Al-Ahram Weekly Online 20 - 26 September 2001 Issue No.552
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue | Previous issue | Site map

Pack of Cards By Madame Sosostris My colleague Reham El-Adawi, who seems to know what is going on everywhere, was telling me the other day that a serious effort is being made to reinforce ties between the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD), headed by Prince Talal Bin Abdel-Aziz, and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM). As you know, anything that can end up benefitting children is always of interest to me. A delegation from the ACCD headed by its secretary-general, Hamad El-Ouqla, and including the director of the programmes department, Kawthar Abu Ghazala, met the secretary-general of the NCCM, Moushira Khattab, to discuss topics of mutual concern. In addition, a future meeting is planned involving the supreme councils and national committees for childhood across the Arab world, during which the implementation of joint projects will be discussed, among them the pressing problem of rescuing street children. El- Ouqla hailed the role played by the NCCM under the auspices of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, as Egypt was one of the first Arab countries to establish a national council for childhood in 1988. The NCCM was also invited to participate in the general conference of the Arab Council, to be held in Beirut on 25 September.

As many as a million people joined in to celebrate belief in love, peace, coexistence and human respect at a time where the existence of human beings on earth is in danger. They watched as 50 trucks from 14 countries rolled toward 17 June Square in order to participate in the Love Parade held in Berlin. The trucks were all chosen by a committee and this year, Sanafir Hotel in Sharm El- Sheikh, owned by Adli El-Mestekawi, had the honour of being among the 50 finalists, with Bus Stop and the Echo Temple. All the trucks were covered with colourful decorations and amusing figures in tune with the musical message of love and peace carrie by the vehicles. Each truck has its own DJs and a sound system of 20Kw. In the final two hours, the main port transmitted its music to 50 trucks and one million people were listening to the same tunes blasting at 1,000Kw. The occupants of the Egyptian truck, in Pharaonic costumes and the traditional garb of whirling dervishes, waved the flag of love and peace, while their French, Canadian and Dutch counterparts all contributed to spreading the feelings of good will andd brotherly affection. Everybody danced to the beat of the new global language: techno mixed by DJ Madou.

The Japan-Egypt partnership programme, created when President Hosni Mubarak visited Japan in 1999, welcomes initiatives to promote cultural exchange between the two countries. In this context, last year was "Egypt Year in Japan." In response to the Egyptian initiative and on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Suez Canal Bridge, a symbolic project reflecting the cooperation between both countries, "Japan Festival 2001: Tradition & Modernity" will go on until March. It includes a comprehensive series of cultural events aimed at enhancing mutual understanding. Traditional dance, Japanese percussion and local folk dance groups will take part in the opening ceremony, scheduled to be held today at the Cairo Opera House's Small Hall and Open-Air Theatre.

For the first time, the Korean baritone Hyoung Kyoo-Kang is paying a visit to Egypt, to feature in Giuseppe Verdi's famous opera Rigoletto, playing until 21 September at the Cairo Opera House's Main Hall. He is one of the most prominent opera singers worldwide, and has performed major roles at several international opera houses. Kyoo-Kang expressed pride in performing this role at the Egyptian Opera House. He will also go on a tour of Cairo's famous tourist attractions.

It is always pleasant to hear that someone's efforts are being rewarded and recently it was the turn of Gaballa Ali Gaballa secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, who was awared the medal of the British Museum. Gaballa was delivering a series of lectures at the museum when the honour was bestowed on him. The award hails Gaballa's relentless efforts in preserving the antiquities scattered across Egypt's governorates using state-of-the-art technology in restoration processes. The event was attended by the Egyptian ambassador to London Adel El-Gazzar as well as a group of experts in antiquities and several archaeologists.

Fall-out | Egypt | Economy | Opinion | Culture | Anniversary | Letters Features | Travel | Living | Profile | People | Time Out | Chronicles | Cartoons

ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise!

WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg

Al-Ahram Organisation