photo: Ayman Barayez Omani Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Aziz Al-Hanaai held a reception to celebrate Oman's Armed Forces Day at the Conrad Hotel, where the guests included Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Minister of Endowment Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq, Moroccan Ambassador to Cairo Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali, Bahrain Ambassador Khalil Al-Zewadi, United Arab Emirates Ambassador Ahmed Ali Al-Zoghbi and TV anchor Dina Farouk. Movie star George Clooney called for resolving the Darfur humanitarian crisis during a lecture titled "Dialogue on Darfur" attended by American University in Cairo (AUC) students. Clooney was joined by actor Don Cheadle, who appeared in Hotel Rwanda and Crash, the Kenyan long-distance runner and UN ambassador of sport Tegla Loroupe and the 2006 US Olympic speed skater William Joseph Cheek. The four celebrities came to AUC as part of a trip to raise awareness about Darfur that included stops in China and Turkey. The purpose of the visit, as Cheadle explained is "to learn from people who are closer to the events and may have a new perspective". For his part Clooney said, "we are looking for ideas, looking for help, looking for suggestions, and offering whatever focus we can bring on it to try to come up with some solutions for security and for aid for those people." In collaboration with the Japan Foundation's Cairo Office, El-Sawy Culture Wheel presented a concert of the Ha Ya To Taiko drums troupe. The troupe features three brothers -- Kanazashi Keita, Kanazashi Ryouta and Kanazashi Yuuta -- who have played professionally since their school days, forming their own troupe in the summer of 2001, and performing along the lines of Japanese classical dancing. Present at the concert were Japanese Ambassador Kunihiko Makita, Director of the Indian Culture Centre Bashir Ahmed, Chinese Cultural Counsellor Xu Zhiguo and Third Secretary Fadel Liu as well as some officials from the German Embassy and the Chinese Culture Centre. The concert was so successful that a good portion of the 600-strong audience spent the 90 minutes standing for lack of seats. For the 13th consecutive year, the European embassies held their annual Christmas Bazaar at the Nile Hilton, with some 50 participations. The programme featured a pianist, singers and child choirs performing Christmas carols, as well as a raffle draw. Proceeds will go to Egyptian charities. Among guests were ambassador of the Netherlands' spouse Caroline de Zwann and Nile Hilton Public Relations Manager Farida Mansour. Daniel Joseph Martinez's imperfect robot, "The Fully Enlightened Earth Radiates Disaster Triumphant" Winners of the 10th International Cairo Biennale's awards (amounting to no more than LE25,000) held at the Palace of Arts were announced a couple of days ago: Rashid bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Boloushy from Oman, Maher Al-Baroudi from Syria, George Ibrahim from Egypt, Helda Hiyary from Jordan and Betsabé Romero from Mexico. Jury prizes (LE5,000 in total) went to Hassan Ali Ahmed from Sudan, Emilio Leofredi from Italy, Walid Aouni from Lebanon, Teni Vadenien from Armenia and the American artist and professor of Theory, Practice and Mediation of Contemporary Art at the University of California at Irvine Daniel Joseph Martinez. Egyptian nephrologists Rashad Barsoum received the 2007 Roscoe R Robinson Award -- a prestigious honour founded two years ago to recognise outstanding achievements in the field of education in nephrology and medicine. In a letter written to Barsoum, the ISN President William G Couser indicated that Barsoum has been "a devoted advocate for educating nephrologists in the developing world" through Sister Renal Centre and COMGAN programmes as well as during his tenure as secretary-general of the former. The Award Ceremony will take place at an official Plenary Session during the World Congress of Nephrology in Rio de Janiero in February, where Barsoum will receive, in addition to an honourarium, a personalised ISN Roscoe R Robinson Medal. One of Merit Publishing House's more exciting new volumes is Mohamed Ibrahim El-Desouki 's Al - Yaban fil-Mustanqaa Al-Iraqi (Japan in the Iraqi Swamp), a comprehensive study on the impact of the Japanese government's decision to send troops to Iraq following the Anglo- American invasion of the country in 2003. Reviewing Japanese post- war history, the author divulges how the news came as a surprise, progressing from an account of the conditions surrounding it to its far- reaching implications not only for Japan but also for world peace. The Award-winning Egyptian TV series Alam Simsim goes back into studio production in February to result in 60 half-hour episodes. This programme is believed to have reduced school drop-out rates. Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street and its partners in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine will continue to create and provide positive media content for children in the Middle East through three localised Sesame Street co-productions. These series, promoting girls' education, boys' empowerment and respect and understanding, will each be back in production and launching new shows in 2007. Alam Simsim, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will continue to explore issues related to girls' education, diversity, tolerance, health and hygiene. According to Kenneth Ellis, director of USAID in Egypt, " Alam Simsim will be celebrating its tenth anniversary next year and we are proud that the long-standing partnership between the Ministry of Education and USAID has allowed us to fund Al-Karma Edutainment's production of Alam Simsim." Gary E Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop added, "Sesame Workshop is involved in a long-term process that involves capacity building, developing relationships and helping to contribute to a culture of peace." The annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, hosted by Sharon Stone and Angelica Huston, featured performances by world renowned singers including Youssef Islam (Formerly Cat Stevens ), Lionel Richie, John Legend, Rihanna, Paulina Rubio, Wynonna, Hakim, opera singer Renée Fleming and Norwegian pop star Morten Abel. Hakim, the first Arab singer to be selected for the Nobel function, made his name at the beginning of the 1990s but his reputation was established when he was chosen to represent Egypt at a festival in France in 1994 and was further confirmed when he won the Best North African Singer Award in 2000. This year the prize was awarded to Bangladeshi Professor Mohamed Younes, whose Grameen Bank's innovative micro-credit programme has advanced the cause of economic and social development in Bangladesh and beyond. "The Nobel Committee is pleased to bring such a talented and eclectic group of artists together to help celebrate peace through music," said the Committee Secretary Geir Lundestad. The Embassy of Japan and the New Fustat Association celebrated the provision of some 1,900 sets of desks and chairs to Old Cairo, courtesy of the Japanese government. The project aims at improving the learning conditions of some 7,500 school students with a view to enchanting their academic performance. Japanese Ambassador Kunihiko Makita, Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir, first undersecretary at the Ministry of Education Abdel-Samie Hamza and Chairperson of the Association Major General Ramadan Ali were all present.
