The Beautiful Egypt project is the Ministry of Culture's latest attempt at raising cultural awareness and encourage creativity. In the period 9 April-15 June, folk dance, Oriental music, religious chanting and theatre as well as art exhibitions and mobile libraries are to travel around cities, towns and villages all across Egypt. The project will also introduce Egyptians to the variety of their cultural heritage. Nor will children be forgotten: puppet and shadow puppet theatre are provided together with drawing workshops. “It's a dream come true,” said Culture Minister Saber Arab in a press conference held on Sunday afternoon in the Small Hall at the Cairo Opera House to announce the project. He went on to say that, for the longest time, art and culture have been confined to Cairo and Alexandria. Now, he says, these Cultural Palace activities will receive the promotion and necessary to make an impact. “It's time every Egyptian realised he lives in a country with arts and culture to be proud of,” Arab said. Arab also pointed out that, despite its limited budget following its separation from the Ministry of Antiquities — “like cutting off our oxygen supply” — the ministry managed to finance the project with a fund from the ministries of tourism and youth. The crisis atmosphere in the country, he says, reminds him of the wake of the 1967 defeat, when much of Sinai was occupied, but he is sure Egyptians will once again overcome their difficulties as they did in 1973, eventually recovering all land. The title of the project, he says, was borrowed from the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II when he met him a month ago and the pope suggested that a book should be printed under that title. In the course of the conference Arab announced two grants for the new building of Egypt's National Archive and Documents at Al-Fustat and the restoration of Al Mansoura National Theatre, from the ruler of Al-Sharjah Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi and Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al Said of Oman, respectively. For his part the Head of the Cultural Palaces Authority Saad Abdel-Rahman said that the different sections of the Ministry of Culture used to work in isolation from each other but that Beautiful Egypt will now gather them together and efforts will be pooled. Performances are to be staged in the Cultural Palace buildings, in school playgrounds or on the streets. The Head of the Cultural Development Fund Khaled Galal was likewise enthusiastic about the initiative. He said that the project will not only introduce culture to the masses but will also discover fresh talent. “Beautiful Egypt will overcome the lack of cultural products in Egypt's different governorates,” he said. In Ramadan the project's activities will stop, to be replaced by a Ramadan programme.
