Live launch The Alexandria-based band Massar Egbari launched their new album Tua' wi Toum (Fall down, get up) with a live performance at Al-Horreya Garden in Zamalek last Friday. They also gave a performance at City Stars Mall, and will be touring the country to promote the album. Already ten years old, Massar Egbari combine an authentic contemporary sound with lyrics that speak to everyday Egyptian issues. The new album contains songs composed by Hani Al-Dakkak with lyrics by Doaa Abdel-Wahab, Tamer Atallah, Mohamed Al-Sayed among others. Mastered by Hussein Samy and Steve Corrao at Sage Audio in the USA, its controversial cover is designed by Ahmed Emadeddin, whose work appears on the cover of Pink Floyd's last album. The CD release will include multimedia bonus material with photos of band members and information about the making of the music. The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) opened its new premises in Zamalek on 12 February in the presence of Indian Ambassador Navdeep Suri, his wife Mani and artist Mohamed Abla. The event featured an exhibition by artist Ahmed Khairy, “Celebrities from Egypt and India.” The new space, located on the second floor of the Abul Fida Building, 3 Abul Fida Street, features a multipurpose hall, a library with 7,000 books and classrooms for Hidi, Urdu and yoga courses. Founded in 1992 and named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958), the first Education Minister of India and Founding President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations — who wrote Tarjuman Al-Quran and maintained strong ties with Egypt — the MACIC also organises the annual India by the Nile festival. Iranian director Jafar Panahi's latest film Taxi won the Golden Bear at the 65th Berlinale (5-15 February), which was handed over to his 11-year-old niece Hana Saeidi, one of the stars of the film. Panahi, now 55, was banned from making films and had his passport confiscated before he managed to flee Iran. He previously received the Locarno International Film Festival's Golden Leopard for The Mirror (1997) and the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion for The Circle (2000). Our very own author Rania Khallaf has published Maps of Pleasure: Erotic Poems, her third book after Another Lonely Body (1998) and Tale of a Zebra (2009). The launch took place at the Sami Amin Gallery in Maadi, together with a collective exhibition in which Khallaf — also a painter — participated with two canvases. Present were artists Omar Al-Fayoumi, Mai Heshmat, Walid Yassin, Fatma Hassan, Randa Ismail and leatherwear designer Sami Amin, who also exhibited his Valentine's collection. Published by Afaaq, the book's cover features a fantastic painting by watercolorist WagihYassa. The first class of the Creativity Art Centre Talent Studio graduated in the presence of Culture Minister Gaber Asfour and Head of Cultural Development Fund Mohamed Abu Saada at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall. The ceremony featured a documentary on the workshop and a speech by Asfour in which he congratulated director Khaled Galal, the main instructor, and his students. Certificates were handed out by Asfour while musicians Haitham Al-Khamisi, Emad Al-Rashidi, theatre director Essam Al-Sayed and Galal were honoured. On Sunday 15 February, Director of the Japan Foundation Cairo Office Masakazu Takahashi together with Head of the Cultural Development Fund Mohamed Abu Saada opened the “Japanese Film Week 2015: Renewed Hopes” at the Artistic Creativity Centre on the Cairo Opera House grounds. The event included a panel discussion featuring Japan Foundation members and film critic Mohamed Atef - who coordinated the discussion - following screening of the opening film Tomorrow's Joe. Tunisian actress Hend Sabri concluded her online fundraising campaign on behalf of the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP), in which she promised to give away her costume from Al-Gezira 1 to whoever makes the highest contribution over two weeks. Mennatallah Lamei was the winner. Sabri announced that actor Ahmed Al-Sakka, whom she challenged to follow suit, will be launching his campaign soon. An intellectual property conference, organised by lyricist Ayman Bahgat Qammar's Arabian Rights company, brought together singers Mohamed Fouad, Angham, Hisham Abbass, Mohamed Hamaki, Samira Said, Carmen Suleiman, Mohamed Mohi, Tamer Hosni, Tamer Ashour, Ghada Ragab, Ehab Tawfik, Eisaf, Anoushka, Khaled Aggag, Iman Al-Bahr Darwish, Hossam Habib, Samo Zein, poets Nader Abdallah and Amir Teema and composer Amr Mustafa. The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is launching a new project to promote critical approaches to contemporary visual art in Switzerland and Egypt. The project, which will deal with visual art from the beginning of the 21st century until today, started with a panel discussion in Cairo about trends in contemporary visual art in Egypt and Switzerland. The panel was led by Swiss art critic and historian Pablo Mueller and Egyptian artist and critic Youssef Limoud. Further events related on the topic will be organised in both Egypt and Switzerland throughout 2015.
