Pack of Cards

Lebanon is many things to many people, but what struck me this week is that the Lebanese recognise great talent when they see it. This is why they spared no effort to welcome our great lady of the screen, Faten Hamama, when she visited Beirut recently. She was received at the presidential palace, where she was decorated by President Emile Lahoud with the rank of Commander of the Order of the Cedar. Later she attended a dinner party given in her honour by Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri and his lovely wife Nazek. Our superstar was also the guest of honour at a reception hosted by Egypt's Ambassador to Lebanon Adel El-Khidri and his charming wife. Faten Hamama was in Lebanon on a special invitation extended by the Al-Hariri Organisation to receive the "Arab Women's Award." This she did at a ceremony attended by important Lebanese personalities, among whom the president's daughter, Andrée Emile Lahoud, was particularly noticed.

In his first solo exhibition, Shiha has thus taken his first step on the road towards fame. And little wonder: he was raised in Harraniya village, where he was surrounded by nature's beauty. At the outset of his artistic voyage, he wanted to make statues depicting life in the village. He must have been pleased at some of the comments being exchanged if (like me) he had his ear trained on what the experts were saying about the revolutionary techniques he has applied to his works and their resulting aesthetic value.