31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002
Issue No.571
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002 Issue No.571 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Pack of CardsAt the Manasterli Palace, on the southwestern tip of Roda Island, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni inaugurated the International Music Centre, with the celebrated Samha El-Kholi as well as other celebrities and music lovers in attendance. More than one sense was tickled by the event, since it was obvious that the members of the audience were quite unable to shift their gaze off the splendid rococo ceilings of wood and plaster for long. But then, if you are listening to heavenly music, it is quite acceptable to keep your eyes turned to the skies, dears; so don't worry if you were among those pleased with the architectural effort. The opening was crowned by a concert featuring pianist Cyprien Katsaris, who mesmerised the audience with the melodies of Grieg, Chopin and Schubert.
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Anaan El-Galali, an Egyptian tourism expert living in Denmark and a close friend of the Danish royal family, recently invited Director of the Giza Plateau and Bahariya Oasis Zahi Hawwas to deliver a series of lectures in Denmark. The lectures were about the recent excavations in the Pyramids area and the Valley of the Golden Mummies. This is the second time Hawwas has spoken in front of the Queen of Denmark, Margaret II, who has a long interest in Ancient Egyptian history and worked on the excavations of Luxor Temple. Egyptian Ambassador to Denmark Samira El- Aqadawi invited a galaxy of high- ranking officials, media figures and businessmen to attend the event, an excellent opportunity to promote Egyptian tourism in the Scandinavian countries.
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Well, dears, while the Danes are mulling over our history and wishing they were in Egypt, we are being treated to the view an excellent European artist has of our country: At the Russian Cultural Centre, Russian Ambassador to Cairo Andrei Denisov will inaugurate an exhibition of the works of Russian painter Yelena Alexandrovna on 5 February. The exhibition, continuing through 17 February, comprises the recent collection of paintings created by the artist, depicting the features of Egypt's popular districts. Alexandrovna has participated in several solo and group exhibitions in Egypt and abroad.
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Yesterday, the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP) honoured the gorgeous actress Athar El-Hakim at the Ismailia Cultural Palace. The celebration was attended by Ismailia governor Fouad Saadeddin and the newly appointed head of the GOCP, Onsi El- Feqi, who presented her with the gold statue of Amenhotep, a prize created for excellence in the fields of art and culture. Cinema critic Rafiq El-Sabban reviewed the actress's unique acting career on screen, stage and TV. He also talked about her relationship with her colleagues, such as the young star Mona Zaki and directors Samir Seif and Medhat El-Seba'i.
The GOCP is organising a cultural week that will include the screening of Athar's movies -- among others, Teir Fil-Samaa, Al-Mala'ib and Qanun Ika. At the end of the week, cinema critic Tarek El-Shenawi will host a discussion between the actress and her fans from Ismailia.
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I am sure that you remember my mentioning composer Hossam Fouad Mahmoud a few weeks ago, when he won an honorary award from the Austrian government for his musical composition. Well, the story has a sequel: I just found out that Mahmoud has won another, even more prestigious prize: he has just received the State Merit Award for musical composition for 2002 granted by the Austrian government. That is something to be really proud of, dears, and here at the Weekly we send our collective congratulations to the deserving laureate. |
My dear friend artist Gamil Shafik has a passion for horses. They are ubiquitous in his drawings -- sometimes in the shape of animals, sometimes as almost human, and sometimes as symbols, but are always intriguing and thought- provoking. To prove to me that no two horses are alike, Gamil has sent me these sketches, and I, generous soul that I am, thought I would share them with you.
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My dear young colleague Reham El- Adawi, who is much more technologically minded than yours truly, was waxing lyrical about the lecture given by Hisham El-Sherif, a former supervisor of the Regional Centre of Information Technology and currently head of the IT Group for Investment, held at the Cairo Opera House's small hall. The seminar, led by the supervisor of cultural activities at the Opera House, Mohamed Salem, revolved around what she told me was an extremely crucial and up-to-the-minute topic, the role played by the Internet in culture and art, present and future. And why not? It transpired from her enthusiastic account that El-Sherif, one of the pioneers who introduced the Internet to Egypt, is very keen to master the new technology called "culture ware" to promote Egypt's civilisation and heritage across the world. For example, his company digitised Umm Kulthoum' songs, played at her recently opened museum in Manasterli Palace, in addition to producing CDRoms on the Islamic, Coptic and Egyptian museums and documenting the rare and unseen manuscripts of Dar Al-Kutub. He said that Treasures of the Egyptian Museum sells like hotcakes in the United States. El-Sherif expressed his pride in the achievements of Nahed Kamaleddin Refaat, one of the company's energetic and enthusiastic members. At the end of a thrilling discussion, El-Sherif promised to establish a computerised library at the Opera House that can be entered for free, as a gift. |
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Through the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), the centre plans to hold annual series of chamber music concerts performed by highly acclaimed visiting artists and Egyptian musicians who have achieved local and international success. "Workshops and seminars held by the centre will help bolster further contact and understanding between Egyptian and foreign artists," explained Ramzi Yassa, artistic director of the centre. Other activities will include local competitions for amateurs and lectures on music appreciation. Tarek Sharara is the centre's music consultant and Neveen El-Kelani its general coordinator.
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