¨ Last Saturday, my sweets, the Italian Embassy overlooking the Nile in Garden City was packed with philanthropists. The occasion? Antonio Badini -- the Italian Ambassador in Egypt -- was hosting a creative event meant to gather donations for the Italian Hospital Umberto I in Abbassiya. As my dear colleague Reham El-Adawi tells me, the embassy's grand hall, with its elegant ambiance, was filled with mingling guests mesmerised by the 18th century music being played by the San Carlo Ensemble from Naples, featuring violinists Marianna Muresanu, Giuseppe Navelli, Pietro Lopopolo on viola, Ilie Lonescu on violoncello and Umberto Leonardo on guitar.
At the lavish dinner reception, Badini introduced the party's guest of honour, Health Minister Mohamed Awad Tageddin. National Council for Motherhood and Childhood Secretary-General Moushira Khattab was also there. The party ended with valuable door prize giveaways and an auction featuring precious paintings and priceless antique watches, all donated by individuals and companies.
The embassy hopes to raise enough money to donate state-of-the-art equipment to the hospital, which dates back to 1903 and is named after Italy's second king, Umberto I.
Cairo Opera House director Samir Farag was honoured recently, my dears, by Giza's Rotary Club for his endless efforts in promoting highbrow music and art amongst youngsters and adults. The opera's expanding calendar of events, as well as its physical expansion, with several affiliated venues in Alexandria, means it has become a true cultural lighthouse for Egypt and the Arab world. The club's head, Samia El-Zonfoli, handed Farag a certificate of recognition in the presence of Egypt's former ambassador to Turkey, Mohamed Eissa.
I was eager, my loves, to catch the crucial seminar organised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in cooperation with the International Committee for Protecting the Lebanese City of Tyre. How I adore anything that has to do with protecting and promoting our glorious heritage. In this case, I had plenty of company. SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawass said the Lebanese committee -- which is presided over by Maha Shalabi -- chose the Egyptian Museum as the place from which to launch its campaign to protect Tyre, one of the world's most important cultural and antiquity sights.
I also found out that Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said Egypt was ready to cooperate with UNESCO and other international cultural organisations to collect donations to save the antique city. Amongst the speakers at the seminar were Ali Radwan, head of the Arab Archaeologists Association, and Mustafa El-Ebadi, Graeco-Roman antiquities professor at Alexandria University. The attendees included People's Assembly foreign relations committee head, Mustafa El-Fiqi, AUC political science professor, Mona Makram Ebeid, and gorgeous actress Mervat Amin, who all enjoyed a musical performance by violinist Attiya Sharara, along with Ashraf Sharara on cello and Ashraf Essam on percussion.
I had a great time, my sweets, at my diligent colleague Nader Habib 's engagement party. Nader 's engagement to Donia Wagdy, a journalist at Watani weekly newspaper, took place at the Holy Virgin Church in East Abassiya.
Nader 's parents -- interior designer Fouad Habib and Fayka Fakhouri, general manager of the Museum of Egyptian Civilisation -- and Donia 's parents -- artist Wagdy Habashy and his lovely wife -- were beaming with pride. The guests included Watani 's Editor-in-Chief Youssef Sidhom and Al-Ahram Deputy Editor-in-Chief Salwa Habib, as well as Nader 's friends from his alma mater, the Sadat Academy for Management Sciences.
An exhibition by artist Saad Zaghloul is currently showing at the Cairo Atelier. The show -- which was opened by General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP) head Anas El-Fiqi and veteran actor Hamdi Ahmed -- includes 25 oil and pastel paintings depicting Egyptian village children and their traditions. Zaghloul is quite famous in his native Assiut for the revival of the art and industry of el-talli, a decorative way of using chiffon and silver.
It is worth mentioning that this is the first time the IPRA -- an organisation for public relations professionals spanning a thousand members from 90 countries -- chooses a president from the Middle East or Africa. Zaklama, who is originally from Luxor, is considered a PR pioneer in Egypt and the Arab World.
My hard-working colleague Nesmahar Sayed told me something interesting recently. She had just come back from a press conference being held by the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW), where activist and ADEW Board Chairman Eman Idris had just, for the first time, made public the annual budget and total funds of an Egyptian NGO. All these accounting details were also distributed to all the attendees. Guests -- including NGO Public Union Executive Manager Ibrahim Imam -- were impressed by the transparency.
Idris said making the budget public represented an approach that was meant to inspire more confidence between NGOs, society and the media. In this case, it certainly resulted in quite a bit of interest from attendees who wanted to learn more about the organisation's activities.
Cairo Opera House director Samir Farag was honoured recently, my dears, by Giza's Rotary Club for his endless efforts in promoting highbrow music and art amongst youngsters and adults. The opera's expanding calendar of events, as well as its physical expansion, with several affiliated venues in Alexandria, means it has become a true cultural lighthouse for Egypt and the Arab world. The club's head, Samia El-Zonfoli, handed Farag a certificate of recognition in the presence of Egypt's former ambassador to Turkey, Mohamed Eissa. 
I was eager, my loves, to catch the crucial seminar organised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in cooperation with the International Committee for Protecting the Lebanese City of Tyre. How I adore anything that has to do with protecting and promoting our glorious heritage. In this case, I had plenty of company. SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawass said the Lebanese committee -- which is presided over by Maha Shalabi -- chose the Egyptian Museum as the place from which to launch its campaign to protect Tyre, one of the world's most important cultural and antiquity sights. 
I had a great time, my sweets, at my diligent colleague Nader Habib 's engagement party. Nader 's engagement to Donia Wagdy, a journalist at Watani weekly newspaper, took place at the Holy Virgin Church in East Abassiya. 
An exhibition by artist Saad Zaghloul is currently showing at the Cairo Atelier. The show -- which was opened by General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP) head Anas El-Fiqi and veteran actor Hamdi Ahmed -- includes 25 oil and pastel paintings depicting Egyptian village children and their traditions. Zaghloul is quite famous in his native Assiut for the revival of the art and industry of el-talli, a decorative way of using chiffon and silver.
It is worth mentioning that this is the first time the IPRA -- an organisation for public relations professionals spanning a thousand members from 90 countries -- chooses a president from the Middle East or Africa. Zaklama, who is originally from Luxor, is considered a PR pioneer in Egypt and the Arab World. 
My hard-working colleague Nesmahar Sayed told me something interesting recently. She had just come back from a press conference being held by the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW), where activist and ADEW Board Chairman Eman Idris had just, for the first time, made public the annual budget and total funds of an Egyptian NGO. All these accounting details were also distributed to all the attendees. Guests -- including NGO Public Union Executive Manager Ibrahim Imam -- were impressed by the transparency. 
