A wonderful exhibition was inaugurated at the American University in Cairo this week, my dears, and I, of course, was there to see it happen, along with my dear friends Zahi Hawass, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Derick Plumbly, the British ambassador to Cairo, SheikhAli Gomaa, Egypt's Grand Mufti, and David Arnold, the president of AUC.
The exhibition -- "Creswell's Cairo: Then and Now" -- involves a collection of photographs by SirArchibald Creswell, who devoted most of his life to documenting Cairo's Islamic architectural heritage, and left his extensive collection of over 11,000 photographs and a major body of texts to the AUC, where he taught for a number of decades. Creswell is considered the father of the discipline of the history of Islamic Art and Architecture.
In addition to Creswell's historic photos, the exhibition also features shots taken more recently that portray the same exact monuments the way they appear today. The exhibition is ongoing through 29 January.
On 18 January, an exhibition by Al- AhramWeekly's very own caricaturist Georges El-Bahgory is due to be opened by Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dakali at Mashrabia art gallery downtown. Comprising 30 paintings inspired by the famous Moroccan music ensemble led by Abdel-Karim Al- Rais, the show runs through 12 February.
My dynamic friend Mona Makram Ebeid, a former MP and AUC professor of political science, recently took part in the Regional Conference on Democracy, Human Rights, the Rule of Law and the Role of the International Criminal Court, organised by No Peace Without Justice and the Republic of Yemen in Sanaa. She presented an intervention on the role of civil society in promoting human rights and democracy. The conference was held in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme under the auspices of the presidency of the European Union. Keynote speakers included QueenRania of Jordan and PrinceTalal Bin Abdel- Aziz, chairman of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development.
Last December, the Japanese Ambassador to Cairo Kazuyoshi Urabe inaugurated the renovated premises of the Nardine Association's Deaf Unit, which was renewed and furnished with the help of a $34,404 grant from the Japanese Embassy. Established in 1993, the Nardine Association serves hearing-impaired people in Egypt with a boarding school, a vocational training centre and a social club. The association offers education and boarding facilities to 50 children by teaching them sign language, lip-reading and speech therapy.
Also this week, my dear colleague Nesmahar Sayed attended a conference at the Marriott Hotel for undergraduate student leaders from 13 Middle Eastern and North African countries who participated in a US State Department- sponsored pilot programme at Dickinson College in summer 2003.
Four of the students talked to El-Sayed and other Egyptian journalists about their experience. Heba El-Sheikh from Lebanon said the programme helped her learn more about America's attitude towards Arabs. Laila Younis from Jordan said the programme had narrowed the gap between the Middle East, North Africa and the States. According to Mona Dawoud from Egypt, most of the Americans she met who do not work with the government know nothing about Middle Eastern problems or concerns.
US Embassy Cultural Attaché Elizabeth Thornhill said that Aisha Elhamy, another of the students, had decided, after returning home to the Emirates after the programme, to help her society find out more about Americans via similar programmes. The Emirati education minister has supported the initiative and, the scheduled programme -- which will host American students -- will be sponsored by Sheikh Zayid University.
Finally, my dears, the Centre For Development and Population Activities, in collaboration with the Youth Ministry under the auspices of Youth Minister Alieddin Hilal, held a camp at the Institute of Training and Research for Family Planning (ITRFP) in Alexandria from 23-30 December 2003.
The camp aimed at catalysing cultural and intellectual exchange among the participants in order to develop their leadership skills. Participants came from the governorates of Ismailia, Beni Suef, Qena and Sohag.
Pack of Cards
A wonderful exhibition was inaugurated at the American University in Cairo this week, my dears, and I, of course, was there to see it happen, along with my dear friends Zahi Hawass, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Derick Plumbly, the British ambassador to Cairo, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Egypt's Grand Mufti, and David Arnold, the president of AUC.
On 18 January, an exhibition by Al- Ahram Weekly's very own caricaturist Georges El-Bahgory is due to be opened by Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dakali at Mashrabia art gallery downtown. Comprising 30 paintings inspired by the famous Moroccan music ensemble led by Abdel-Karim Al- Rais, the show runs through 12 February.
My dynamic friend Mona Makram Ebeid, a former MP and AUC professor of political science, recently took part in the Regional Conference on Democracy, Human Rights, the Rule of Law and the Role of the International Criminal Court, organised by No Peace Without Justice and the Republic of Yemen in Sanaa. She presented an intervention on the role of civil society in promoting human rights and democracy. The conference was held in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme under the auspices of the presidency of the European Union. Keynote speakers included Queen Rania of Jordan and Prince Talal Bin Abdel- Aziz, chairman of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development.
Last December, the Japanese Ambassador to Cairo Kazuyoshi Urabe inaugurated the renovated premises of the Nardine Association's Deaf Unit, which was renewed and furnished with the help of a $34,404 grant from the Japanese Embassy. Established in 1993, the Nardine Association serves hearing-impaired people in Egypt with a boarding school, a vocational training centre and a social club. The association offers education and boarding facilities to 50 children by teaching them sign language, lip-reading and speech therapy.
Also this week, my dear colleague Nesmahar Sayed attended a conference at the Marriott Hotel for undergraduate student leaders from 13 Middle Eastern and North African countries who participated in a US State Department- sponsored pilot programme at Dickinson College in summer 2003.
Finally, my dears, the Centre For Development and Population Activities, in collaboration with the Youth Ministry under the auspices of Youth Minister Alieddin Hilal, held a camp at the Institute of Training and Research for Family Planning (ITRFP) in Alexandria from 23-30 December 2003.
