Last week, French Ambassador Philippe Coste held his annual cocktail in honour of the Egyptian press on the grounds of the French Embassy. Present along with French diplomats were a host of media figures including the charming actress Libliba. On the occasion of President of the American University in Cairo (AUC) David Arnold and his wife Cherry visiting London, Egyptian Ambassador Gehad Madi and his wife Mona held a reception at their residence for AUC alumni and friends, in the course of which Mona was presented with the Alumni Volunteer Award in recognition of her dedication to her alma mater. On a six-day visit to Egypt, the tautologically named Club des Chefs des Chefs found a temporary home at the Nile Hilton, where the world's mightiest cook's resided under the auspices of the Chairman of the Holding Company for Tourism and Cinema Ali Abdel-Aziz. Founded by Gilles Bragard, the man behind the best known chef's outfits in the world, the Club des Chefs des Chefs is a kind of culinary Rotary; and the decision to hold its annual reunion in Egypt was intended to promote the country. The group included 47 kitchen dignitaries, among them Athanasios Skouras, chef of the president of Greece, Bernard Vaussion, chef of the president of France, Sirkka-Lèsa Ruottinen, chef of the president of Finland, Hilton Little, chef of the president of South Africa, Khwankeo Vajarodaya, chef of the King of Thailand, Mark Flanagan and Takashi Kondo, chefs of the British and Danish queens, respectively, as well as Christian Garcia, chef of the Prince of Monaco, Oliver Bartsch, chef of the prime minister of Canada, Ulrich Kerz, chef of the German chancellor and Jiri Pavek, the chef in charge of official ceremonies at the Czech Republic. They enjoyed a rich and varied programme. In a special celebration, the Egyptian Press Syndicate honoured academically outstanding journalists' children, including Boulos, the dashing son of our very own Samir Naoum. Achieving a grade average of 95 per cent for his primary school exams -- the pride of Al-Horria Language School in Giza -- Boulos met Syndicate Head Galal Aref and Economic Committee Head Mamdouh El-Wali, who presented him with a certificate of appreciation. Boulos also came first at the Giza Coptic Language Competition. Walid Abu Shakra, chairman of ESOL (the educational company behind both the Deira International School and the Universal American School), as well as superintendent of the American International School in Egypt, received the Mediterranean Association of International Schools (MAIS) award. MAIS representative Jim McClellan handed over the trophy during the opening session of the association's annual conference at the Semiramis Inter-Continental Hotel, also attended by Minister of Education Yousri El-Gamal, American Ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone, Vice-President of ESOL Nada Abu Shakra and ESOL members Bassam and Tamam Abu Shakra. Michael M Kaiser, president of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, was in Cairo discussing the centre's plans to sponsor an Arab Arts Symposium in Egypt, scheduled for April 2007, as well as an Arab Arts Festival at the Kennedy Center in 2009. Kaiser met officials in the Ministry of Culture as well as arts and business managers, in an attempt to enlist support for the upcoming events. He will personally lead the 2007 Arab Arts Symposium in Cairo, a unique opportunity for Arab arts managers to work with one of America's leading arts organisations. The 2007 Arab Arts Symposium in Cairo will focus on the development of resourceful and forward-thinking solutions to the many challenges facing arts leaders today. After visiting Cairo, Kaiser will travel to Amman, Jordan, Riyadh and Saudi Arabia. Kaiser is also a cultural ambassador for the State Department's Culture Connect Programme. He previously served as the executive director of the Royal Opera House, the largest performing arts organisation in the United Kingdom. At a delightful wedding party, our Al-Ahram Weekly colleague Magda Laban was married to businessman Sherif Helmi. The daughter of yet another Al-Ahram colleague, Fayez Laban, Magda received relations and friends at the Mar Guirguis Church in Heliopolis before setting off for the evening of a lifetime at the Baron's Palace, together with the Weekly 's very own Nashwa Abdel-Tawwab, Nagwa El-Aqqad, Shereen Nasr, Nesmahar Sayed, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Mona Anis and Samir Naoum. Sherif and Magda danced the night away before flying to the Red Sea resort of El-Gouna for their honeymoon. The official launch of the Sailing of the Nile project -- a national initiative aimed at raising awareness of and encouraging work towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) -- saw representatives of the government, the United Nations and NGOs gathering on the banks of the Nile last week. Under the slogan "A Better Life for Every Egyptian", Secretary-General of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood Moushira Khattab and United Nations Resident Coordinator James Rawley together raised an 18-metre sail bearing an icon representing the eradication of poverty and hunger goal. Between 29 October and 7 December, eight feluccas will sail from Aswan to Cairo, making eight stops en route -- in Luxor, Qena, Sohag, Assiut, Minya and Beni Sweif -- with each felucca representing one of the eight Millennium Development Goals. photo: Farouk Bondok Egyptian Ambassador to London Gehad Madi held a reception commemorating 50 years since the Suez War at his residence, an occasion for pianist Amira Fouad to perform. Born in Glasgow to Egyptian parents, Amira made her debut with a recital at St Martin-in- the-Fields, and has since toured North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She has performed at, among other venues, the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, the Victoria Hall in Singapore, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the Bosendorfer Hall in Vienna and the Cairo Opera House; and live for CBC radio in Canada as well as MBC and LBC television. She was the founder and artistic director of the Festival of the Nile, a celebration of chamber music endorsing Egyptian- European exchange.
