The cradle of religions Once again, Al-Ahram's gifted photographer Sherif Sonbol is set to impress his audience with a collection of photographs to be shown under the title Cairo: Crossroads of Faith. Scheduled to take place in 16-26 January at the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin, it is organised under the auspices of the Egyptian Ambassador to Germany Mohamed Hegazi, in collaboration with the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector affiliated to the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. The exhibition sheds light on the deep faiths rooted in Egypt: Jewish synagogues, Coptic churches, Islamic mosques and, most significantly, their unexpected intermingling. Sonbol captures images of the Christian cross in mosques and Islamic inscriptions in churches and both in synagogues. The photographer has had several solo exhibitions in different countries across the world such as New York, Germany and Poland. A lecturer at Al-Ahram Canadian University, Sonbol has published 15 books on ancient and modern Egyptian civilisation, working with major publishers in Cairo, Milan, Madrid, New York and Boston. ♥ President Adli Mansour delegated to his Media Adviser Ahmed Al-Meslemani the task of visiting the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (Aswan Heart Centre) on Saturday to congratulate its founder, Sir Magdi Yacoub, on receiving the Order of Merit from Britain. Anisa Hassouna, the CEO of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation, announced that the award is in appreciation of all of Yacoub's contributions and accomplishments in surgery and heart transplants. On receiving the award, Yacoub has become one of the 24 members of the order. Yacoub, who also holds the British nationality, is the first Egyptian to receive the award. Yacoub and Al-Meslemani held a joint press conference at the centre's headquarters following their meeting. During the conference, Al-Meslemani praised the efforts of the Egyptian surgeon inside and outside Egypt, especially in the Nile Basin countries. “Dr Magdi Yacoub represents a high academic and human value,” Al-Meslemani said. The order was founded in 1902 by King Edward VII. Yacoub was honoured before in 2007, having been knighted by the Queen in 1991. He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for doing 100 heart surgeries in one year in 1980. In 2011, he was honoured for his work in Egypt when he was awarded the Nile Collar for science and humanity. According to the website of the British Monarchy, “the Order of Merit is a special honour awarded to individuals of great achievement in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science. There are very few foreign recipients, although those given the Order have included Dr Albert Schweitzer, General Eisenhower, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Nelson Mandela.” ♣ In a prestigious ceremony held at the Small Hall of the Cairo Opera House, the Sawiris Cultural Awards were distributed. The author's first award went to writer Hoda Hussein for her novel Wa Raayatu Rohi Bajaan (And I Saw Myself as Swans) jointly with writer Mahmoud Al-Wardani for his novel Bait Al-Nar (House of Fire), while the best story collection award went to writer Yasser Abdel-Latif for his collection Younis Fi Ahshaa Al-Hout (Younis in the Belly of the Whale). The emerging award was bestowed to young writer Mohamed Abdel-Nabi for his novel Rugu' Al-Sheikh (The Return of the Sheikh), and the second award was given to both Mohamed Abdel-Ghani and Amr Ashour. The best short story collection award went to Mahmoud Tawfik and the second award was given jointly to Hani Abdel-Moreid for his collection Asateir Al-Awalin (Legends of the Ancestors) and Ahmed Said for his collection Kaannahu Hulm (As if it is a Dream). Best screenplay award was given to screenwriter Ahmed Abdallah for his script Leilet Eid (The Feast Night) while the best emerging screenwriter award went to Amr Khaled for his script Al-Aberoun (The Passers-by). ♠ Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt and permanent envoy of his country at the Arab League Kamaleddin Hassan gave a reception to mark the 58th anniversary of his country's national day at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek. Numerous high-profile figures and senior state officials were present, including the Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al-Arabi, Minister of Social Solidarity Ahmed Al-Boraai, Head of Egypt's 50-Member Constitution Drafting Committee Amr Moussa, former presidential candidate and founder of the Egyptian Popular Current Hamdeen Sabahi. Also present were the head of the Arab Women's Organisation Sheikha Al-Shamsi and Ambassador and Assistant foreign minister for the neighbouring countries affairs Mohamed Badreddin; this, in addition to a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors such as Iraqi Ambassador Diaa Al-Dabbas and his Palestinian counterpart Barakat Al-Fara, Ambassador of Georgia to Egypt Archil Dzuliashvili, Iranian Ambassador Mujtaba Amany and his Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Al-Alami as well as Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Ghadban. ♣ The British University in Egypt (BUE) concluded the activities of the Cultural Arts Festival held at its campus theatre in Shorouk City with attendance from a bevy of celebrities. The ceremony featured a dance performance by the Al Tanoura Whirling Dervishes and honoured versatile artist Samir Sabri, actors Maged Al-Masri, Boushra and Sherine. ♣ The fourth round of the Satellite Channels Festival, presided over by Ahmed Eliwa, honoured a number of celebrities and media figures for their distinguished artworks in 2013: Eiad Nassar, Ahmed Fahmi, Elham Shahine, Youssra, Rania Youssef, Hana Shiha, Sayed Ragab, Ahmed Zaher, Kenda Aloush, Ragaa Al-Geddawi, director Mohamed Yassin, fashion designer Hani Al-Beheiri, singer Ihab Tawfik, media figures Khairi Ramadan and Amr Al-Kahki. Present at the ceremony were Al-Ahram writer Mona Ragab, actress Boushra, Minister of Industry Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, actor Sameh Youssri and actress Maha Othman. ♥ Moroccan singer Abdel-Fattah Al-Gerini gave a concert at the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, with the attendance of a huge number of students. Al-Gerini created a pleasant ambiance for his fans in spite of the cold weather, sending a message of peace and love for Egypt.
