Pack of Cards By Madame Sosostris I know just how much all of you appreciate my highlighting of the city's top cultural activities this month, so I'll begin my pack with more of that kind of news...

The Cervantes Institute (The Spanish Cultural Centre in Cairo and Alexandria) has been hosting a tent at the centre's garden in Doqqi, featuring a programme dedicated to exploring some of the finer genres of Egyptian folklore. The centre's director, Luis Moratinos , is aiming to acquaint the Spanish community in Egypt with some of the inherited cultural traditions and customs that accompany the holy month. The programme has featured troupes like Port- Said's Al-Tanboura, who played Sufi and folk songs accompanied by the simsimia, as well as the Qithara band, led by Alfred Gamil, who performed classical Arabic songs. Tonight is your last chance to enjoy the show, which concludes with the Al-Tanoura whirling dervishes and their fascinating twirling.

In the Cairo district of Saray Al-Qobba, at the Saad Al- Khadem and Effat Naguie Museum, an evening of poetry is being held on 18 November under the auspices of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and Ahmed Nawwar, who heads the ministry's Fine Arts Sector. Alexandrian vernacular poet Mohamed El-Bor'i, will journey down memory lane, celebrating the poetry of Fouad Hadad, Salah Jahine, and others. The words will be accompanied by Ali Ismail on oud and Ragi Kamal on qannun.

At Studio 206 in Maadi, meanwhile, a couple of interesting events are also taking place this month. On Friday the 14th, a discussion of Gibran Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, moderated by the Pen Temple Pilots, begins at 9pm, while on the 18th, the film Al- Risala -- about the life of Prophet Mohamed -- will be shown at the same time. The studio is located _ appropriately enough considering the name -- at 49 Road 206 in Maadi.

Those wild and crazy announcers on the Nile Variety Channel have been performing their routines during Ramadan at Cairo's Conrad hotel, which is sponsoring the channel's "Iftar Ma'ana" (Have Your Iftar With Us) programme. Every night the hotel -- in cooperation with channel head Salma El-Shamaa -- has been treating VIPs and public figures to luxurious iftars, which are broadcast on air.

I, meanwhile, attended two very interesting iftars hosted by the American University in Cairo (AUC) last week, my sweets. The first -- organised by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action department in collaboration with the Student Development Office and the Student Union -- also featured a forum celebrating Egypt. Several speakers -- including "Egypt My Love" society president Raghda El- Ibrashi -- gave presentations that received much applause from the audience. Renowned history professor Ne'mat Ahmed Fouad spoke about the Pharaonic era's respect for women, while AUC economics professor Galal Amin discussed the gap between the older and younger generations. Actor Mahmoud Qabil highlighted the important role played by artists and media in social development, while veteran author and thinker Milad Hanna charmed the audience with his call for support for marginalised groups. Businesswoman Odette Iskander spoke of the problems young people face when trying to start up small-scale industries, while Tahani El-Gebali, the first female Egyptian judge at the Supreme Constitutional Court, concluded the discussion by saying she was actually not the first Egyptian judge! That honour, she said, went to Maet, the Pharaonic goddess. Last Monday, the AUC Public Relations Office, directed by Nagwa Shoeb, hosted its annual Media Iftar, which was followed by a discussion about "Changes in Egyptian Society as Reflected in the Novel Ya'qubian's Building". It featured none other than Alaa El- Aswani, the author of the novel, who said the secret of the book's success, was in the way it dealt with the dilemmas of the lower classes using simple and straightforward language. Economics professor Amin, meanwhile, who also spoke, said that he admired the book because it sincerely reflected the social and economic changes that have taken place in Egypt over the past 30 years. Amongst the journalists, media figures and artists in attendance, I spied Al-Bayt magazine Chief Editor Silvia El- Naqadi, writer Samir Shehata and illustrator Makram Henein from Al- Ahram, author Gamal El-Ghetani, veteran comedian and UN Good Will Ambassador Adel Imam, as well as actress Nadia Lutfi.

Congratulations are in order for Ahmed Nassar, who was recently named Food and Beverage Manager at Katamiya Heights. The Nile Hilton operates the club, and the hotel's general manager, Jean-Pierre Mainardi, announced the appointment. Nassar joined the hotel in 1971, and has worked in food and beverages as well as the purchasing department. He also assisted in the opening of the Khartoum Hilton.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has received a $3.1 million grant from the Japanese government for use in its campaign against polio in Egypt. The grant was formalised at a Ministry of Health ceremony attended by Japan's Ambassador to Egypt Kazuyoshi Urabe, UNICEF representative in Egypt Shahida Azfar, and Health Minister Mohamed Awad Tageddin. Azfar said that with the support of partners like Japan, "there's every reason to hope that within the next two years, Egypt will join the 93 other countries where transmission of the disease has been halted."

An NGO Forum organised by the Italian Embassy was held on 11 November at the Helnan Shepheard Hotel. Entitled "Dialogue on Italian Egyptian Non-Governmental Cooperation", the forum's objective was to consolidate and increase the relationships between NGOs in both countries. Italian NGOs illustrated the significant progress they have achieved in Egypt, placing it in the context of the overall objectives of Italian development strategy in the Mediterranean. Italian NGOs are currently implementing three projects in partnership with Egyptian NGOs, with three more projects in the start-up phase. The total budget allocated to these projects is 7.83 million Euros. The projects are focussed on the enhancement of women's education in Sohag, micro, small and medium enterprises in Giza, handicrafts in Aswan, Cairo, Matrouh, Sinai, Sohag, Fayoum, Beheira, Sharqiya and the Red Sea, and eco- tourism in Fayoum.

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 13 - 19 November 2003 (Issue No. 664)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/664/pe1.htm