Women in black This picture was captured during the final rehearsal of the Modern Dance Theatre Company's most recent production entitled Qassim Amin Women, directed and choreographed by Walid Aouni. The company is due to present the show at the Gomhuriya Theatre and Sayed Darwish Theatre in Alexandria Opera House, starting 14 February. Motivated by the illuminating role played by late intellectual Qassim Amin in liberating Egyptian women, Aouni was enthusiastic about creating the show. ( see Listings p.6 ) The annual celebration of the Lions Clubs International, presided over by Al-Brandel, took place in Farhati Hall at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The celebration was enlivened by the stunning performances of Reda, the folk dance troupe, belly dancer Dina and Moroccan singer Mayar. Present at this special occasion were Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi, head of the Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin, President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman, head of Lions Clubs in Egypt Hossam Khodeir, head of Al-Rehab Lions Club Mahmoud El-Maghrabi, head of Heliopolis Lions Club Magdi Azzab, retired actress Nahed Yosri, Pope Shenouda Spokesman Hani Aziz and members of Lions Clubs Mustafa Shawqi, Nagwa Emad and Gamal Abu Zekri. Nobel laureate and world-renowned scientist Ahmed Zuweil is scheduled to deliver a thrilling lecture titled "Education Between the Present and Future" at Ahmed Zuweil Cultural Salon that is annually held at the Cairo Opera House, on 13 February, 8pm. Conducted by media figure and journalist Osama Heikal, the lecture will take place at the Main Hall to accommodate a large number of audience. In a ceremony held on its New Cairo campus, the American University in Cairo (AUC) launched its new School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) and the School of Business (BUS) -- the first schools of their kind in Egypt and the Middle East. The event was attended by Egyptian and international dignitaries and public figures, and included speeches by AUC President David D. Arnold, former Egyptian ambassador to the US Nabil Fahmy and Dean Sherif Kamel. The event also featured a panel discussion, "Public Private Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges in the Global World," with panelists: Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid ; director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ismail Serageldin ; Ali Faramawi, vice- president of Microsoft International, Middle East and Africa; Ghassan Salame, professor of international relations at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris, and senior adviser to the United Nations secretary general; Dipak C Jain, former dean and professor of marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Explaining the role of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, its dean ambassador Fahmy, noted that private citizens, public figures, government officials and organisations are all direct stakeholders in the policies that will guide the world in the years to come and that partnerships will be vital in addressing the opportunities and challenges that will emerge. A prestigious ceremony was held at the protocol hall of the 42nd Cairo International Book Fair where the Mohamed Taymour Awards for Theatre Creativity were distributed. Egyptian Wael Qadour received the award as well as Syrians Abdallah Al-Kafri and Abdel-Moemen Ahmed while the honorary award went to late head of the General Egyptian Book Organisation (GEBO) Nasser El-Ansari. The ceremony was attended by head of the GEBO Saber Arab, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Akmaleddin Ehsan Oghlo, founder of the Taymour Awards Rashida Taymour, writer Ahmed Sakhsoukh and playwright Abul-Ela El-Salamoni. Last Wednesday, a swarming premiere was held for the new blockbuster Rasael Al-Bahr (Messages from the Sea) at the Nile City Cinema. The film casts talented starlet Asser Yassin, actress Basma and actor Mohamed Lotfi, and is scripted and directed by Dawoud Abdel-Sayed. A rich bevy of celebrities was present to congratulate the cast of the film. photos: Ayman Barayez A lavish book signing was held for the newly released book, Secularism is the Answer, by Farouk El-Qadi at the Garden City Club. The book signing was attended by an array of authors and high-profile figures, among them were veteran novelist Khairi Shalabi, former minister of development Yehia El-Gamal, writers Nabil Zaki, Raywa El-Manasterli, Mohamed Dahman, Nabil Darwish, Nashwa El-Deib, Ziad Abdel-Fattah, Laila Habib and publisher Fatmah El-Boudi. The flamboyant former first lady Gihan El-Sadat was guest of honour at the Nile Lions Club (NLC), presided over by versatile artist Samir Sabri, in a flashy seminar at Le Pacha Nile Boat in Zamalek. Guests enjoyed a pleasant evening with El-Sadat who talked about her rich life and shared memories of late president Anwar El-Sadat. At the end of the seminar that was crowned by the presence of a coterie of intellectuals, politicians and celebrities, El-Sadat along with chairman of Al-Shorouq Publishing House and head of the Arab Publishers Union Ibrahim El-Muallim were granted honorary membership of the NLC. Controversial filmmaker Khaled Youssef held a press conference to announce his running for the position of chairman of the Actors' Syndicate, outlining the platform upon which he will seek election. The first conference of the German Teachers Union of North Africa was held in Cairo from 4-7 February at the Goethe Institute under the auspices of German Ambassador to Egypt Michael Bock. The conference gave German teachers a chance to meet North African counterparts to exchange experiences. Aiming to condemn violence and religious fanaticism, the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces, headed by the diligent Ahmed Megahed, in cooperation with Fayoum Governor Galal Said and Nahdet Masr daily newspaper, organised a celebration entitled "Together For Love of Egypt" at the Fayoum Cultural Palace. The event was attended by a plethora of senior state officials as well as priest Mettias Bishri, deputising Fayoum bishop, Sheikh Selim Shoeb, general director of the religious endowment in Fayoum, Media Counsellor at the Arab League Moataz Salaheddin and a galaxy of actors such as comedian El-Montasser Bellah, Hamdi El-Wazir, Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Metwalli. The event included the inauguration of a plastic art exhibition entitled "National Unity Throughout History" and was enlivened by a concert featuring Fayoum religious singing and Arab music troupes. More news for Cairo Opera House goers! The prices of Opera tickets are reduced on the occasion of Valentine's Day and school mid-year vacations. Egyptian dignitaries and international education experts celebrated the launch of the American University in Cairo's (AUC) Graduate School of Education (GSE). Guests at the celebration included head of the People's Assembly Fathi Sorour, Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal, Minister of Education Ahmed Zaki Badr, and Minister of State for Family and Population Mushira Khattab. Also attending were director of the Centre for International Higher Education at Boston College Philip Altbac, the president of the Teachers' College at Columbia University Susan Fuhrman, Ford Foundation professor of international education at Harvard Graduate School of Education Fernando Reimers, in addition to deans of Egyptian governmental and private universities. Authorised by the Supreme Council of Universities and the Ministry of Higher Education, the new school will foster excellence in practice and research for pre-university and higher education professionals by integrating learning and research. AUC President David Arnold said that the new school represents a major investment in the future of Egypt and a promise to its youth. The new school includes professional educator diploma programmes, which offer non-credit education diplomas in five areas: educational leadership, early literacy education, teaching diverse learners, integrated educational technology for classroom teachers, and teaching for non-education majors. These diplomas are designed to address Egyptian and regional priorities for pre-university education. There are 186 students enrolled in the programmes and to date 37 schoolteachers and administrators have completed requirements for various diplomas. AUC Counsellor Amr Salama noted that AUC's initiative focuses a national spotlight on the correlation between a well- educated population and national capacity building. Under the motto "Nothing is Impossible" the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) in cooperation with the Arab League, the Islamic Bank for Development, the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, and other partners, held last week a conference at City Stars InterContinental to discuss the role of society towards children with special needs. The conference was attended by almost 40 experts and representatives of NGOs working with disabled children from various Arab countries, in addition to representatives of national and international organisations. Princess Samira bint Abdullah Al-Saud, head of the Saudi Charity Association for Autistic Families, thanked the ACCD and its president, Prince Talal bin Abdel-Aziz, for highlighting the importance of improving conditions for children with special needs and realising their legitimate rights. Head of the International Association for Psychology Ahmed Okasha pointed out, in his paper Psychological Disability in Children, that almost 20 per cent of the world's children and teenagers are suffering from psychological problems. He related this percentage to the lack of parent awareness and improper diagnosis. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid A series of concerts celebrating Valentine's Day took place at the Cairo Opera House. One concert featured talented singers Medhat Saleh and Maye Farouk while singers Khaled Selim and Ghada Ragab mesmerised their audience with their powerful voices in an equally stunning concert.
