By Mme sosostris � What a delightful occasion it was, dears, when our very own Chairman of the Board and Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Nafie, along with our multi-talented Francophone colleague, my dear friend Mohamed Salmawy, editor-in-chief of Al- Ahram Hebdo, celebrated the weekly's 10th anniversary, turning the grand hall of the building into a gloriously festive space. The event was made all the more interesting by the decision of Salmawy and the Hebdo 's energetic team to honour a number of figures whose presence breathed excitement into the very atmosphere: actor Yehya El-Fakharani, singer Angham, Iraqi oud master Nasseer Shamma, singer Magd Al- Qassem, rising film star Ahmed Ezz, Syrian actress Raghda, filmmaker Youssri Nasrallah, author Salwa Bakr and world squash champion Karim Darwish. Many cherished friends were present, besides: former minister of finance Adel Hassanein, the Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary- General Zahi Hawass, first Under- Secretary for Foreign Relations at the Culture Ministry Cherif El- Choubashi, AUC Press Director Mark Linz and novelist Ibrahim Abdel- Meguid. � My famously handsome friend Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, granted Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian the institution's silver plate of recognition at the League headquarters this week, dears. Present also was a coterie of Armenian and Egyptian diplomats headed by Armenian Ambassador to Egypt Rouben Garabedian. Last week actors Elham Shahine, Ashraf Abdel-Baqi and Maha Othman as well as filmmaker Mohamed Abu Seif presided over the premiere of Khali Men Al-Cholesterol (Cholesterol Free) a delightful new comedy, at the Galaxy Cinema in Manial, an occasion that was all the more thrilling for the presence of such stars as actresses Madeline Tabar and Athar El- Hakim, the television anchor Boussi Shalabi, and directors Tarek El-Nahri and Mohamed Khan. � Good news for Ancient Egypt aficionados, my sweets. The very brilliant Bibliotheca Alexandrina has hatched a plan to teach Ancient Egyptian language -- a string of courses that starts on 14 February and goes on for three months. My disarmingly learned friend Abdel-Halim Noureddin, head of the manuscripts department, explained to me that the courses will cater to a range of aspiring students who want to know more and more about the history of their country. There are four levels of course -- beginning with the basics. Accredited professors will give theoretical lectures while students will have the chance to visit museums and attend screenings. What fun! And since everyone is welcome regardless of age or educational background, you'll be pleased to know I quickly signed my name. The initiative is the first step in the long-term, wide- ranging project of establishing Egyptology as an amateur discipline in Egypt, something that remains lacking, alas, despite its popularity in such countries as the UK, the US, France and Spain, dears. � These days the Cairo Opera House has turned into a veritable beehive, my darlings, what with so many people getting ready for the re-opening of the Opera Museum, which has had its first major face lift since the opening of the Opera House in 1988 -- lighting, décor, display style, even the arrangement of the acquisitions has changed. And supervised by my beautiful friend Fayza Abdel-Moneim, it offers opera fans the chance to see memorabilia from the old, burned down opera house as well as rare photos, musical instruments or costumes contributed by fans and performers alike. Abdel-Moneim in fact asked me to call on those who might possess such treasures to share them with others through the museum. Which is not to mention that my gifted friend Abdel-Moneim Kamel , opera house director, is collaborating with the Cultural Development Fund and the International Music Centre at the Manasterly Palace to provide our friends in Alexandria with the opportunity to see every single concert performed at the centre at the Sayed Darwish Theatre, by the sea. � Interesting name change, my sweets, as a street in Ismailia, the birthplace of the late French singing star Claude François, will be officially named after him on 1 February. The occasion has solicited celebrations in both Ismailia and the French Cultural Centre in Cairo, in which French singer Mickael will participate, performing some of the legends' best loved songs. � Belated congratulations, dears, but better late than never! Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own colleague Heba Samir and her very pleasant husband Raymond Mitri had their first baby, Marc, for those of you who don't know. The little star is a few months old already, but his presence among us remains as joyful as ever. Hindu tunes as the Indian Ambassador to Cairo Rajendra Singh Rathore unfurled the Indian national flag yesterday to celebrate the 56th Republic Day, dears. An engaging ceremony held at the India House in Zamalek, it gave me the chance to listen to Indian patriotic songs and spend time with representatives of one of my favourite countries. � "Passion for Fashion" is the name of a party as exclusive, trendy and to my very own taste as you like, my darlings, which was held at the Nile Hilton's hot hot hot Latex nightclub earlier this month. Never mind that I got to see one of my stars, the world renowned fashion designer Susha, who offered his latest collection -- fabulous, dears, fabulous, an opinion on which all present agreed; the real highlight was appearing on Fashion TV and the Orbit channel, both of which covered the event.
