Body talk Bassam Al-Zoghby presents us with photos of the 100 Hands Troupe from the Netherlands and EE Dance Studio from Egypt performing Running Nucleus and Invisible Boundaries outside the Egyptian Stock Exchange (Borsa) as part of the third Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), running through 11 April. The festival reaches out to the audience on the streets of downtown Cairo and Alexandria. Italian Ambassador Maurizio Massari met with Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim to review the cooperation programme in the field of cultural heritage. Conservation and promotion of cultural, historical and archaeological heritage represent a cornerstone of Italy's work in Egypt, among the most obvious expressions of strategic partnership. Massari announced a pledge from the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in support of the rehabilitation of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, which wasseriously damaged after a bomb blast in January 2014. The grant, worth some $800,000, responds to a call by UNESCO. The Virgin Mary Church in Al-Muqattam held its annual celebration of Mother's Day in the presence of (for the first time) Anba Abanoub, Bishop of Al-Muqattam churches, former MP Georgette Qellini, Head of the Criminal Court Amir Ramzi and his wife Lydia Waheeb, journalist and writer Hanan Mufid Fawzi, director Ahmed Farouk, and Al-Ahram Weekly's very own Nader Habib and his wife Donia Wagdi from Watani newspaper. The guests were warmly received by the church's two pastors: father Basillious Girgis and father Mikhail Hanna, as well as General Emad Shehata, on the church's board. The celebration opened with prayers, followed by several hymns and melodies performed by the church choir, then Dr Qellini gave a speech about raising our children on self-esteem. At the end of the evening, the guests and model mothers were honoured. Pakistan's National Day was celebrated in Cairo with solemnity and fervour; the ceremony was presided by Ambassador of Pakistan Manzoor Ul-Haq. The flag hoisting was followed by reading out the messages to the nation from President Mamnoon Hussein and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Members of the Pakistani community living in Egypt as well as officers and staff members of the embassy, together with their families participated in the celebrations. In the evening, a reception was held and attended by local dignitaries, friends, diplomats and members of the Pakistani community. As part of the National Day celebrations, Pakistan Embassy will hold a cultural evening at the International Cultural Centre in Zamalek on 30 March with the participation of Urdu and Arabic language poets. In addition, the children of Pakistan International School in Cairo will sing Pakistani and Egyptian songs during the event. On this jubilant occasion, Ambassador Ul-Haq extended congratulations to Pakistanis in Egypt and all over the world. He has also expressed good wishes to the brotherly people of Egypt on the National Day of Pakistan affirming that the already existing close friendly relations between Cairo and Islamabad will grow from strength to strength in the years to come. "Fifty Years of Continuous Presence" was the title of a big celebration organised by the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP) to honour the memory of the late writer Abbas Mahmoud Al-Akkad (1889-1964). The celebration took place at the Aswan Cultural Palace in the author's birthplace, and in the presence of GOCP head Saad Abdel-Rahman, Head of the Central Department of Cultural Affairs Mohamed Abul-Magd, together with Abdel-Aziz Al-Akkad on behalf of the Al-Akkad family, journalists and literati. It started with the unveiling of a bust of Al-Akkad by sculptor Ahmed Abdel-Aziz, followed by granting the GOCP and governorate shields to the family. The Catholic Centre for Egyptian Cinema, directed by father Boutros Daniel, honoured a number of celebrities in a large ceremony, the Day of Giving. Among the honourees were Laila Takla, the first female president of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian People's Assembly and member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Al-Ahram newspaper theatre critic Amal Bakir, director of the Cairo Opera House Ines Abdel-Dayem, actors Nada Bassiouni, Afaf Shoeib, Lotfi Labib, Shahira, media figure Sanaa Mansour and actor Hani Ramzi's mother. Tunisian Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Khomeiri and his wife gave a reception marking the 58th anniversary of Tunisia's independence in the presence of politicians and diplomats. Present were Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi, Lebanese Ambassador Khaled Ziyada, Omani Ambassador Khalifa Al-Harithi, Iraqi Ambassador Diaa Al-Dabass, Algerian Ambassador Nadhir Al-Arabawi, Saudi Ambassador Ahmed Al-Qattan, Libyan Ambassador Fayez Gebreil, French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, British Ambassador James Watt, Canadian Ambassador David Drake, Italian Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Hungarian Ambassador Peter Kveck and his Greek counterpart Chris Lazaris. Tunisian singer Latifa, versatile artist Samir Sabri, musician Hani Mehanna and TV presenters Alaa Bassiouni and Mohra Rashid were also present. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Main Hall hosted a charitable concert by the Lebanese singer Majida Al-Roumi performing for the first time after a long hiatus, with revenues dedicated to the Crisis and Catastrophe Fund. Alexandria governor Tarek Al-Mahdi granted Al-Roumi the honourary key of Alexandria. Moroccan singer Jannat gave a concert at Al-Massa Hotel, affiliated to the Armed Forces, where the family of Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and the Armed Forces spokesman colonel Mohamed Ali were among the audience. The second part of the concert featured Egyptian superstar Amr Diab. Singer Dolly Shahine, on the other hand, rocked the stage at Dream Park. The Al-Maghna Khan band gave a concert at El-Sawy Culturewheel River Hall that was attended by a large number of fans. They performed some of their best known songs like Al-Shams Al-Maksoufa (The Shy Sun) and Alexandria. Singer Mikha from the popular band Qas wa Lazq (Cut and Paste) joined the band on the stage. The Cairo Opera House Cultural Salon organised an evening to honour Egyptian Women entitled "Creative Women from Egypt",Mai Samih reports. The event was attended by journalist and writer Ghada Al-Wakil, composer Nahla Mattar, poet Hemmat Mustafa, artist Magda Ramzi and singer Asrar Al-Gamal. It was moderated by artist Amin Al-Serafi. The salon featured commentary on the last three years' developments in Egypt, including the first-hand experiences of the participants. It also included a recital of a piece music called Isis by Mattar and a poetry reading by Mustafa. "It is very important that the voice of the Egyptian woman is heard in the international community as she has wisdom and insight," Al-Wakil said. "If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere" Vincent Van Gogh
