26 April - 2 May 2001
Issue No.531
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 April - 2 May 2001 Issue No.531 |
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Pack of Cards
* You may have guessed, dears, that I have a soft spot for the French. It appears now that they too have a soft spot for us, as made abundantly obvious by the very special event simply entitled Les Français aiment le Caire, or for those of you who are not practised in the language of Molière, "The French love Cairo." At the same time, the Egyptian Embassy in Paris will launch a similar celebration entitled "Cairo in Paris." This month-long programme, which will open simultaneouly on 2 May in Cairo at the Manasterli Palace at 7pm and in Paris at the Hôtel de Ville at 8pm, has been organised by the French embassy in Egypt and the Egyptian embassy in Paris; our ministries of tourism and culture; the Cairo Governorate and the French Cultural Centre, with Daniele Wozny in charge. It will include exhibitions, conferences, round tables, arts and crafts exhibitions, concerts, songs and dances, and a even a surprise concocted by Brigitte Lefebvre, representative of Christian Dior for the Middle East.
And if the fancy takes you and you decide to buy the splendid book Le Caire (published by Citadelles et Mazenod), which will be launched on 8 May at the new Fustat Souq, you will be able to learn many things about our old city. Imagine, dears, that although Gustave Eiffel did not build the now defunct Abul-Ela Bridge, as is commonly believed, he did build a lovely one in the Zoological Gardens way back in 1873 when the gardens were part of Khedive Ismail's Giza Palace.
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* Ever thought what the intersection of art and diplomacy might be like, my pets? Well, Pastel 2000, an exhibtion of paintings that opened last Sunday and will continue till Saturday, is the ideal answer to that query. Inaugurated by our beloved Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, Egypt's diplomat par excellence, it presents the work of Ambassaor Essameddin Hawas, a painter-diplomat if ever one existed.
Hawas showcases 40 years' worth of work -- in pastel, his favourite medium, bringing to his canvasses not only the delicate style of a talented artist, but all that he observed in his travels as an official in various parts of the world. Among the more notable offerings, two on-the-spot sketches comprising the only visual documents of King Farouk abdicating the throne and soon-to-be President Mohamed Naguib bidding him farewell on his way out of the country -- a rare treat. Inaugurating the present exhibition counts among Moussa's last activities in his capacity as foreign minister, dears -- not a sad thought, considering that the veteran statesman will proudly assume the position of secretary general of the Arab League on 16 May. To celebrate the transition, cherubs, the foreign ministry will hold a gala event at the ministry headquarters next Monday. |
The Cheops Hall at the Cairo International Conference Centre was ablaze with light, and one could feel excitement in the air as the members of the jury prepared at last to announce the name of Miss Egypt for the year 2001. Gorgeous 18-year-old Sarah Shahine won the day, with Sally Shahine and Heba Mandour as first runner-up and second runner-up respectively. Sarah will be leaving in a few days for Puerto Rico, where she will be competing for the title of Miss Universe. |
* Three years ago, dears, the long-awaited homecoming of my cherished friend, the renowned gynaecologist Dr Ismail Barrada -- a resident of the US from 1966 to 1999 -- warmed my heart and whetted my appetite for conversation with this remarkable renaissance man. While talking to Barrada, one is in the presence not only of a top-notch doctor, but of a pianist, a scientist and, it now turned out, a painter as well -- all bundled into the same dynamic psyche.
When he came back, Barrada had exhibited only once in Houston. Of his late-starting abstract painting career, though, I knew nothing until Monday, when his first ever exhibition in Egypt opened at the Salama Gallery, Mohandessin. It was a delightful event, attended by the cream of Cairo society. Barrada's paintings may not be instantly accessible, dears, but on closer inspection they reveal his multicultural genuis. Until 5 May, you can see them for yourselves. |
* The Internet is taking over my life, sweeties: everywhere I go it crops up in some form. My valued friend and colleague Yehia Gadalla Ibrahim of the Al-Ahram Centre for Information and Internet has just confirmed this hypothesis, receiving his PhD on the benefits of the Internet in Egypt. Perhaps I will get him to teach me the secrets of this as yet slightly unfamiliar world, but in the meantime, cherubs, browse away.
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* At the Centre of Criticism and Creativity in the Ahmed Shawqi Museum, an exhibition of work by my dear colleague Nagwa El-Ashri was inaugurated by Chairman of the Board of Al-Ahram Organisation and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Ibrahim Nafie, Head of the Department of Plastic Arts Ahmed Nawwar and Head of the Department of Museums Hamdi Shehata. Among other attendees who praised Nagwa's daring paintings with their revolutionary colours were the former governor of Aswan Salah Misbah, Editor-in-Chief of Rose El-Youssef Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Al-Ahram art page editor Amal Bakir, sculptor Saad Metri, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts Hazem Fathalah and other art critics. The exhibition is running until 1 May.
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* At Le Méridien, a Dutch-Egyptian team of surgeons, urologists, cardiologists and gynaecologists from SMT hospital in Henglo were honoured for their voluntary work in Egypt. The team, led by physical therapist and head of the Egyptian community in Holland Mohamed Mekawi, performed several operations at Umm Al-Masriyin Hospital in Giza and donated ten ambulances for hospitals in Egypt's remote governorates. Also, five Egyptian physicians in different specialties will be dispatched to Holland at the expense of the Egyptian community there. Among other rewarded physicians were urologists Maged Abdullah and Eric Cornel, cardiologist Salah Said and surgeon Bernard Van Driel. |
* For the first time in Egypt the Komitas Quartet will be performing at the Cairo Opera House on 29 April under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Cairo and the Cairo Armenian General Benevolent Union. Don't miss it
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Many French personalities will be travelling to Cairo for the event, but I am not yet at liberty to disclose their names. Mum is the word -- for the time being at least. Darlings, if you only knew the number of exciting events that are in store you would be as impatient as I am for this wonderful extravaganza to begin.
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