It's cap and gown time of year again, my dears, which means I was at the Cairo International Conference Centre on 15 June to attend the American University in Cairo's (AUC) 80th Annual Commencement.
During the undergraduate commencement, AUC President Thomas Bartlett and Provost Tim Sullivan awarded an honourary doctorate degree to Hanan Ashrawi, prominent Palestinian politician and the founder and secretary-general of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). Ashrawi gave the commencement speech on "The Arab Agenda in the Face of Global Challenges and Change Needed from Within."
"Peace is not an embarrassment or a shameful act or a secret indulgence, rather it's a value in itself and the ultimate human right, to be pursued with courage and openness," Ashrawi told the more than 300 graduating students, as well as the professors and parents who attended the ceremony.
As always, the graduating class featured the children of many of Egypt's most prominent figures, including Tarek, the grandson of Shura Council head Mustafa Kamal Helmi. It was also a special occasion for several Al- Ahram families. Ahmed, the son of our colleague Ali El-Weteidi, the general manager of Al-Ahram's Engineering Department, and Eyad, the brother of the Weekly's (as well as Al- Ahram's) very own Washington correspondent Khaled Dawoud, were also amongst the graduating class.
Meanwhile, the Ahmed El- Mahallawy Family Award, presented in the name of late Al- Ahram journalist Nawal El- Mahallawy, was given to Journalism and Mass Communication major Marwa Shalaby.
Last Thursday, 79 graduate students also received their degrees at a parallel ceremony held at the university's Ewart Memorial Hall. The commencement address was delivered by the Weekly's very own political analyst and Al-Ahram columnist Mohamed Sid Ahmed, who said: "I first want to thank the AUC for inviting me to speak on this prestigious occasion, and to share with you, in all honesty, some of my thoughts at this time of heated debates, great uncertainties, sharp polarisation and a general tendency towards extremism."
My week also featured another graduation of sorts, the celebration that was held for my dear friend Mona Zaki, on the occasion of her doctorate degree defense before the committee of the Maastricht School of Management in Holland. Zaki's pioneering research was on "the impact of organisational worldviews of public relations practitioners on their strategic thinking". She is the first Egyptian to receive a PhD with distinction and honours from this esteemed university.
A fantastic reception was held at the Cairo Capital Club to celebrate the event. Zaki's family, including her mother, Isis, director of public relations for the French Embassy, Zaki's husband, the opthamologist and artist Farid Fadel and her sister Ola, wife of renowned businessman Raouf Ghabbour attended. Several prominent businessmen were also there, including Mohamed Mansour, Emad Taymour, Hazim Hassan, and Moataz Raslan, as was my dear friend Sarwat Abd El-Shahid, a lawyer of the Supreme Court and former state counsellor, and his charming wife Afaf.
The diplomatic community was also well represented by the ambassadors of France, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and Norway, as well as retired Egyptian Ambassadors Abdel-Raouf El-Ridi and Mohamed Shaker and their spouses.
The Weekly's very own Editor-in-Chief Hosny Guindy and his lovely wife Moushira were also there to wish Zaki well.
What a week, my sweets! I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the exhibition of oil paintings by Rinku Singh, wife of the Indian Ambassador to Egypt Satnam Jit Singh, which opened at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture downtown. The opening was attended by Hoda Maher, wife of Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, Ismail Mubarak, the head of public relations at Al-Gezirah Sheraton, as well as a bevy of Egyptian art critics, media figures, diplomats and intellectuals.
Rinku is an ardent champion of women's rights and truly believes that a vast world of freedom awaits women beyond the confines of their homes. She is also accomplished in the craft of ceramics, porcelain, paintings, découpage and collage. The proceeds from Rinku's first exhibition of oil paintings will be donated to the Association of Friends of Egypt's National Cancer Institute.
And finally, my dears, I'd just like to let you know that the Lufthansa City Centre group in Egypt, in cooperation with Lufthansa, recently organised a presentation of the products and services they offer, at a wonderful cocktail reception that I attended along with dozens of jet-setters like myself. Andrea Nehren from the group's headquarters in Frankfurt, introduced the invitees to the members of the group, which include Amarco Tours, Harty Tours, Ittatours and Seti First.
Pack of Cards
