� In this era rife with stigmas towards the Arab world, I believe that displaying one's national pride is an absolute must, my Arab dears. The Bahraini ambassador in Egypt, Khalil Al-Zewady, set a fine example last week, holding a reception party at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the occasion of Bahrain's National Day. It was attended by Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, Minister of Health Mohamed Awad Tageddin, former prime minister Atef Ebeid, US Ambassador David Welch as well as the most honourable ambassadors of Algeria, Morocco and Oman. On Sunday, the AUC Press announced Alia Mamdouh 's Al-Mahbubat (The Loved Ones, 2003) as this year's winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature. In their address the jury described the novel as "an intimately moving, polyphonic narrative of displacement and nomadism." Mamdouh, who was born in Iraq and received her degree in psychology from the University of Mustansariya in 1971, is also the author of two collections of short stories as well as four novels: Layla wa l- Dhib (Laila and the Wolf, 1981), Habbat Al-Naftalin (Mothballs, 1986), Al-Walaa (Passion, 1993) and Al-Ghulama (The Maiden, 2000). Mamdouh 's works have previously been translated into English, French and German; the English translation of Al-Mahbubat will be published by AUC Press in 2005. � Cancer, a dear friend noted the other day, has become somewhat like the flu -- hitting without warning, world-wide, as if it is something one just catches from the air. The Egyptian-Lebanese Friendship Association for Businessmen organised its annual charity concert with its entire cachet donated to the Cancer Hospital 57357 at Cleopatra Hall, Semiramis Hotel, last week. The concert featured singer Walid Tawfiq and gorgeous Lebanese singer Nagwa Karam, who was awarded the shield of the association by its Vice- President Kamil Shamoun. The concert was crowned by the presence of the Lebanese Ambassador in Egypt Abdel-Latif Al-Mameluk, president of the association Fathallah Fawzi as well as around 900 businessmen and Egyptian cinema and TV stars, including Mervat Amin, Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, Elham Shahine, Poussi and Lebleba. The event was followed by a dinner party held in honour of Karam and Tawfiq at the Businessmen's Club overlooking the Nile. A lovely evening in great cause. � There is no denying the pivotal role the Fulbright Commission has played in the lives of thousands of students, scholars and individuals in the Middle East this century. Earlier this month, the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt (BFCE ) celebrated the 55th Anniversary of the Fulbright Programme in Egypt and the 58th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright programme at the Marriott Hotel. "Communicating Across Cultures" was the theme of this year's annual alumni dinner. The event featured a concert by the Fulbright American and Egyptian alumni, Cairo Opera Company soprano Dalia Farouk, who was a Fulbright scholar at the Julliard School of Music in 2001 and pianist and professor of piano at Converse College in South Carolina Douglas Weeks, who taught at the Cairo Conservatory of Music as a Fulbright senior scholar in 1999. Also performing were harpist Mona Wassef, who studied harp in the United States in 2004; conductor and director of the Cultural Activities at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Sherif Mohieddin, who was awarded a Fulbright Arts Management grant to study at the American University in Washington DC in January 2004; composer Ramz Sami and violinist Yasser El-Serafi. The performance, my dears, emphasised what a key role music plays in intercultural dialogue. � It is not only the more verbose nations of the world that take pride in making their heritage felt. At the Marriott's beautifully decorated Eugenie Hall, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania Viktor Kalemi and his beautiful spouse celebrated Albania's National Day in a wonderful evening reception. The party was attended by a group of the foreign ambassadors in Egypt and a flurry of glamorous guests. At the Child Cultural Palace in Garden City, Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir, and head of the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP) Mustafa Elwi, partook in the celebration of Child Day. The event was organised for Egypt's children with special needs with the aim of helping them recognise that they are no lesser than any other child. Wazir and Elwi distributed prizes among 45 winners in the cultural and artistic competition, organised in the fields of poetry, story writing, music, acting and singing. It was lovely to see the children indulge in the attention and festivities with such carefree delight. � The Rotary Club is always doing truly commendable work. Last week, the Rotary Club's North Cairo President Abdel- Hamid Hussein and its former president Saad Shehata inaugurated a state of the art vision clinic at the Sharabia Medical. French Rotarians from the Inter Country Committee (CIP) and from some of the clubs in France, which participated in the matching grant for the financing of the project, travelled to Egypt especially for this occasion. The senior doctors at the Sharabia district clinic, and as well various local representatives, joined the RC North Cairo members in the ceremony. The clinic, which will serve around 10,000 needy children per year, will play a vital role in the care of children's optical needs, and as well in the early prevention of blindness.
