18 - 24 January 2001
Issue No.517
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 18 - 24 January 2001 Issue No.517 |
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Pack of Cards
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* The Opera House Gallery is outdoing itself, and will be offering to the late artist Sabry Ragheb's admirers (who are legion, as you know) the rare pleasure of a retrospective (the first) of his works. This is a very important occasion, as the exhibition will include paintings representing every period of his artistic journey. As you may know, if you are, like me, one of his fans, Ragheb was the romantic painter par excellence, appealing to sensitive souls and the young at heart. Our very own chairman of the organisation's board and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Ibrahim Nafie will inaugurate the exhibition on 27 January at 7pm.
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* A couple of days ago, the First Mall at the Four Seasons Hotel, that most luxurious Cairo landmark, was a-bustle with a well-heeled crowd, eager to witness the launching of famous singer Samira Said's new album Leila Habibi. To tell you the truth, I was at a loss, not knowing what to give my attention to: the ravishing singer and her golden voice or the enchanting surroundings, which called to mind the presence of Scheherazade of A Thousand and One Nights fame.
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* Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to attend, along with my colleague Reham El-Adawi, the inauguration of the second national forum on "The Folkloric Heritage in 100 years" held by the folklore committee of the Supreme Council of Culture. Before the inaugural session, interesting speeches were delivered by the council's Secretary-General Gaber Asfour, the forum's head Farouq Khurshid and the host and coordinator of the gathering Ahmed Mursi. I was of course quite impressed by what Abdel-Ilah Abdel-Qader, head of the participating Arab delegation, had to say. About 60 Arab researchers contributed papers on topics such as collecting, classifying, studying, documenting and preserving our folklore. One of the forum's chief goals was to reinforce the link between the different branches of folklore including literature, music, theatre, dance, handicrafts, traditions and beliefs. Mursi in particular advocated the establishment of a national archive. On the sidelines of the forum, a most appealing exhibition was held at Al-Hanager.
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* I just heard that the head of the Cairo Opera House, Samir Farag, held a meeting with the Chamber of Tourism Companies' president, Elhami El-Zayat, and representatives of travel agents in Egypt, to promote Verdi's Aida 2001. It is scheduled to be shown from 12 to 17 October at the Great Pyramids. There is a rumour that credit cards will be used for the first time in booking, making it easier for overseas visitors to pay for their tickets. A publicity campaign promoting Aida 2001 in Sweden, Spain and Australia will be launched, with tours including visits to selected historical sites.
Farag also signed an agreement with EgyptAir to advertise Aida in its inflight magazine and documentary films. Part of the advertising campaign will include a Web site in several languages to help promote the event. |
* An exhibition by Culture Minister Farouq Hosni was opened by the head of the National Sector of Fine Arts, Ahmed Nawwar, at Gallery Grant. Fadya Grant was there, of course, to welcome the numerous personalities that thronged to look at 32 paintings from the minister's most recent collection, dated 1999 and 2000. A surprise awaited them: for the first time, the artist's collection includes portraits of typical Egyptian faces.
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* Ahmed Nawwar has been kept busy this week, as you know if you also attended the opening of the third Nile Photography Salon, which opened last week at the Opera. It was all for a good cause, as we had the pleasure to hear him announce that the recipient of the first prize in environmental photography went to our dear colleague, Al-Ahram photographer Salah Ibrahim, while Al-Akhbar's Bassam El-Zoghbi won the same award for special effects and Ahmed El-Maghrabi from the Ministry of Communication was equally singled out for his proficiency in recording our monuments. Honoured also were pioneers Omar Mahmoud Khayrat and Mohamed Helmi, some of whose best work was given pride of place at the exhibition, which comprised pictures by 140 photographers.
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Another great friend of mine, the deservedly well-known television anchor Mervat Ragab, has given us another treat. The deliciously entertaining anecdotes that make up her well-received first book, Stories and Stories, have proved an abiding delight. This was a suitably personal book, dears, by turns humorous and poetic. Finally, my friend Sami Farid provided a fitting conclusion to this literary feast. You might think it strange that the famously ingenious layout editor of Al-Ahram also writes beautiful fiction: not that it was unexpected, dears, but the new collection of short stories in question, Love, Sadness and Nostalgia proved a veritable display of literary prowess. Terse, evocative and tightly constructed, these stories were a true pleasure to read. But then again, that was only to be expected. |
* Not long ago I attended a very interesting production of Little Shop of Horrors, performed by 13 students and four teachers. You surely remember the lively musical, telling the hillarious story of a man-eating plant from outer-space.The directors, three of the AIS's high school teachers, were just as talented as their cast -- especially considering that the whole show was put together in a little over two months, working after school and occasionally on weekends. Although put together by amateurs, this show boasted all the features usually expected only from professionals.
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* What a pleasure it was to find a lovely invitation on my desk asking me to attend the premiere of the new film Al-Asifa (The Storm). Al-Asifa is, to my knowledge, the first Arab dramatisation of the Gulf War. Directed by Khaled Youssef, who is a protégé of silver screen genius Youssef Chahine, the film stars the buoyant and beautiful Youssra. And who else but Youssra herself was there at the premiere, showering me with hugs and kisses. "I know without even seeing it that you've done a great job," I told her, and indeed, once the film started, I realised how right I was. Playing the single mother of two 20-something boys who end up fighting on opposite sides of the conflict, Youssra pulls off one of her best performances yet. The two boys, played by fresh young faces Hani Salama and Mohamed Nagati, also showed just the right amount of drama and restraint. Hanan Turk and Hisham Selim rounded off the impeccable casting. I mingled with all and sundry in the lobby of the cinema afterwards, chatting with senior presidential adviser Osama El-Baz, actress Leila Olwi, and Chahine himself, who came to confirm his student's talents. As I was telling my esteemed colleague Tarek Atia and you too, my sweets, this is one you really shouldn't miss.
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