Ramadan begins this week, my dears, and that means that for the next month my pack will be filled with tasty morsels from the holy month's lively social scene. For now, though, my sweets, I'll just give you a preview of the offerings in store. This year, the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces, which is headed by Anas El-Fiqi, is organising a literary competition inspired by the traditions and rituals of Ramadan. El-Fiqi says the competition will centre on topics like Ramadan in Arabic poetry, the customs and traditions associated with the holy month, and various culinary matters. It sounds intriguing, to say the least.
I am extremely happy to report, my loves, that my dear and diligent colleague Reham El-Adawi -- whose name I'm sure you have all seen many times on this page -- recently celebrated her engagement at the Egyptian Rowing Club overlooking the Nile on the Giza corniche. Reham's fiancé is Mohamed Baraka, a journalist with Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, and an aspiring novelist as well. The close-knit gathering also featured many friends of Nagwa El-Ashri -- Reham's mother who is a painter and a prominent Al-Ahram art critic. These included Baraka's Editor-in-Chief Osama Saraya, his former managing editor, Mohamed El-Said Idris (who also happens to be Reham's uncle), and Nabil El-Wardani, the General Manager of Al- Ahram's Information Technology Centre.
The EgyptAir Arabic Music Ensemble's gifted singer and oud player Mohie Salah entertained the guests and the happy couple, who I must say truly looked radiant with love and the dreamy reality of a beautiful future together. Alf MabroukMohamed and Reham!
Congratulations are also in order for Emile Ezzat, the General Manager of Scandinavian Airline SAS's Egypt office, who received The Polar Star medal from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Swedish Ambassador to Cairo Sven Gustaf Linder bestowed the honour on Ezzat at a reception held at Linder's residence. Ezzat has served SAS for almost 50 years and has been the company's first non-Scandinavian General Manager, responsible for Egypt as well as the rest of North Africa, since 1981.
Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz was granted the 2003 Mediterranean Arts Prize by the Laboratorio Mediterraneo Foundation (LMF) and the Mediterranean Academy of Naples this week. The Academy's Director General, Michele Capasso, and Secretary General Nader Mohamed Aziz, as well as LMF President Caterina Arcidiacono and Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini, paid the great novelist a visit at his Agouza residence to give him the prize.
Also in attendance were two of my colleagues, Al-Ahram Hebdo Editor-in-Chief Mohamed Salmawy and the magazine's managing editor Aicha Abdel-Ghafar. The prize celebrates "the depth of [Mahfouz's] inspiration and the quality of his style." Mahfouz's brave stands against fanaticism and social injustice were also commemorated. First created in 1997, the prize has also been bestowed upon MrsSuzanne Mubarak and Jordan's late KingHussein. The academy also recently published a bilingual English-Italian book on late Egyptian filmmaker Salah Abou-Seif, featuring an introduction by none other than Mahfouz himself.
I am sorry to say that a dear friend of mine, Shri Vipul, the second secretary for information at the Indian Embassy, is bidding Cairo farewell. A reception, attended by a bevy of media personalities, journalists and members of Egypt's Indian community, was held in Vipul's honour by Kanchan Gupta, who heads the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture.
The opening ceremony of the American University in Cairo's 14th Cairo International Model Arab League is being held from 21- 25 October at Ewart Hall. The keynote speakers are set to be Journalists' Syndicate head Galal Aref and Yemeni Embassy Press Councilor Jamila Ali Rajaa. The guest of honour was Qatari Ambassador to Cairo Mohamed Bin Hamad Al- Khalifa.
Veteran actress Ma'ali Zayed is also a painter, my sweets, and a recent exhibition of her work was opened in the presence of a bevy of film and TV personalities including comic superstars Adel Imam and Samir Ghanem, directors Mohamed Diaaeddin and Mohamed El-Naggar, as well as actresses Shouikar and Dalal Abdel-Aziz. Taking place at the Grant gallery, the actress's first exhibition was inaugurated by Fine Artists Syndicate Head Moustafa Hussein. Titled "The Other Face", it features 22 oil paintings that Zayed said took a full year to produce.
The AUC Press recently celebrated the publication of Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass's new book The Treasures of the Pyramids. MrsSuzanne Mubarak authored the book's foreword. AUC Press Director Mark Linz, actresses Lubna Abdel-Aziz and Ma'ali Zayed, actor Ezzat El-Alaili, archaeologist Ali Radwan, and Sound and Light Board Chairman Mohamed Shafiq, amongst others, attended the event, which took place at the Mena House Hotel. The book itself covers recent archaeological discoveries that have taken place near the Pyramids.
My attention was recently alerted to a unique new way that adventurous couples can celebrate their wedding. It seems you no longer have to be a qualified diver to take your vows underwater, thanks to the Holiday Inn Safaga Palace Resort's new underwater wedding ceremony packages that include diving lessons for two. That prospect, my dears, certainly makes me wish I were still in the marriage market. Then again, who knows? Maybe I still am.
Pack of Cards
I am extremely happy to report, my loves, that my dear and diligent colleague Reham El-Adawi -- whose name I'm sure you have all seen many times on this page -- recently celebrated her engagement at the Egyptian Rowing Club overlooking the Nile on the Giza corniche. Reham's fiancé is Mohamed Baraka, a journalist with Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, and an aspiring novelist as well. The close-knit gathering also featured many friends of Nagwa El-Ashri -- Reham's mother who is a painter and a prominent Al-Ahram art critic. These included Baraka's Editor-in-Chief Osama Saraya, his former managing editor, Mohamed El-Said Idris (who also happens to be Reham's uncle), and Nabil El-Wardani, the General Manager of Al- Ahram's Information Technology Centre.
Congratulations are also in order for Emile Ezzat, the General Manager of Scandinavian Airline SAS's Egypt office, who received The Polar Star medal from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Swedish Ambassador to Cairo Sven Gustaf Linder bestowed the honour on Ezzat at a reception held at Linder's residence. Ezzat has served SAS for almost 50 years and has been the company's first non-Scandinavian General Manager, responsible for Egypt as well as the rest of North Africa, since 1981.
Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz was granted the 2003 Mediterranean Arts Prize by the Laboratorio Mediterraneo Foundation (LMF) and the Mediterranean Academy of Naples this week. The Academy's Director General, Michele Capasso, and Secretary General Nader Mohamed Aziz, as well as LMF President Caterina Arcidiacono and Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini, paid the great novelist a visit at his Agouza residence to give him the prize.
Veteran actress Ma'ali Zayed is also a painter, my sweets, and a recent exhibition of her work was opened in the presence of a bevy of film and TV personalities including comic superstars Adel Imam and Samir Ghanem, directors Mohamed Diaaeddin and Mohamed El-Naggar, as well as actresses Shouikar and Dalal Abdel-Aziz. Taking place at the Grant gallery, the actress's first exhibition was inaugurated by Fine Artists Syndicate Head Moustafa Hussein. Titled "The Other Face", it features 22 oil paintings that Zayed said took a full year to produce.
The AUC Press recently celebrated the publication of Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass's new book The Treasures of the Pyramids. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak authored the book's foreword. AUC Press Director Mark Linz, actresses Lubna Abdel-Aziz and Ma'ali Zayed, actor Ezzat El-Alaili, archaeologist Ali Radwan, and Sound and Light Board Chairman Mohamed Shafiq, amongst others, attended the event, which took place at the Mena House Hotel. The book itself covers recent archaeological discoveries that have taken place near the Pyramids.
My attention was recently alerted to a unique new way that adventurous couples can celebrate their wedding. It seems you no longer have to be a qualified diver to take your vows underwater, thanks to the Holiday Inn Safaga Palace Resort's new underwater wedding ceremony packages that include diving lessons for two. That prospect, my dears, certainly makes me wish I were still in the marriage market. Then again, who knows? Maybe I still am.
