photo: Sherif Sonbol The Russian Scheherazade The Modern Dance Theatre Company of the Cairo Opera House, founded by Lebanese choreographer Walid Aouni, will inaugurate the activities of the Egyptian Cultural Week to be held in Qatar's capital, Doha, 14-18 April, performing Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade. Aouni said it is the first time for the company with its 30 dancers to present the show in Qatar. "The show achieved critical acclaim in several Arab countries, such as Tunisia, Syria, Jordan and Morocco," he added. The Egyptian International Society Against Addiction (EISAA), presided over by Hisham Abbas, hosted a lavish celebration honouring a galaxy of celebrity figures for their positive roles in society. Actresses Dalia El-Beheiri, Nahed Roushdi, actor Ahmed Maher, Islamic preacher Abla El-Kahlawi were all honoured. Abbas distributed the shields along with Muslim preacher Khaled El-Guindi and former minister of education Hussein Kamel Bahaaeddin. In celebration of Orphans' Day, Rotaract Nasr City Club accompanied 4,500 orphans from different orphanages all over Cairo to Magic Land Entertainment City. The children spent an exceptionally joyful day and enjoyed playing games, watching dolphins and magician shows. Sponsoring the Orphans' Day event comes within the context of Rotaract Nasr City's April activities which also include hosting a Study Exchange Team from Sweden. The team will get to know the Egyptian culture and civilisation in addition to acquiring a multitude of vocational experiences. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The Cairo Opera House witnessed the closing ceremony of the festival entitled "We Are the Future" -- hosted by the Future University located in New Cairo and presided over by Khaled Azazi -- honouring a bevy of high-profile personalities and celebrities. The prestigious celebration was enlivened by the powerful voice of Hani Shaker and promising singer Riham Abdel-Hakim. On top of the honourees were Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, Al-Ahram Editor-in-Chief Osama Saraya, Al-Akhbar Editor-in- Chief Mohamed Barakat, Al-Masry Al-Yom Editor-in- Chief Magdi El-Gallad, Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab as well as journalist and TV presenter Khairi Ramadan. Veteran actors Laila Elwi, Elham Shahine, Nour El-Sherif, comedian Mohamed Heneidi and Ahmed Ezz were all honoured. The ceremony featured an operetta directed by choreographer Walid Aouni presented by TV presenter Poussy Shalabi. Director of the Cairo Opera House Abdel-Moneim Kamel, Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi, Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab, head of the People's Assembly Fathi Sorour, Minister of Education Ahmed Zaki Badr, Minister of State for Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish and head of the Egyptian Actors' Union Ashraf Zaki were among the attendees. On the occasion of commemorating the 40th anniversary of the International Francophone Day, the Champollion Rotary Club (CRC), presided over by Mano Shousha, held a significant seminar at Le Pacha Nile Boat. Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Ferry de Kerckhove was the keynote speaker, discussing the future of francophone relations, democracy, development, and eliminating international conflicts. Guests at the seminar enjoyed a delightful evening, among them CRC active members Brigette Louvivre, Ina Hassanein, Aisha Abdel-Nour, Hanan Mounib, Hoda Wasfi, Brigette Naggar and Neamatallah Hussein. An honorary ceremony took place at the celebration hall of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University in recognition of Egyptian women. The ceremony honoured an array of high-profile figures, including Al-Ahram back page editor Mona Ragab, Amira Salah Hilal, and TV presenter Riham Said. Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication Laila Abdel-Meguid, director of the Faculty of Mass Communication Centre of Gender Studies at Cairo University Inas Abu Youssef and editor-in-chief of Nahdet Masr newspaper Mohamed El-Shabba were among the attendees. photos: Ayman Barayez An astounding fashion show was held by German designer Barbie Swedan at the Cairo International Conference Centre Khufu Hall. Swedan dazzled attendees with 60 soiree and wedding gowns for 2010 worn by 10 stunning models. Helwan University organised the "First Festival for the Star of the University in Music and Singing" for Egyptian universities under the auspices of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Hilal and Helwan University President Mahmoud El-Tayeb Nasser with the participation of nine Egyptian universities. The closing ceremony saw the honouring of five talented contestants who participated in the festival, and was enlivened by singer Mohamed Nour. With over 150 leaders from the private sector, the public sector and civil society from Egypt in attendance, the American University in Cairo (AUC) John D Gerhart Centre for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement launched last week the Corporate Sustainability Capacity Building Programme at the Semiramis InterContinental Cairo Hotel in Garden City. The programme has been developed to respond to the clear need for the private sector in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to not only understand what corporate sustainability means to their business, but also to acquire the skills necessary to implement sustainable business practices. Moderated by AUC Provost Lisa Anderson, the event was highlighted with a panel discussion entitled, "Sustainability: A Paradigm Shift in Management". An introduction was given by AUC President David Arnold. Panellists included Egyptian Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieldin, Founder and CEO of Aramex International Fadi Ghandour, Executive Director of Abraaj Capital Frederic Sicre, Vice- Chairman and Managing Director of SEKEM Helmi Abu Leish and Mounir Thabet, UNDP country director. During a dynamic and thought-provoking discussion, panellists focussed on the evolution of corporate sustainability in a global context with emphasis on the transformative effects corporate sustainability can have on the Arab region as a whole. More news on the AUC! Bruce W Ferguson has been named AUC's dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Ferguson has more than 30 years experience as an art curator, critic and administrator, as well as extensive management experience in both arts and academic organisations. Ferguson has served as dean of the School of Arts at Columbia University as well as president and executive director of the New York Academy of Art. He has curated more than 35 exhibitions for institutions such as the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen, the Barbican Art Gallery in London, the Winnipeg and Vancouver Art Galleries in Canada and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He also organised exhibitions in the international biennials of Sao Paulo, Sydney, Venice and Istanbul. Internationally acclaimed Belgian composer and ballad singer Salvatore Adamo is scheduled to rock the stage of the Cairo Opera House Main Hall on 16 April at 8pm. He sings mainly in French, but also in other languages such as German, Italian and Spanish. Adamo enjoyed commercial success during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in Europe and Latin America. His early influences were the poetry of Victor Hugo, and the music of French crooners such as Jacques Prévent or Georges Brassens. Adamo 's first hit was Sans toi, ma mie in 1963, from his debut album "63/64". He followed this with a series of hits such as The snow falls, May I, Sir and The night in 1964. Veteran Lebanese singer Wadie Al-Safi was granted the Catholic Centre shield by Father Boutros Daniel for his rich and remarkable singing career. The honorary ceremony was held in Lebanon due to the health condition of Al-Safi after a seminar discussing his stay in Egypt and his relation with late veteran music figures such as Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, Umm Kolthoum, Abdel-Halim Hafez and Farid Al-Atrash. Al-Safi expressed his gratitude for being granted Egyptian nationality during his stay in Egypt by the Egyptian president. During the seminar, which was conducted by TV presenter Josphine Al-Ghoul, Lebanese singer Joumana Medawar performed a special song for Al-Safi.
