Pack of Cards By Madame Sosostris

Ramadan is in full swing, my dears, and this week, my pack is chock full of interesting after-iftar activities for the whole family. Layali Al-Mahrousa (Cairo Nights) -- a series of nightly activities at the Al-Sayeda Zeinab Culture Garden -- was recently inaugurated by Culture Minister Farouk Hosni in the presence of a bevy of prominent personalities, including Samir Sarhan, head of the General Egyptian Book Organisation (GEBO), Gaber Asfour, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Culture, and Sayed Awad, the Culture Ministry first under-secretary who supervised the celebration. The garden features nightly concerts and poetry readings, traditional handicraft and fine art exhibitions, and activities for children as well. Part of the garden has been designed to look like an ancient Mameluke district of Cairo. Open discussions on current social, political and cultural issues will also be held, featuring impressive speakers like Youth Minister Alieddin Hilal, Al-Ahram's Al-Siyassa Al-Dawlia editor Osama El-Ghazali Harb, Sawt El-Umma editor Adel Hammouda, Al-Osbu' editor Mustafa Bakri, and Mubarak Library Director Abdel-Raouf El-Ridi. Anas El-Fiqi, who heads the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces, under whose auspices the events are being held, also told me that there will be several seminars on the most successful TV series being aired this month. Scriptwriters Mahfouz Abdel-Rahman, Osama Anwar Okasha, Fathiya El-Assal and Azza Heikal will be speaking, along with veteran actor and director Nour El-Sherif, who will discuss the role of Amr Ibn Al-Aas, which he is currently playing in the historical drama The Man of Destinies.

GEBO, meanwhile, is also holding its own set of Ramadan-related activities at its Nile Corniche headquarters. The organisation's Ramadan Cultural Evenings will feature discussions of issues covered by the Family Library series of books published by the organisation since 1994. Prominent intellectuals, authors and artists will be taking part. The first night's topic was the Sixth of October War. It featured veteran pilot Abdel- Fatah Kato, director Enam Mohamed Ali and actor Ezzat El-Alayli, as well as a poetry recital by Ahmed Abdel-Mo'ti Hegazi.

Another wing of the Culture Ministry -- the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) -- is also sponsoring its own intense programme of events this month at six different venues. CDF Director Salah Shaqwir told me that vernacular poet Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi, together with Al-Sira Al- Hilaliya veteran Sayed El-Dawi, will be narrating the second part of the Beni Hilal saga at Beit Al-Suheimi from 30 October until 8 November, and then at the Alexandria Centre of Arts on 12 November. At Beit Al-Harrawi, meanwhile, concerts featuring Rahala, the Banat Al-Nil band, Al-Tanboura troupe, and Sheikh Yassin El-Tohami will be held. At Beit Zeinab Khatoun, the CDF is hosting its seventh annual art creativity souq, where audiovisual cultural products, as well as paintings and traditional handicrafts, are displayed and sold.

The Ebdaa Art Gallery in Mohandessin is also celebrating the holy month with a showcase of Arabic calligraphy paintings by veteran artist Mounir El-Shaarani, as well as a collection of Mohamed Zaher's carpets inspired by Islamic art. The exhibition opens today and will remain on display until 20 November.

Last Saturday, my sweets, at the American University in Cairo's (AUC) Ewart Memorial Hall, a touching celebration was held to honour the memory of Edward Said, the great thinker who recently passed away. The hall was absolutely packed, bearing witness to the love and respect people have for Said. AUC Provost Tim Sullivan introduced the event, after which we listened to a message sent by Said's wife Miriam. Author Gamal El-Ghitani, AUC English literature professor Doris Shoukri, and Faculty of Arts' professor Hoda Guindi were amongst the speakers. A film about Said's life was shown, documenting both his upbringing as well as his thoughts on the Palestinian ordeal and other important issues. A clip from Youssef Shahin's film The Other was also shown, featuring Said in a heated discussion about Palestine. I am proud to say that our own cultural editor Mursi Saad El-Din was also there representing the Weekly, along with our chief sub-editor Ian Douglas. Saad El-Din spoke of Said's agreement -- which began in 1993 and continued until a few weeks before his passing -- to contribute two articles a month to the paper. According to Saad El-Din, in all the topics Said dealt with -- politics, literature, music, etc -- his central theme was the integrity of man as a political, social and cultural animal. I must thank Nagwa Shoeb, head of Public Relations at AUC, and her team, for doing a wonderful job organising the event and producing a lovely programme that included a copy of a recent lecture Said delivered at the AUC.

Another AUC event I'd like to tell you all about was the recent Cairo International Model Arab League (CIMAL) that was attended by my dear colleague Mustafa El- Menshawy. CIMAL is in its 14th year, and featured more than 300 students from Egyptian and other universities this time around. AUC President David Arnold told me that these kinds of events inspire students to be "active, informed and good citizens". Journalists Syndicate head Galal Aref and Yemeni Embassy Press Counsellor Gamila Ali Ragaa showed up on the first day to offer encouraging words to the enthusiastic students. Amongst this year's highlights was the announcement that Qatar had donated $500,000 to the university's political science department, which organises CIMAL. Qatari Ambassador to Cairo Mohamed Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa described the grant as a "personal gift" from Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa. Kuwaiti Ambassador Ahmed Al-Kuleimi also told me the Arab League itself could benefit from these sorts of discussions, as they provided a great deal of insight into the mindsets of the young.

Last but certainly not least, my dears, I'd like to offer my sincerest congratulation to my dear colleague Mohamed Taymour, general manager of Al-Ahram Printing Press, who celebrated the engagement of his lovely daughter Shahira to Shady Fathi, son of Al Gharbiya Governor Fathi Saad. Shahira and Shady are both engineers, by the way. The party was held at the Ramsis Hilton, and attended by a great many Al- Ahram veterans, including the Weekly's Layout Editor Samir Sobhi. Pop star Bahaa Sultan provided the entertainment. Alf Mabrouk to the happy couple!

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 6 - 12 November 2003 (Issue No. 663)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/663/pe1.htm