Chairman of the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP) Ahmed Nawwar inaugurated last Thursday the first night of Layaly Al-Mahrousa (Cairo Nights) Cultural Evenings of Ramadan, Ghada Abd El-Kader reports. The main celebration took place in the historic district of Al-Sayeda Zeinab. The programme will last from 5 September until 18 October. Other celebrations will take place in Umm Kulthoum Theatre, Ali Mubarak Café in Mansoura, Fardos Garden, Assiut and at the Waterfalls Garden in Alexandria. Nawwar approved the list of prominent figures who will feature in the evenings of Naguib Mahfouz Café, who will tackle the most crucial religious, cultural and political issues; they include prominent novelist Youssef El-Qaeid, veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin and Editor-in- Chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo Mohamed Salmawi. Nawwar said that for the first time in the festival's history its activities are taking place in more than 27 different cultural locations across Egypt's governorates. Also, for the first time artists from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Minya and Ganoub Al-Wadi Universities landscaped Al-Sayeda Zeinab gardens in a most original manner. For this Ramadan, the French Cultural Centre (CFCC) decided to present a versatile and busy cultural programme at a big oriental tent in its backyard, lasting from 7-13 October. Folkloric artists from the Delta Zaki El-Ashmouni and Ibrahim Zaza singing mawawil and reciting poetry accompanied by rababa, violin, mezmar, oud and percussions are going to open the programme. Also featuring is the Marwan Saada band. Moreover, Bedouin Troupe's veteran singer Ahmed El-Haggar is also playing. And, don't miss the jazz music by Yehia Khalil band. The Spanish Embassy in Cairo, in collaboration with the Cairo Opera House, Al-Ghouri Centre for Musical Heritage and Al-Mawred Cultural Resource Centre, is offering a series of concerts throughout Ramadan dedicated to commemorate the 600th death anniversary of Ibn Khaldoun. The Spanish Cultural Center (Cervantes Institute) will hold concerts featuring Sufi chanters, Yasser Awad band, oriental songs for Awtar band, Al-Tannura and Nubian musical dances at the centre garden. The Goethe Institute also has its own way in celebrating the holy month; in collaboration with Al-Mawred Cultural Resource Centre and Mashrabia Gallery the Egyptian artist Sahar Dourghan added new light installation on Goethe garden celebrating the coming of Ramadan. The programme will begin with oriental music by Fathi Salama band, then writer Miral El-Tahawi will present her new literal work Gazelle Spring published in German and end by two documentary films by Islam El-Azzazi and Aqram Farid about life in large German cities for resident Arab communities. At the Italian Embassy, the Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMP), the Egyptian Pediatric Association, the Cairo and Ain Shams universities signed a memorandum of understanding for a scientific cooperation in pediatrics between Italy and Egypt. The agreement includes both the exchange of information and training programmes for Egyptian and Italian pediatricians especially in the field of preventive medicine and pediatric emergency. Among the attendees were Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal, Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini and president of FIMP Pier Luigi Tucci Omani Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Aziz Al-Hanaa'i hosted an Iftar banquet at Semiramis Intercontinental Cairo Hotel, Cleopatra ballroom. A bevy of luminaries in the fields of media, press, and diplomacy turned up in great numbers. Amongst the dignitaries were Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own Editor-in-Chief Assem El-Kersh, Editor-in-Chief of Nisf Al-Donia magazine Afkar El - Kharadli, Al-Arabi magazine Editor-in-Chief Abdel-Aati Mohamed, writer Youssef El-Qaeid, charming anchor Dina Farouk and the former grand mufti Nasr Farid. photos: Ayman Barayez On Saturday, Al-Tannura traditional troupe held a musical performance at Al-Ghouri Centre for Musical Heritage, Al-Azhar area. The troupe played on traditional and folk musical instruments like the rababa, salamia, flute, drums, tambourines and percussions. The American Ambassador Francis Ricciardone held a party in honour of the new Regional Medical Officer in the US Embassy in Egypt Scott Kennedy and the Vice Admiral Donald Arthur Surgeon General of the US Navy to promote friendship between Egypt and United States. Among the attendees were Doctors' Syndicate Chairman Hamdi El-Sayed and a galaxy of Egyptian and American medical practicioners. The American Ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone hosted an Iftar at his residence for the education officials and a plethora of public figures who are interested in education. Among other guests were Minister of Education Yousri El-Gamal, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal, MP Mustafa El-Feki, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Zagazig University Nabil Helmi, business mogul and chairman of the board of trustees of the British University in Egypt Mohamed Farid Khamis, Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs at the American Embassy William R Stewart, Education Team Leader at the USAID Elizabeth Warfield, heads of universities, professors as well as media figures. El-Sawy Cultural Centre organised a seminar, conducted by Nisreen Gomaa, with prominent TV presenter Rola Kharsa. Kharsa is best known for Egyptian television programmes that focus on social problems. Her weekly programme "Akhbar Al-Nas" (People's News) was first aired on Channel 1 after Kharsa joined the institution in 1999. She also presented the semi-documentary TV programme "Fil Omq" (In Depth). Her most recent social TV programme is named "That is the Whole Story". She first worked for the European Service of Egyptian Radio before moving to London, where she was both presenter and producer at the BBC Arabic Service as well as correspondent for Egyptian television. The US Embassy invited the Imam Talal Eid in Egypt. Eid was once the Imam and Religious Director of the Islamic Center of New England, Quincy and Sharon, Massachusetts from 1982 onwards. He was born in 1953 in Lebanon, speaks Arabic and English, and studied at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was known for his interfaith work and for speaking out against terrorism. He lost a legal bid yesterday to win back his long- time job as religious director of the 1,500-member Islamic Centre of New England. He spoke about "Interfaith dialogue and tolerance" at the Arab League.
