Complexions in abstraction Al-Ahram daily gifted photographer Bassam El-Zoghby is participating in the 33rd General Exhibition of the fourth Fine Art Creativity Festival with this abstract shot of the American contemporary dance show Complexions that took place in February at the Cairo Opera House. The exhibition showcases exceptional works in various art mediums. ( see Listings p.5) Thanks to the admirable efforts of Ashraf Mansour, founder and chairman of the board of trustees of the German University in Cairo (GUC), a number of prominent writers and chief editors of newspapers spent six days meeting with significant personages in Berlin. They included Afkar El-Kharadli, Abdel-Azim Hammad, Mohamed Abdel-Nour, Momtaz El-Qott, Hala Hashish, Osama Heikal, Abdel-Mohsen Salama, Alaa Thabet and our very own Assem El-Kersh, together with ambassadress Nehad Zikry, assistant minister of international cultural relations and scientific reserach who gave a lecture about the contemporary advancement of women in Egypt. On the German side of this significant exchange organised by the GUC were Ared Oetker, a major player in the area of international relations and grant-making. The Egyptian delegation also met with Boris Ruge, head of the Middle East Unit at Germany's Federal Foreign Ministry. The journalists also had dinner with the Egyptian ambassador to Germany Ramzy Ezzeddin. Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan and his wife hosted a lavish farewell party for Indian Press Secretary Rajesh Swami at their residence in Zamalek. Swami is relocating to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi after the end of his term in Egypt. A bevy of Indian Embassy staff, high-profile personalities and media figures were among the guests who bade farewell to Swami and his wife. In a prestigious ceremony at the American University in Cairo (AUC) new campus in New Cairo, AUC celebrated the Spring 2010 undergraduate commencement. Some 449 students graduated, including 59 with highest honours, 64 with high honours, and 70 with honours. AUC President David Arnold conferred several awards on students for outstanding academic achievement and community work, including the President's Cup to Cole Agar, the Ahmed Zewail Prize for Excellence in the Sciences and the Humanities to Dalia Abu Azama, and the Engineer Bahgat Hassanein Award in Construction Engineering to Lamis El - Didi. Faculty awards included the Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavours Award given to John Baboukis, director of the music programme, and Amr Shaarawi, physics professor and associate dean for graduate studies and research. Graduates included, among many others, Aya, granddaughter of NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif, and Nour, son of head of the Ghad Party Ayman Nour and TV presenter Gamila Ismail. Keynote speaker at the commencement party was Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and president emeritus of Oxfam International. Robinson focussed her remarks on the importance of addressing human rights issues. At the Cairo Opera House Small Hall, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni inaugurated the activities of Jerusalem Day in coordination with Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Barakat Al-Farra. Hosni delivered a speech during the inaugural ceremony. The ceremony was attended by a glittering array of high-profile figures, members of the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt, Palestinian representatives at the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organisation, and former secretary- general of Palestinian Affairs at the Arab League Said Kamal. Russian Consul in Egypt Shamil Oteov paid a visit to Miami Theatre in Talaat Harb to attend the theatrical performance Lesa Fi Amal (There's Still Hope). The play is a remarkable musical performance casting actress Ghada Ibrahim, singer-cum-actor Sameh Youssri, actor Magdi Fekri and stand-up comedian Adel El-Far. Media councillor at the Russian Cultural Centre Sherif Gad was among the attendees. After the performance, Oteov presented a lovely flower bouquet to the star of the play Ibrahim in the presence of actor and director Riyad El-Kholi, choreographer Assem Abdu and the cast of the play. Celebrating the 29th anniversary of the Fête de la Musique Festival, a thrilling concert was held by world-renowned French-Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra at Al-Mahka Theatre, Salaheddin Citadel. Zahra 's performance was accompanied by the tunes of Al-Tanboura troupe. The show won the acclaim of the audience. Zahra, with her exquisitely gypsy look, appeared at the concert in a black dress complemented with a wide red belt. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The Nile Hall at the Catholic Centre witnessed a captivating seminar with veteran actor Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz about his extended film career. Abdel-Aziz 's fans were delighted during the seminar when he talked about exciting experiences from across his long acting career. Catholic Centre Director Father Boutros Daniel and cinema critic Tarek El-Shenawi jointly conducted the seminar. At the end of the seminar, Daniel granted Abdel-Aziz the centre's honorary shield and seized the chance to celebrate the actor's birthday with his beloved fans. Veteran actress Mervat Amin, who played alongside Abdel-Aziz in various films, was in attendance along with his elder son, actor Karim Abdel-Aziz. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) has hosted the 20th International Planetarium Society Conference (IPSC 2010) -- the first to take place in Africa and the Middle East -- at the BA Conference Centre in Alexandria. Titled "Back to Alexandria, the Cradle of Astronomy", the IPSC 2010 has been organised by the BA Planetarium Science Centre (PSC) in acknowledgement of the important role the ancient Library of Alexandria had played in enriching all fields of science, with special emphasis on astronomy. The conference was crowned by the presence of world- renowned professor and Director of the Centre for Remote Sensing, Boston University, USA Farouk El-Baz, Alexandria Governor Adel Labib, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal ; BA Director Ismail Serageddin in addition to other prominent national and international speakers. The IPSC 2010 hosted vendors exhibitions, planetarium sessions, panel sessions, and workshops. The seven year-old BA has re-inaugurated last year its planetarium, equipping it with the latest technology for display and simulation. photo: Ayman Barayez The 11th International Festival for Oriental Dancing presided over by Raqiya Hassan commenced activities at the Mena House Oberoi Hotel with the participation of 1000 belly dancers. Belly dancers Dina and Thouraya presented a number of dances at the inauguration ceremony. Among the attendees were retired belly dancer Soheir Zaki, Dandash, Farida Fahmi and Samraa.
