Body talk This beautiful photo by Bassam Al-Zoghby was shot at Al-Gomhouria Theatre last week during the show of the Modern Dance Theatre Company's latest production Asham Iblis (a proverbial expression referring to Satan hoping he will go to heaven), directed by Monadel Antar, to show again on 13, 14 and 15 May at the same venue (see Listings p.22). Marking the 10th anniversary of the Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy (Culture Resource) Spring Festival, tickets to all upcoming paid events will be reduced from LE20 to LE10. The festival has held a tribute event for Nelson Mandela at Rawabet Theatre featuring a free screening of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Long Walk to Freedom with Arabic subtitles. The Red Zone Festival at Falaki Theatre hosts a two theatrical performances with the Moroccan actress Latifa Ahrar and the Norwegian actress Kate Pendry. In Capharnaüm, Ahrar uses multiple forms of visual language to address the taboos of traditional, conservative Arab societies; the body in art and the position of women in society. In Points of Pain, Pendry examines 22 July 2011 and its aftermath, in an attempt to illuminate the pain of this seismic event in Norwegian history, and to explore such universal themes as the loss of children, a mother's love for her son and the capacity of love to overcome the malignancy of hatred. The Russian Ambassador to Egypt Serge V Kirpichenko, together with the Head of the Olympic Committee Khaled Zeineddin, inaugurated a photography exhibition on the Sochi 2014 Olympics at the Olympic Committee headquarters in Cairo International Stadium. Organised by the Olympic Committee, in cooperation with the Russian Embassy and the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo, the event's opening boasted the presence of Chinese Ambassador Song Aiguo, the Russian Space Agency counsul Hussein Al-Shafei and the Head of the Cultural Activities Department at the centre, Sherif Gad. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, as well as the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Tanzania and Egypt, Ambassador of Tanzania Mohamed Hamza gave a reception at the Grand Nile Tower Hotel, attended by Sabri Magdi, the Foreign Minister's Assistant for African Affairs, as well as many diplomats. In his address Hamza said, “As we mark the jubilee of our nation, the Tanzanians are proud to remain united and live peacefully in a united nation. Though we have 126 tribes who belong to different religions and backgrounds, Tanzania is among the top 20 fastest economy in the world.” In his second Brussels exhibition, Egyptian sculptor Armen Agop invites viewers to do what is usually forbidden: to touch his black granite sculptures. His new exhibition entitled Touch is about freedom: the freedom to touch the sculptures and, through this contact, the sculptures' own freedom to move. The exhibition ends on 17 May. Following stiff competition from a number of Arab bands, Massar Egbari won the Best Band Middle East Music Award for 2013. Together with 29 other awards, the news was announced in the course of a ceremony organised by the Dear Guest (DG) marketing, consulting and advertising company, which publishes the monthly business and lifestyle magazine Dear Guest. The winners are selected in two stages: a public voting phase conducted by fans from across the Arab world to form a shortlist, then juried voting by journalists and artists from the Middle East. Massar Egbari, along with Black Theama and Cairokee, will perform in a concert at the Hockey Stadium, to be held on 29 May. To celebrate May Day, Massar Egbari recently launched a new video, Hela Hela, in collaboration with Shoghlana, a non-profit newspaper focusing on blue-collar jobs and workers. Formed in 2005, Massar Egbari is made up of guitarist and lead singer Hani Al-Dakkak, Ayman Massoud playing keyboards and piano, guitarist Mahmoud Siam, bassist Ahmed Hafez and drummer Tamer Atallah. The Ministry of Culture's 32nd International Theatre Festival opened with the screening of a documentary by Karim Osama. The event featured the announcement of the festival jury: acting professor Alaa Qouta, drama and criticism professor Mustafa Selim, set design professor Ahmed Abdel-Aziz and director Mohamed Ali. Honoured were the actors Mahmoud Yassin and Rania Farid Shawki. The River Hall at Al-Sawy Culturewheel saw a thrilling concert by the Groovy Roots band on the occasion of celebrating International Jazz Day featuring drums performances by a number of Egyptian drummers such as Ahmed Rabei, Mustafa Abbas, Amr Galal, Hazem Abdel-Kader, Ahmed Hisham, Rami Samir, Gamal Fahim and Taher Saleh. Moroccan singer Jannat held a concert at the InterContinental City Stars Hotel organized by one of the leading medical companies in Egypt. For an hour and a half Jannat appeared with a new look and an elegant dress singing a number of her latest songs. Present were members and employees of the company who enjoyed the lovely night. The Moroccan-Belgian singer Natacha Atlas will give a concert in Sharm El-Sheikh to celebrate Africa, organised by the Cultural Centre for Arab Heritage in France and the Egyptian Tourism Activation Authority. Atlas sang at the Giza Pyramids in 1999 in a gigantic concert. She began her singing career as a member of the World Fusion underground group before going solo in 1995, mixing Arabic and western electronic music to create “cha'abi moderne”, her unique genre.
