Last week my sweets, I enjoyed -- along with my colleague Reham El-Adawi -- a thrilling exhibition of traditional crafts created by students ranging from 10 to 15 years old. The show took place at the Al- Hanager Arts Centre on the Opera House grounds, and was part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) project for poverty eradication through traditional crafts as a window to job opportunities for the poorest of youth. Under the auspices of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Moufid Shehab, and head of the National Committee of UNESCO in Cairo and its Secretary-General Mervat Omar, Al-Hanager director Hoda Wasfi, inaugurated the event, which lasted for three days.
The featured crafts included glasswork, pottery, ceramics, wooden objects, and inscriptions on brass. The project aims to improve the image of craft making professions among pupils, teachers and parents, and to create awareness of the historical, cultural, vocational and aesthetic values that form part of the country's cultural heritage.
Big news, my dears, from the world of music: Mexican musician and composer Sergio Cardenas was designated as the principal conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra on 25 May, replacing Egyptian conductor Ahmed El- Saedi. The announcement was made during a Cairo Opera House press conference headed by Opera House director Samir Farag and attended by Mexican Ambassador to Cairo Miguel Orozco, Cardenas and gifted flutist Inas Abdel-Dayem.
Cardenas was the principal director at the National Symphony of Mexico as well as the director of other respected orchestras in Germany and Austria. Congratulations are also in order for Abdel-Dayiem, who was named the Symphony Orchestra's new manager. Abdel- Dayem, who teaches flute at the Conservatoire, was granted the state's prestigious Prize for Arts and Literature in 2000.
Tahani El-Gibaly, Egypt's first female judge at the Supreme Constitutional Court, was the final speaker at this year's American University in Cairo (AUC) Arabic lecture series, presented by AUC's Public Relations Office at the university's Oriental Hall. AUC PR Director Nagwa Sho'eb welcomed El-Gibaly -- a UN legal expert, international commercial arbitrator, lecturer at the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Tunis, and the first woman elected (in 1992) to the permanent bureau of the Union of Arab Lawyers -- who chose not to talk about women in law, focussing on international legislation instead.
At AUC's School of Sciences Honours Assembly, meanwhile, my dear friend Farkhonda Hassan, AUC chemistry professor and National Council for Women secretary-general, was granted a special honours award by AUC provost Tim Sullivan for her special contribution to the university.
Students from the Modern Education Schools (MES) and their parents gathered together recently at downtown's Al-Gumhouriya Theatre for the kindergarten annual show. It is so lovely, my sweets, to see our children performing before an audience at such a young age. The little ones were dressed up as different Disney characters like Snow White, Cinderella and the Little Mermaid. KG1 showed its nationalistic spirit with a resounding performance of Abdel- Halim Hafez Arab unity classics, while KG2 performed Dalida's popular Adina Bindardesh (We're chatting). Principal Magda Abdel- Moneim deserved all the praise given to her by parents for helping the young ones put on such a great show.
The General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP) and the Cairo Opera House have been busy recently showcasing the arts of Egypt's various governorates for Cairene Opera House patrons. A celebration of Upper Egyptian folklore was a resounding success, featuring folklore troupes from Aswan and Sohag, as well as pottery from Qena and ceramics from the New Valley. GOCP Head Anas El-Fiqi and Opera House Director Samir Farag were amongst those enjoying the show.
While I was fiddling with my TV's remote control recently, a familiar face appeared on the small screen. It was none other than my colleague Mursi Saad El-Din, who was surrounded by a group of well-known men and women from different walks of life, including First Undersecretary for Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Culture Cherif El-Choubashi, poet and deputy editor-in-chief of Nisf Al-Donya magazine Ahmed El-Shahawy, prominent children's writer Fadila Tawfiq (or Abla Fadila as Egyptian children know her), film director Hashim El- Nahhas, as well as journalist and poet Manar Farahat.
It turned out that Gamal El- Sha'er, who heads the Nile Specialised Culture Channel I had tuned to, was awarding the Oscar of Culture to Saad El-Din. My dear colleague seemed overwhelmed by the praise being heaped on him by speaker after speaker, saying, "this reflects what I always call the authority of friendship and love, which is reflected after leaving the authority of a high-ranking position."
Pack of Cards
Last week my sweets, I enjoyed -- along with my colleague Reham El-Adawi -- a thrilling exhibition of traditional crafts created by students ranging from 10 to 15 years old. The show took place at the Al- Hanager Arts Centre on the Opera House grounds, and was part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) project for poverty eradication through traditional crafts as a window to job opportunities for the poorest of youth. Under the auspices of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Moufid Shehab, and head of the National Committee of UNESCO in Cairo and its Secretary-General Mervat Omar, Al-Hanager director Hoda Wasfi, inaugurated the event, which lasted for three days.
Big news, my dears, from the world of music: Mexican musician and composer Sergio Cardenas was designated as the principal conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra on 25 May, replacing Egyptian conductor Ahmed El- Saedi. The announcement was made during a Cairo Opera House press conference headed by Opera House director Samir Farag and attended by Mexican Ambassador to Cairo Miguel Orozco, Cardenas and gifted flutist Inas Abdel-Dayem.
Tahani El-Gibaly, Egypt's first female judge at the Supreme Constitutional Court, was the final speaker at this year's American University in Cairo (AUC) Arabic lecture series, presented by AUC's Public Relations Office at the university's Oriental Hall. AUC PR Director Nagwa Sho'eb welcomed El-Gibaly -- a UN legal expert, international commercial arbitrator, lecturer at the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Tunis, and the first woman elected (in 1992) to the permanent bureau of the Union of Arab Lawyers -- who chose not to talk about women in law, focussing on international legislation instead.
Students from the Modern Education Schools (MES) and their parents gathered together recently at downtown's Al-Gumhouriya Theatre for the kindergarten annual show. It is so lovely, my sweets, to see our children performing before an audience at such a young age. The little ones were dressed up as different Disney characters like Snow White, Cinderella and the Little Mermaid. KG1 showed its nationalistic spirit with a resounding performance of Abdel- Halim Hafez Arab unity classics, while KG2 performed Dalida's popular Adina Bindardesh (We're chatting). Principal Magda Abdel- Moneim deserved all the praise given to her by parents for helping the young ones put on such a great show.
