25 - 31 October 2001
Issue No.557
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 - 31 October 2001 Issue No.557 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Pack of CardsThis week, I had the chance to mingle with all my friends at the South African embassy at its fund-raising dinner, of which the proceeds will go to the Association of Friends of the National Cancer Intitute (AFNCI), which is building a hospital specialised in the treatment of children with cancer. First Lady Suzanne Mubarak was guest of honour. Also present was Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and his South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Among the distinguished guests were Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and many other members of the diplomatic corps. The legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba flew in especially from Johannesburg to sing in Cairo. There were celebrities galore, indeed -- so many I almost suffered whiplash as I tried to glimpse them all. These included our homegrown superstar Hussein Fahmi, the director of the Cairo Film Festival, who could not contain himself and leapt onto the dance floor to join Dlamini-Zuma as she swayed to Makeba's Pata Pata. Youssra, stunningly beautiful as usual in an exquisite flesh- toned gown that affectionately skimmed her every curve, introduced Makeba -- looking splendidly impressive in a black and gold gown. Among the other celebrities in attendance were actor Hisham Abdel-Hamid, who also took to the dance floor with vigour, and famous Lebanese anchor George Qurdahi, heartthrob of millions and (aptly enough) presenter of the extraordinarily popular show Who Will Win a Million? Photographer Randa Shaath, who presented Makeba with flowers and a hug after the show, was there with international affairs editor Gamal Nkrumah.
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Seif celebrating with his friends (front row, left), and executing a jump |
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On 31 October, the Opera House's Small Hall will witness an effervescent cultural discussion featuring head of the Fine Arts Sector Ahmed Nawwar, media man Hamdi El- Kunayesi, Editor-in-Chief of Rose El-Youssef magazine Mohamed Abdel-Moneim and cinema photographer Mahmoud Abdel-Sami'. They will be talking about very timely topics: war and art. The discussion will be followed by a screening of a film about the 6 October War.
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 The German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GACIC) celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a German-Arab economic conference. Over 450 participants from Egypt, Germany and various Arab countries were there. The event was inaugurated under the auspices of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid. Among the distinguished guests were Franz Schoser, CEO of the Association of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as well as German Deputy Minister of Economy and Technology Margareta Wolf. A special ceremony was held for the placing of a foundation stone for the German University in Cairo. Also present was Volkhard Windfuhr, head of the Cairo Foreign Press Association (FPA).
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 Within the framework of exchange between the Hungarian Culture Ministry and the Cairo Opera House, the consummate Hungarian pianist Gàbor Csalog will present a concert at the Main Hall on 27 October. His programme includes pieces by all my favourites: Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Scriabin and Legeti. Csalog has given concerts in Hungary and throughout Europe, but he has been focusing on recording of late. His first solo recording appeared in 1990. In 1996, he began a huge project to record Chopin's complete works for piano. Besides participating in numerous international piano competitions in the United States, Austria, Germany, Australia and elsewhere, he took home the trophy at the 1980 Budapest Liszt Competition. If any of you classical music fans are planning on hunting Csalog down and begging for a private performance, I can give you only one hint: he resides in Budapest and teaches at the Béla Bartók Conservatory.
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| More cultural activities crowd my calendar, as this month, the Swedish Institute in Alexandria celebrates its first anniversary. On 3 October last year, it was officially inaugurated by the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh and her Egyptian counterpart at the time, Amr Moussa. The institute, which falls under the aegis of the Swedish Foreign Service, is financed by development cooperation funds. Sweden's ambassador to the UN, Pierre Schori, is chairman of the institute, which is responsible for promoting scientific, cultural and other forms of exchange between Sweden and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa. It is also intended to serve as a forum for the European-Mediterranean dialogue. The institute embodies the will to follow up on earlier initiatives by Sweden and Egypt to initiate a dialogue between cultures and civilisations. It has already been very active: during its first year of existence, it arranged a wide variety of events including conferences, seminars, guest lectures and exhibitions. Trade and social development, the role of the EU in the Middle East peace process and Sweden and Islam today are some of the issues it has focused on. |
 I confess that I have indulged my profound fascination for all things Japanese mainly with frequent trips to my local sushi bar, but this month I have far more on my plate: the Japan Festival 2001, which aims to promote cultural exchange between Egypt and Japan. Ambassador of Japan Takaya Suto inaugurated Japanese cultural week in Alexandria on 21 October, and I have every intention of traveling to that fair seaside city to stay abreast of events including films and a photography exhibition titled "World Heritage in Japan," to be shown for seven nights at Sidi Gaber Cultural Palace. Suto, along with Secretary-General of the Alexandria Library Ismail Serageldin, also attended the ceremony held to mark the donation of the audio-visual equipment purchased through the Japanese Cultural Grant Aid to Alexandria Library. The Japan Foundation has also donated 160 books under the library support programme.
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 In the rush to absorb culture of a contemporaneous character, we must not neglect the past,here is our chance: the Organisation for Protecting the Classical Heritage, headed by my friend Adel Abu Zahra, is organising a lecture for the director-general of the Giza Plateau and Bahariya Oasis, Zahi Hawass, at the Conference Hall in Alexandria. Hawass will talk about the hidden chamber recently found in the Pyramid of Khufu.
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In the framework of the national campaign for combating addiction, an international conference will take place from 27 to 29 October at Al-Azhar premises. The conference, sponsored by her excellency Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, has a challenging agenda focusing on the role of religions in combating addiction and treatment of addicts. Prominent Muslim and Coptic clerics as well as experts from different Arab and foreign countries are expected to attend and share their own experiences in the field. |
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Prime Minister Atef Ebeid has appointed Professor Hossam El-Attar deputy president of the Banha branch of Zaqaziq University. El-Attar was nominated by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mufid Shehab. Our congratulations.
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I always believe that young people should spend their free time engaging in healthy, outdoorsy activities, which teach good sportsmanship and a sense of fair play. If they excel, all the better -- which is why I was especially pleased to hear that my young friend Seifeddin Khaled excels in equestrianism. At the tender age of nine, Seif has received second prize in a horse-riding competition at the Presidential Guard Equestrian Club. He and his friends celebrated the victory with their trainer, Tamer Eid.
The Al-Ahram family had the occasion to celebrate yet another happy event this week: the engagement of Mustafa Oweiss Abdel-Nabi, of Al-Ahram security staff, to the charming Marwa Mohsen Mohamed. Our very best wishes to the young couple.
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