Pack of Cards

By Madame Sosostris

My pack this week, my sweets, consists of an extremely interesting cross-cultural event -- the 2003 German Festival scheduled to take place from 2-23 October in Cairo and Alexandria. "Germany and Egypt meet -- Culture as a Bridge for Dialogue" is the festival's slogan, and true to it, there will be a bevy of cultural activities on offer.

The festival -- which coincides with the opening of both the German University in Cairo as well as the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce's new headquarters -- will be inaugurated under the auspices of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak and Martin Kobler, the German ambassador to Cairo.

Organised by the Goethe Institute in Cairo and Alexandria and the German Embassy, one of the festival's goals is to encourage an exchange between artists and musicians from both countries. The event begins with a performance by the world famous Stuttgart Ballet Troupe at the Cairo Opera House, and an art exhibition featuring works by six of the most famous contemporary German artists. A silent film -- The Adventures of Prince Ahmed -- will also be shown, accompanied by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Frank Strobel, and the classical trio Opus 8. There will also be a recital by German and Egyptian poets as well as a concert by Iraqi oud maestro Nassir Shamma and German guitarist Ansgar Krause. The festival concludes with a major pop concert at Cairo Stadium featuring the pop stars Shireen from Egypt and Rolf Stahlhofen from Germany.