue and show-times.
Around the galleries
Some 30 recent oil paintings by veteran painter Effat Hosni are currently displayed at the Salama Gallery in Mohandessin. Under the title Egyptian Aesthetics, Hosni's oils focus on traditional Egyptian elements such as the festivities associated with the Prophet's birth and its recurrent leitmotifs. Horses, crescents, candy dolls and more, all portrayed with an extremely bright palette, make this exhibit a true study of popular manifestations in art.
Reviewed by Nagwa El-Ashri
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