Pack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris
I had a royally whirling time in London this week, my dears, when I accompanied my good friend and colleague Tarek Atia for the Egyptian Tannoura Troupe's performance at London's Royal Festival Hall. The troupe was invited to perform at the prestigious London Philharmonic Orchestra's 6th annual Roots Classical Fusion event. 
The famous Egyptian whirling dervishes were the event's headline act, and I can certainly assure you, my sweets, that they truly made Egypt proud. The Royal Festival Hall is an austere, historic venue, and the troupe's unique brand of fantastic performance and inspirational music made the sell-out crowd go wild. Officials from the London Philharmonic said that the Tannoura helped make this "the best Roots event the orchestra has ever had." A lot of work went into organising the troupe's trip to London, and much of the credit for the success of the event goes to Tarek himself, who spent the past few months coordinating between London and Cairo in order to make it happen.
Thanks are also due to Ministry of Culture officials like Sherif El-Shoubashi, undersecretary for foreign cultural relations, and deputy ministers Nader Hafez and Sayed Awad. Anas El-Fiqi, who heads the Cultural Palaces organisation to which the troupe belongs, also deserves credit.
From the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Special Events coordinator Marion Ellerby was there every step of the way to make sure everything went smoothly, and much credit goes to the orchestra's Marketing Director Nadia Ammar, whose idea it was to bring the troupe over in the first place. But the heftiest cheer must certainly go to the troupe itself, whose energising performance has made them a favourite the world round. Lead dancers Bondoq and Anous put on a spectacular show as usual, and the rest of the troupe -- who include Adel Youssef on sagat, Ahmed Ibrahim on doff, Mohamed Youssef on tabla, musician Mohamed Serour, Hassan Mohamed on salamiya, Saad Korani on rababa, and singer Said Zeidan -- were as wonderful as ever. The troupe's director, Mahmoud Eissa, also deserves thanks for his able leadership and direction.
What a pleasure it was to be on the banks of the Thames, directly across the river from Cleopatra's Needle, watching Egyptian folklore wow the world.
Many happy returns!
Under the supervision of Iman El-Kaffass, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action at the American University in Cairo (AUC), a celebration for Black History was held on 3 February, enhancing Equal Opportunity's ongoing efforts to promote cultural awareness for more diversity and respect of the other. February is internationally dedicated for celebrating the rich heritage of the Black Continent.
A group of distinguished speakers enriched the seminar, including renowned thinker and writer Milad Hanna, who spoke at length of Egypt & Sudan's historical relations and the role Egypt should play within the continent. Dr Hani Ziady, medical officer from the HIV/AIDS & Sexually Transmitted Diseases Unit at the WHO-EMRO also addressed the audience, speaking about the economic, social and health effects of HIV in Africa.
Other speakers included Director of the Students Organisation Activities Mohamed Dabbour, who spoke at length of the importance of diversity at the AUC, then opening the floor to students to share their cultural experiences; Acting Director of the Forced Migration & Refugees Studies Barbara Harrell-Bond, who expressed her concern for the situation of refugees and lack of support from authorities; Director of the African Studies Office Ibrahim El-Nour, who shared his reflections on the African second Diaspora and the effects of Globalisation versus the African Brain Drain.
The Seminar -- coordinated by Sherifa El-Tabei, associate director of EO&AA-- ended on a note emphasising the African cultural heritage through an enchanting musical and dance performance by the African refugees of the Sakakini Sacred Heart Church. Along the same theme, an African Craft Exhibition was on display by the refugees of All Saints Cathedral who manufactured various household items and accessories. Certainly, all guests agreed, there is no better way to link nations than through a cultural exchange and forum.
This week, GSM International appointed Naguib Sawiris, head of ORASCOM TELECOM, to become a member of its board. In the realm of telecom business, that is big, big news -- GSM International being the leading corporation in its field on a global scale, accounting for 72 per cent of the global market. It incorporates 660 mobile network companies servicing 787 million users annually, as well as identifying the needs of the sector worldwide. Sawiris is one of 23 board members that have been chosen to improve service and consult on structural changes within the corporation.
The Breast Cancer Foundation Of Egypt [BCFE] and the Canadian BCFE Fund-Raising Gala Committee held a recognition reception last Tuesday to celebrate the new premises of the NGO -- kindly donated by Al-Walid El-Shafei. The NGO -- which is the first to address the issue of breast cancer in Egypt, aims to address the issue that most Egyptians consider the "bad disease". As Dr Mohamed Shaalan, chair person, stated in his opening speech, the BCFE shall provide education campaigns, early detection, latest research and literature, information on various types of treatment pre and post surgery. It will also guide breast cancer patients to treatment units in government hospitals where -- trained cancer doctors will be available. The starting point is Al-Galaa Public Hospital. BCFE also promises group therapy sessions to patients and their families as a form of support, and awareness. Among the Founding members of BCFE is Ambassador Moushira Khattab, secretary-general of the National Council Of Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM). Among those who attended were the Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Michel de Salaberry -- one of the first supporters of BCFE and initiator of the first gala held last year.
In celebration of the international Valentine's Day, which coincides this year with the Muslim's Eid Al-Adha, the chefs at the Royal Nile Tower Hotel are conjuring up surprises for their guests on Valentine's Day. Executive Chef Patrick Camelia and his team have made special arrangements including exquisite menus and free Valentine's Day desserts to end the perfect meal around the cascading water along with the panoramic view of the Nile.
