University Independence Day was celebrated yesterday at Cairo University's Centre for Development and Technology Planning. The theme of this year's celebration was "The Egyptian University between Public and Private Funding" and speakers included internationally renowned Rushdi Said, economist Mahmoud Abdel- Fadil and writer Radwa Ashour. Enlightening testimonies in what it has been like to teach for almost half a century were given by mathematics professor Attiya Abdel-Salam Ashour, holder of the Mubarak Merit Award the highest Egyptian honour awarded to scientists, literature professor Fatma Moussa and history professor Raouf Abbas. The event commemorates the day in 1932 when Cairo University's rector Ahmed Loutfi El-Sayed, resigned in protest of interference into university affairs. The resignation was triggered by the suspension of the eminent Taha Hussein from teaching at Cairo University because of the controversy surrounding his then recently published book Jahili Poetry. Those were the days! Last Sunday that dashing Egyptian actor Mahmoud Qabil in his capacity as UNICEF Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa issued an appeal to Arab countries to support the children and women of Darfur. Qabil spoke at the Cairo Press Syndicate at a UNICEF-organised event seeking to boost the international community's response to the ongoing Darfur humanitarian crisis. "It is not possible that the children of this region are suffering so much and receiving almost no Arab support," said Qabil who told his audience that on his recent visit to the refugee camps in west and south Darfur he had seen "very little Arab presence on the ground in Darfur, with the exception of some very brave NGOs". In the presence of Mohamed Anis Salem, UNICEF spokesman and regional communication adviser, Qabil said he will call on the Arab League secretary-general to report on his mission to Darfur and seek support towards mobilising Arab support for UNICEF's humanitarian work in the Sudan. photos: Mohamed Wassim The Turkish Miss Beauty Tupba Kaka could be admired walking down the catwalk at the Khufu Hall of the National Conferences Centre this week in a show organised by businessman Mohamed El-Sherif. Among the lith bodies that showed off cocktail gowns to their best advantage were 16 Turkish models and the Egyptian model Arwa. The event also featured the ever-popular pop singer Amr Diab. photo: Ayman Barayez Last week, the Press Syndicate hosted a celebration in honour of Le Monde's prominent caricaturist Jean Plantu, who was on a short visit to Egypt. The event was an opportunity for Plantu to meet with a number of Egyptian caricaturists in an open discussion chaired by Al-Ahram Weekly caricaturist Tamer Youssef and Al-Akhbar newspaper's Efat. An exhibit showcasing samples of Plantu 's unique works has been on display at the syndicate. photos: Mohamed Wassim A couple of days ago, Al-Ahram Weekly ' s very own columnist Mursi Saad El- Din joined the American University in Cairo's Chairman of the Journalism and Mass Communications Department Hussein Amin in inaugurating the department's photography class. And a word of advise for tonight: head for El-Sawy Cultural Centre in Zamalek where a concert will be given by Sita Sonty, an American diplomat of Indian descent. Under the auspices of the Indian Cultural Centre and the US Embassy, Sonty will perform two forms of Indian classical dances Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, which she has been performing since the age of four. Sonty trained at the Nrityalaya School in Chicago in 1983 and danced before the Dalai Lama in 1994 in Chicago.
