photo: Ghada Abd El-Kader Under the auspices of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, the Brazilian Ambassador Elim Dutra opened the photographic exhibition, "Amrik-Arab Presence in South America" at the Amir Taz Palace, Khalifa -- open to the public 5-18 June -- where my colleague Ghada Abd El-Kader contemplated 140 photos by 20 photographers depicting Arab immigrant culture in south America, of which "Amrik" came to be a specifically Arab mispronunciation in the 19th century. Presented last year at the South American Summit, the exhibition focuses on Brazil, where there are over 12 million Arab descendants. Before arriving at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the exhibition will first tour Jordan. Present at the opening were Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Bin Heli, Head of Al-Ahram Advertising Department Hassan Hamdi, novelist Ibrahim Aslan, sculptor Adam Henein, head of the newly instituted National Organisation for Urban Harmony Samir Gharib, Minister-Counsellor Marcos Rapos Lopes and Honorary Counsellor Mustafa El-Abbadi. PSupervisor of the Translation Department at the French Embassy Donia Badini -- also the wife of Italian ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini -- presided over a seminar celebrating International Translation Day. Among the speakers were French Ambassador Philippe Coste, Al-Ahram writer Sherif El-Choubashi, and best-selling novelist Alaa El-Aswani, while attendees included the one-in-a-million actress Lubna Abdel-Aziz, film critic Rafiq El-Sabban and head of Al-Hanager Arts Centre Hoda Wasfi. photo: Ayman Barayez Marking 60 years since the establishment of the republic, the Italian National Day saw Italian Ambassador Antonio Badini doing his trademark party trick at his Garden City residence -- reading a speech in Arabic. Among the official and public figures hosted by Badini and his charming wife Donia were Minister of Higher Education Hani Helal, Minister of Social Affairs Ali El-Moselhi, Cairo Governor Abdel - Azim Wazir, Al-Wadi Al-Gedid Governor Ahmed Mokhtar, Al-Ahram writer Sherif El-Choubashi, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo and head of the Writers Union Mohamed Salmawi, writer Louis Greiss, film critics Rafiq El-Sabban and Mustafa Darwish as well as our very own critic and Acting Director of Film at the Performing and Visual Arts Department at the American University in Cairo Mohamed El-Assyouti. Live music was performed in the garden, while pasta and cheese were sampled. Headed by Nagwa Metwali, the Diplomats' Wives Association organised a charity fashion show at the First Mall, with a view to helping the Egyptian Red Crescent establish maternity and pediatric departments at Ain Shams University Hospital. Miss Egypt 2006 Fawzya Mohamed presented a dazzling soirée dress, while Lebanese designer George Shehada offered his latest line. Present were, among others, the president of the Inner Wheel Clubs Samia Abul-Fotouh, the wife of Libyan Ambassador Soheila Al-Drouki and the head of Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin. During his recent sojourn in France, the Cairo Opera Orchestra Director Nader Abbasi became the first Egyptian to conduct the Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra on five evenings for the Opera Maria Golovine, bringing Menotti to life with what the French press hailed as unprecedented vigour. The celebrated artist George Bahgory has received the King Abdullah II of Jordan award, a distinguished award that pays homage to the work of a great Egyptian artist who, else, has not been sufficiently honoured in his own homeland. This timely and much deserved award comes at a most opportune moment -- with fast-paced political developments in the region. The ramifications of these political reforms have a powerful impact on cultural production and artistic work in the region. Bahgory, a native of Luxor, the ancient Thebes, in many ways personifies contemporary Egyptian art. It is uplifting to note that Egypt's neighbours deeply appreciate his work. After a decade of hard work, Teenstuff magazine -- written by and for teens -- proudly celebrated its 100th issue. The concept of Manal El - Mahdi -- owner and founder of Teenstuff and its Arabic sister publication, Kelmetna -- was to institute a teen-dedicated press with representatives of this age group from all over the world stepping to share opinions and thoughts. El-Mahdi 's idea was to reach out to teens rather than formulating a predetermined notion of what they might like, whence the fact that the majority of both magazines' content is submitted by readers aged 15-21. Well done, Teenstuff. photo: Khatchig Wanis A charity bazaar at the Ramses Hilton Hotel was organised by the African Ambassadors' Wives Association featuring food, drinks and various products from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Gabon, Mozambique, Burundi, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Malawi, Guinea and Djibouti. Present at the opening were the President of the African Ambassadors' Wives Association Ruth Maboyi and Vice-President Felicite Konan. The Future of Freedom, a book by Newsweek International editor Farid Zakaria, recently translated into Arabic by the US Embassy's Translated Book Programme, was the subject of a seminar at the Al-Ahram Regional Press Institute, featuring the Vice-President of Banha University Ali Shamseddin and the US Vice-Consul Alistair Baskey. The Global Movement for Children (GMC) -- an international conglomerate of organisations including Enda Tiers Monde, the Latin America and Caribbean Network for Children (Redlamyc), Oxfam, Plan, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision -- has issued an urgent appeal for recognising the right of children with HIV and AIDS to treatment. The lack of treatment amounts to a death sentence for millions of children, said GMC chairman and president of World Vision International Dean Hirsch, while UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman added, "through strengthened partnerships among governments, donors, international agencies and the private sector, we must do everything possible to ensure that drugs, diagnostic equipment and resources are available to treat children". For the Chief Executive Officer of Plan International Thomas Miller, "the matter was practical as well as humanitarian: "Unless the world takes urgent account of the specific impact AIDS has on children we will fail to meet Millennium Development Goal 6 to halt and begin to reverse the spread of the disease by 2015."
