♥ The highlights of the Caravan Festival of the Arts 2013 was a public exhibition showcasing 80 fibre-glass life-sized sculpted donkeys created by Egyptian and Western artists including Al-Ahram Weekly's very own caricaturist George Bahgory, as well as Reda Abdel-Rahman, Ayman Lotfi, Ibrahim Al-Dessouki, Mohamed Abla, Rania Fouad, together with French artist Anne-Françoise Giraud. The event was inaugurated by Swiss Ambassador to Egypt Dominik Furgler at St John Church in Maadi and was organised by the Swiss Embassy and supported by the British Council. The festival was preceded by five years of preparation with the aim of generating a dialogue between the East, the West and the Muslim and Christian communities via art. The festival will be on show for two weeks in Egypt before moving on to London. Present at the opening were festival director Paul-Gordon Chandler, former head of the plastic arts sector Ashraf Reda, the secretary-general of the Egyptian Council of Churches Father Bishoi Helmi, member of the media centre at Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Al-Hawari, priest of St John Church and society ladies Ingy Fayed and artist Rola Zaki.
♣ As a function of India by The Nile Festival that concluded its activities on 13 May, the Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri with his wife Mani along with the Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Magdi Selim, Egyptian actress Entessar, comedian Hani Ramzi and his wife, First Under-Secretary for Foreign Cultural Relations at the Culture Ministry Camilia Sobhi, and a galaxy of public figures have inaugurated the Indian Food Festival, which took place from 7 to 12 May at Sonesta Hotel. Indian senior chefs prepared a variety of exotic Indian recipes, which the guests enjoyed to the tunes of Indian music and a number of Indian dances were also performed during the occasion. In addition, Suri and Kirti Menon, the granddaughter of India's legendary leader Mahatma Gandhi opened last week an exhibition entitled, “Did you Sense the Spirit of Gandhi in Tahrir Square?” at El Sawy Culturewheel displaying 70 posters of various sizes capturing the spirit of the Egyptian revolution. Menon, who currently lives in South Africa, said, “one of the most important concepts of the revolution was its peaceful dimension that was adopted by the crowds of demonstrators in Tahrir square.” Former prime minister Yehia Al-Gamal, Maestro Gaber Al-Beltagui and artist Mohamed Abla were present. ♥ CBC satellite channels held a prestigious celebration to honour satirist Bassem Youssef, Al-Bernameg talk show host, after being chosen by Time Magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world with the attendance of Chairman of CBC channels Mohamed Al-Amin and President of CBC Mohamed Hani. The grand ceremony was held at one of Cairo's elegant hotels and was attended by anchors of Egypt's most highly watched talk shows Magdi Al-Gallad, Wael Al-Ibrashi, Mahmoud Saad, Reem Maged, Amr Khafaga, Mona Al-Shazli, Lamis Al-Hadidi, Dina Abdel-Rahman, Hamdi Kandil, Hala Sarhan, Adel Hammouda, Khairi Ramadan, Moufida Shiha as well as journalists Abdallah Al-Senawi and Yasser Rizk, veteran comedian Adel Imam, filmmaker Khaled Youssef, singer Mahmoud Al-Esseili and actors Khaled Al-Nabawi, Basma and Khaled Mansour. ¨ Executive director of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development Ganat Al-Samalouti and Secretary-General of the Ana Al-Masri (I am the Egyptian) Foundation Mary Bishara signed a protocol for a training course that offers educational skills and healthcare for street children valued at LE6 million. The protocol can benefit 550 street children who are exposed to danger on a daily basis. The course lasts for 33 months and runs from May 2013 to January 2016. ª The launch of the AUC Business Review, a new quarterly publication by the American University in Cairo's School of Business, took place this week. With the fundamental aim of blending theory and practice, the magazine emphasises relevancy and good readability to business experts who want to remain well-versed in occupational concepts. It includes written contributions by business gurus, academicians and practitioners, as well as members of the magazine's editorial team. “Most business journals are very academic in nature and are far too complex for members of the business community,” explained Ahmed Tolba, co-editor-in-chief of the AUC Business Review, associate professor of marketing and director of Al-Khazindar Business Research and Case Centre (KCC), which produces the magazine. “We wanted to introduce a publication that addresses the needs of the community and makes a profound impact on the commercial environment in Egypt.” ♣ The Harlem Globetrotters expressed their joy at being given the opportunity to visit Cairo at this crucial time in Egypt's history, and reaffirmed their commitment and support of Egyptian sports and charities. During a press conference organised for the Harlem Globetrotters' players upon their arrival in Cairo, the team management said, “in spite of our tight schedule and short time we will be spending in Egypt, the team insisted on visiting the Pyramids and bearing witness to Egypt's majestic history, as well as paying a visit to the Children's Cancer Hospital 57357, which offers care on par with that provided in the USA and Europe.” Harlem Globetrotters' management added, “we were extremely pleased with the Egyptian crowds' reception of the Harlem Globetrotters, which was evident during the promotional tour undertaken by some of the players in popular sporting clubs.” The team management promised Egyptian basketball fans that they would have the chance to meet the team players during a special signing ceremony at City Stars, where the team will sign basketballs and Jerseys for visitors. This is the first time in over 20 years that the Harlem Globetrotters have visited Egypt, the last time being during the 1980s. The team is widely considered to be the most popular basketball team in the world, spending more than half of the year on tour entertaining sell-out crowds of basketball fans and families. The team has successfully introduced basketball and the love of the game to millions worldwide. ♥ El-Gouna, Orascom Development's flagship town, hosted unique swimming legend Philippe Croizon who visited Egypt this spring. A four-time amputee, Croizon recently succeeded in crossing the English Channel, a 38km distance, in less than 14 hours. A destination that is disabled-friendly, El-Gouna was also a chance for the legend and paralympic team to experience a renowned destination in Egypt. A movie inspired by the life and nautical accomplishments of Croizon “Swimming Beyond Border” was screened at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) Campus of El-Gouna. In attendance was the Egyptian Paralympic team along with other notable guests, including Dr Abdel Sattar Shaaban, consultant to the health minister on matters related to the Human Disabilities Agenda; Bernard Regnauld-Fabre, the French consul-general in Egypt; Isabelle Seigneur, cultural attaché of the French Embassy; the Consul to Hurghada Mamdouh Fadl; as well as Jean Luc Diainville of PDG Aqualung France.
