It seems, my dears, that folk and traditional arts inspired by the holy month of Ramadan is everywhere. At El-Sawy Cultural Centre, the newly opened River Café features during Ramadan poetry recitation and music for classical Arabic music troupes such as the one conducted by Amr Nagui. At the beautifully designed Beit Al- Harrawi and amid the ambiance of history, a spectacular Bedouin performance was performed by Al-Hatiya troupe, led by lyricist, singer and semsemiya player Abdel-Sadeq El-Badramani. Even foreign cultural centres in Egypt have designed special cultural programmes for Ramadan: such as that of the Centre Français de Culture et de Cooperation (CFCC) in Mounira that presented Sufi music by Sheikh Mohamed El-Helbawi, folk Sudanese songs by Sattouna and oriental jazz by Wist Al-Balad band. At Cervantes Institute (The Spanish Cultural Centre) in Doqqi, a series of concerts playing Sufi and folk music were performed and will be concluded tomorrow by Al-Tanoura whirling dervishes performance. If only such cultural appreciation, like other things, did not limit itself to the holy month, what a different place the world would be. photos: Khatchig Wanis There are several words that over the years have become synonymous with Ramadan. The obvious aside, perhaps because Ramadan is a time of reflection and thought, one of the holy month keywords has become that of "debate". Under the auspices of Al-Ahram Chairman of the Board and Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Nafie, three Ramadan evenings have been organised to discuss "issues of the hour". The first seminar was held at the Cairo Capital Club (CCC). Featuring the People's Assembly Head of Foreign Relations Committee Mustafa El-Feki, the discussion centred on the means of activating the policies of reform in Egypt. El-Feki entered an engaging give-and-take discussion with representatives of national, partisan and independent newspapers. The second seminar, held last Wednesday, debated issues related to economic reform. The final seminar, scheduled for next Wednesday, will revolve around the impact of the TV drama on press and media work. These seminars are organised in cooperation with Al-Ahram Regional Institute for Press and Inter News Arab net. Certainly matters that serve as rich food for thought. My dears I watched the documentary Control Room yesterday, about Al-Jazeera's coverage of the war in Iraq. A fascinating piece of work on the Qatar-based television network. I think, my dears, that forever after Al-Jazeera will be a name that makes heads turn, even if it comes to something as simple as Iftar. Yes, my dears, the head of Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite channel's office in Cairo Hussein Abdel-Ghani and Al-Jazeera's famous TV presenter Ahmed Mansour held an Iftar party at the Nile Hilton in honour of former Algerian President Ahmed Bin Bella on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Algerian revolution against the French occupation. The Iftar comprised a bevy of luminary figures including Bella 's wife Mahdiya, former Vice-President Hussein El-Shafe'i, Algerian Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Qader Haggar, head of the Arab Publishers Union Ibrahim El-Mu'allim, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Al- Arabi magazine Osama Saraya and veteran comedians Adel Imam and Mohamed Sobhi. By sheer virtue of the organiser, the gathering provided most stimulating meal-time conversation. I told you dears that Ramadan is richer culturally than any other time of the year. The Naguib Mahfouz Café, which is part of Layali Al-Mahrousa (Cairo Nights) celebration of Ramadan organised by the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP), hosted Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Osama El-Baz to talk about the future of the Middle East. The encounter, led by head of the GOCP Mustafa Elwie, is part of a series of encounters with senior state officials to be held at the café throughout Ramadan. photos: Ayman Barayez So why is it, I ask, that the word Ramadan has become synonymous with culture? What about spirituality, introspection, exploration of the soul? Well, I pondered those questions myself as I enjoyed an evening at the Cairo Opera House's Small Hall, where the Tunisian National troupe for music featured a spectacular Ramadan evening titled "The East Nights", led by Abdel-Rahman El-Aiadi presenting renowned Tunisian singers Hassan Al-Dahmani, Alfa Bin Rafdan and Karim Shoeb. The concert was attended by Tunisian Ambassador to Egypt Salaheddin Al-Gamal and his lovely wife, Palestine Representative at the Arab League Mohamed Sobeih, head of the Egyptian-Tunisian Friendship Association Abdel-Halim Nawwar, actress Nabila Ebeid as well as a galaxy of Arab diplomats. One thing about this month I tremendously enjoy is the social, social, social element of it. In celebration of Ramadan, Egyptian businesswoman Amal Farah held a Sohour party at the CCC where I was thrilled to meet my dear friend Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass, head of the CCC Niazi Sharabi, actresses Nelly, Hala Sedqi, Manal Salama, Nagwa Fouad, composer Hani Mahana and businesswoman Dedi Peipers. A most interesting night with some fascinating individuals. The super popular Lebanese singer Assi Al- Helani was in Egypt last week to feature a charity party organised by Hayati Association, presided over by Awatef Serageddin. The party was crowned by the songs of Abdel-Halim Hafez performed by Al-Helani, who donated his ticket proceeds to the party. Among the attendees were Minister of Information Mamdouh El-Beltagui and his delightful wife, Minister of Health and Housing Mohamed Awad Tageddin, Governor of Qalyubiya Adli Hussein, Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdel- Latif Mamluk and his Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali. My dear colleague, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo Mohamed Salmawy, has been just named assistant to the Minister of Information Mamdouh El-Beltagui for cultural affairs. On behalf of my team at the Ahram Weekly, I wish him the sincerest of congratulations.
