During the Middle Ages, a brilliant cultural movement flourished around the Mediterranean, from Andalus in the west to Iraq in the east, where artists, musicians and philosophers belonged to more or less the same culture and spoke more or less the same language, enabling them to travel freely and exchange experiences. "From the Euphrates to Guadalquivir" gathers musicians from Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Spain around the shared musical heritage of the Arabs and Spain. On the programme are performances by the Musica Antigua Quintet, the Ibn Arabi Ensemble and the Nasseer Shamma Ensemble, all heirs to a glorious tradition in which beauty and aesthetic accomplishment went hand in hand with searching for the divine and generating a spiritual atmosphere. The Musica Antigua Quintet, directed by Eduardo Paniagua, specialises in Mediaeval Spanish music; its aim is to bring back to life the rich legacy of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions that co- existed in Spain. Eduardo Paniagua, Czsar Carazo, Wafir Sheik and David Mayoral, though working in perfect harmony, manage to pool together an impressive range of talents. The Ibn Arabi Ensemble represents one of the main traditions of Andalusian music, preserved and cherished in Morocco to this day. The plaintive melodies of the nay, the deep rhythms of the bendir and the inflexions of the voice combine to create a spiritual atmosphere. Ahmed, Abdullah and Osama Al-Kheligh, Abdul-Houahid Senhaji, Haroun Teboul and Keyvan Chemirani, its members, named themselves after the great Sufi master because they belong of the Siddiqiya order of Maghrebi dervishes. The famous Iraqi oud virtuoso and composer Shamma has brought together musicians from Egypt and Syria with a view of resuscitating the rich tradition of the moaxaja ( muwashahat in Arabic), a lyrical poetic form that originated in Andalus and underwent major developments in the Middle East. Under the auspices of the Spanish Embassy, this outstanding programme will take place in a variety of historical sites in Islamic Cairo, at Al-Geneina Theatre in Al-Azhar Park. (see Ramadan Special, Listings p.5) photos: Ayman Barayez A cultural gathering held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the occasion of the International Economic Forum brought Mohamed Shafiq Gabr, the organiser, together with Jordanian Prince Al-Hassan Bin Talal, president of the Arab Thought Forum, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Hilal, Minister of Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish, MP Hossam Badrawi, head of Misr International University for Science and Technology Nawal El-Degwi, Supreme Constitutional Court judge Tahani El-Gebali, actress and goodwill ambassador Youssra, and veteran comedian Adel Imam -- the only actor to have a private meeting with the prince, who was otherwise too busy delivering lectures. Gabr and Prince Al-Hassan discussed enhancing the role of businessmen in developing Arab societies. The Lebanese-Egyptian Friendship Association, directed by Negad Shaarawi, honoured three ambassadors for their remarkable achievements in diplomacy at the Tiba Hall, Semiramis Hotel: Lebanese ambassador to Egypt Khaled Zeyada, Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Ahmed Bedawi and former Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Hussein Darrar. Present were, among other prominent figures, Ali Maher, Hassan Shash, Ali El-Halabi, Hatem Sadek, Ahmed Baydoun, Ghazy Nasser and Feisal Fetfet. To mark the Saudi National Day, Ambassador Ahmed Abdul-Aziz Al-Qattan, Saudi Arabia's representative in the Arab League, gave a lavish reception at the Cleopatra Hall, also in the Semiramis. His guests included Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general, parliamentary speaker Fathi Sorour, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq and actors Nabila Ebeid, Afaf Shoeib and El - Montasser Billah. Dean of the J Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University H Fenwick Huss and his counterpart at the Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Mohamed Youssef signed the Business Education and Private Sector Alignment project at the Cairo University Ahmed Lutfi Al-Sayed Hall, Nesmahar Sayed reports. The three-year project has at its disposal $400,000 from USAID Egypt and the American Council of Education. According to Youssef, the partnership aims to develop the curricula and introduce new programmes with an eye on Egyptian market requirements. It will also enable the faculty to set up a coordination council bringing professional organisations together with the business community at large. Present at the ceremony were Professor Ali Abdel-Rahman, chairman of Cairo University, and John Groarke, USAID deputy director. Mohamed Shaalan will represent the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt (BCFE) at "Ignite the Promise: the Komen Global Advocate Summit" (Budapest, 29-30 September). Founded by Susan G Komen, this is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists; the summit will present speakers from 21 US states and their counterparts from 30 countries. Komen Global Advocate Summit honorary co-chair Laura Bush, a longtime Komen volunteer and breast cancer advocate, will also be present. In an attempt to boost to the motion-picture industry, head of the Central Administration of Artistic Affairs at the General Cultural Palaces Organisation Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Mohsen and Manager of the General Administration of the Cinematic Culture Organisation Rokee Rashed opened the Motion Picture Unit at the Cinema Palace in Garden City, last week. Rashed announced that this unit will open up new horizons for budding artists. Demonstrating the role women can play in promoting peace and understanding between peoples, Suzanne Mohamed Abu Ouf, assistant professor at the English Department, Helwan University, managed to open the first channel of cooperation between Egypt and Turkey in higher education. The Turkish university in question, based in Ankara, offered to host a group of Egyptian professors to discuss the possibility of cooperation between Egypt and Turkey, with special emphasis on improving the status of women and enhancing intellectual cooperation.
