Waleieddin passes

ACTOR Alaa Waleieddin passed away in hospital on Tuesday, following a diabetic coma that set in on Monday. One of the best known of a generation of younger "new comedians," Waleieddin had performed many successful supporting roles in the cinema and on stage before starring in Aboud ala Al- Hudoud (Aboud on the Borders) and Al-Nazir (Headmaster), the two films that made him a household name.

Words and sounds

SYRIAN poet Adonis (Ali Ahmed Said) gave readings of recent poems as part of a performance including Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma and two young singers, Mia Farouq and Abeer Mansour, from Egypt and Palestine. Two performances were staged last week at the Creativity Centre, Cairo Opera grounds, and one in Alexandria. Adonis sat cross-legged on the stage to deliver his readings while Shamma played musical settings of poems sung by Farouq and Mansour.

Adonis began performing with Shamma during the Cairo Book Fair several years ago. He has, however, maintained something of a low profile throughout the Arab world of late following attacks that questioned his achievement and marginalised his role.

In this, his first appearance in Egypt for two years, Adonis was warmly received by both critic Gaber Asfour, who represented the Ministry of Culture, the poet's official host, and the audience, who also applauded Shamma's music and the two young singers voices. Towards the end of the evening Adonis read poems from the as yet unpublished collection Tarikh Al-Sahab (History of Clouds).

Resign demand

LEADING Arab writers, artists and academics have issued a statement calling on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to resign. The statement also called for the appointment of UN and Arab League observers to oversee a transition to democratic rule.

Such demands, the statement read, were made in an effort to avoid "a war that threatens the people of the region, and foremost the people of Iraq, with a major catastrophe". The immediate resignation of the president, whose "rule for three decades has been a nightmare for Iraq and the Arab world, is the only way to avoid escalating violence".

Among those who drafted and signed the statement were Edward Said, Sadeq Jalal Al- Azm, Yazid Sayigh, Elias Khouri, Youssri Nassrallah and Nabil Abdel-Fattah, who explained that the issue "does not concern Saddam in person", but rather is a product of the onus on Arab intellectuals to adopt a position on American policies in the region and attempt to improve the situation in Iraq.

Auteur news

FILMMAKER Youssef Chahine, who began filming his latest project at the Nahhas Studio last week, will move his crew to Suez following the Eid vacation. The filming of Al- Ghadab (Rage) will take place in Suez, Alexandria, Cairo and the US. Mahmoud Hemeida, Youssra, Lebleba, Hala Sedqi and the young dancer Ahmed Yehya lead the cast.

Al-Ghadab explores Chahine's relationship with the US, starting with his arrival there to study film in the 1940s and progressing to 11 September.

Chahine, 77, will be the focus of April's National Film Festival which will feature screenings of his work. The festival has also commissioned a book on Chahine by Ibrahim El-Aris.

Alexandrie encore

THE BIBLIOTHECA Alexandrina this week inaugurates an exhibition of children's art, the product of art workshops for children organised in ten governorates in collaboration with the education and youth ministries. The exhibition, entitled "My country is beautiful", will include contributions by 110 children. Works, executed under the supervision of local teachers and social workers, depict the landmarks of the ten governorates in question. Thuraya Sedqi is currently in the process of compiling a book to document the project.

Goodbye, Emirates

THE EGYPTIAN Cultural Month in Abu Dhabi ended last week on a sober note, with a performance of Umm Kulthoum's classics by Al-Nagham Al-Asil troupe, preceded by a seminar on the late diva. Ahmed Qabil, head of the Egyptian Cultural Office in Abu Dhabi, pronounced the month a great success. The seminars, performances and exhibitions were organised by the Egyptian Embassy in collaboration with the Emirates Writers Union and took place under the auspices of Egyptian Ambassador Fahmi Fayed.

Web film

WWW.FUNOUN.COM is the domain name of an important new Web site launched recently by the Arab Company for Film Production and Distribution. Updated regularly, the site offers information and news on the latest productions and screenings, interviews with directors, script-writers and actors as well as clips of movies. The site also provides for an extensive section on the history of Arab cinema, serving as reference and brwosing entertainment for film buffs.

Siwi in Tunis

ADEL El-Siwi's work is currently on show in Gallery Ammar, in the Tunisian capital. Opening on 19 January, the exhibition comprises 35 recent paintings as well as a huge composite of 40 portraits. The first such contribution to the Tunisian art scene, El-Siwi's work is the culmination of experiments with the human face begun in the 1990s.

Compiled by Youssef Rakha