By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Soul food At "One World Tour 2010", a thrilling concert by the multitalented Italian artist Claudio Baglioni at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall, Sherif Sonbol was ready with his camera. Baglioni's tour includes five cities: Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Cairo and New York -- where the grand finale takes place. Baglioni has also toured in Toronto, Brussels, Paris, Munich and London. Working under the rubric of the five-year-old O'Sica Organisation, which aims to raise awareness of cultural integration through the arts, his work demonstrates his maxim: "Music directly addresses the soul -- which is God's gift to the entire humanity." The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), a division of the Embassy of India, Cairo, celebrated the anniversary of Maulana Abul-Kalam Azad at the Ghali Hall of the Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al-Azhar University, last week. Azad was the first education minister of independent India and the founding president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR); he is widely recognised as the architect of India's education policy. In the run-up to the celebrations, MACIC, in collaboration with the Faculty of Languages and Translation of Al-Azhar University, conducted an essay competition on Maulana Abul-Kalam Azad in Arabic and Urdu for students of the university. The event began with the opening of a photo exhibition on India-Egypt Relations by Professor Essam El-Abd, Vice- President of the University for Postgraduate Studies and Research; Alieddin Hilal, president of Egypt-India Friendship Association (EIFA) and R Swaminathan, the ambassador of India to Egypt. The dignitaries saw photo-panels documenting the history of bilateral relations between the two countries since 1931 as well as a display of books on India by Indians in English, Urdu and Arabic. This was followed by the speeches of the dignitaries on Maulana Abul-Kalam Azad and India- Egypt relations, and then the winners of the competition were presented with their awards. Al-Azhar University handed ambassador of India and president of EIFA mementos, while the ambassador of India handed MACIC medals to the vice-president and senior faculty members of the university including the Dean of the Faculty of Languages Professor Ali Shaaban and head of the Department of Urdu Professor Ahmed El-Qadi. Swaminathan also presented 200 important books in Urdu and Hindi, received from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, to the Faculty of Languages and Translation. As part of the celebrations commemorating the anniversary of Maulana Abul-Kalam Azad, the Maulana Azad Centre also celebrated International Students Day. Present at the ceremony was the Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal, the Indian Ambassador R Swaminathan and Egyptian scholars who benefited from Indian scholarships in various fields in the last two decades. Students from all over Egypt have studied in India, following courses in the humanities, science and engineering. Similarly, students from India have come to Egypt to study at the famous Al-Azhar University as well as other prestigious institutions. photo: Nasr Attia The Finnish Ambassador to Egypt Robert Tanzi-Albi gave a prestigious reception at his residence in Agouza, marking the Independence Day of Finland. A number of high-profile figures as well as diplomats attended; they included the Australian Ambassador to Egypt Stephanie Shwabsky, the secretary of the Finnish Ambassador Nadia Fanous, and the General Manager of the Marriott Hotel Richard Zeolla. A huge celebration closed the 34th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) that took place last Thursday at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall, in the presence of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, President of the CIFF Ezzat Abu Ouf and Vice-President of the CIFF Soheir Abdel-Qader. The ceremony opened with a film screening followed by an operetta directed by choreographer Walid Aouni. Egypt collected five awards: Al-Shouq (The Lust) directed by Khaled El-Haggar received the Golden Pyramid for best film; Microphone the Best Arab Film Award (which went to the producer as well as director Ahmed Abdallah ); Sawsan Badr the best actress award for her distinctive role in Al-Shouq, shared with the French actress Isabelle Huppert for her role in Copacabana ; and Amr Waked the best actor award for his role in the Italian film Il padre e lo straniero (The Father and the Stranger), shared with the Italian actor Alessandro Gassman for his role in the same film. The International Jury awards for the Arab contest headed by producer Mohamed El-Adl went to the Lebanese film Rosasa Ta'esha (Imprudent Bullet) for best script, shared with the Iraqi film Ibn Babel (Son of Babylon) directed by Mohamed El-Daradji, while the Youssef Chahine award went to the Philippine film Emir, the Naguib Mahfouz award for first film went to the Polish director Andrzej Kotkowski for his film Born of the sea, while the Saadeddin Wahba Award for best script went to script writers Giancarlo De Cataldo, Graziano Diana and Simona Lzzo for the Italian film Il padre e lo straniero. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The Amir Taz Palace witnessed a spectacular celebration marking the centennial of the Coptic Art Museum under the auspices of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass. The ceremony featured a press conference announcing the inauguration of the Coptic Art Revealed exhibition, the first locally curated exhibition on Coptic art, showcasing over 200 artefacts from the Coptic era. The exhibition highlights the Copts' outstanding contribution to Egypt's diverse and rich heritage, and it includes various icons by renowned artists, splendid textiles and illuminated manuscripts from the famous Nagaa Hammadi library among other precious Coptic design pieces. The US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey, Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, the world renowned superstar Omar Sharif and Alexandrian business tycoon Hani Aziz were all present. In a thrilling fashion show designer Hani El-Beheiri and Emirati fashion designer Fatma Al-Kaabi, jointly presented 18 different models for the Arab Emirati Garb. The show was organised within the framework of the Miss Arab World Contest 2010. � Within the framework of cooperation between Egypt and Ghana, the Egyptian- Ghanaian Commerce and Investment Forum was held this month at the Egyptian Ministry of Investment. Vice-President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama paid an official visit to Egypt and a dinner banquet was held in his honour and his accompanying delegation by Egyptian businessman Said Deraz at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel. Present were the Ambassador of Ghana to Egypt Alhaji Amin Amidu, the Ambassador and Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mona Omar as well as numerous businessmen and diplomats. photo: Mohamed Muharram Within the framework of cooperation between Egypt and Ghana, the Egyptian- Ghanaian Commerce and Investment Forum was held this month at the Egyptian Ministry of Investment. Vice-President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama paid an official visit to Egypt and a dinner banquet was held in his honour and his accompanying delegation by Egyptian businessman Said Deraz at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel. Present were the Ambassador of Ghana to Egypt Alhaji Amin Amidu, the Ambassador and Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mona Omar as well as numerous businessmen and diplomats. photos: Bassam El-Zoghby Last Monday the Culture Minister Farouk Hosni inaugurated the 12th Cairo International Biennale of Arts, directed by the young Egyptian sculptor Ehab El-Laban, at the Cairo Opera House Palace of Arts. The oldest international art fair in North Africa, the Biennale this year features 40 countries with hundreds of participants from all five continents. Studio S-Contemporary Art in Rome, directed by Carmine Siniscalco, in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture in Cairo, directed by Patrizia Raveggi, organised the participation of three Italian artists -- Valeria Corvino, Paolo Guiotto and Rita Mele -- while there are two artists from Australia, Damon Kowarsky and Katherine Boland, as well as a US pavilion curated by Ranya Husami and featuring Annabel Daou, Dahlia El-Sayed, Rheim Alkadhi and Nadia Ayari. The pavilion is the work of the Arab American National Museum (AANM), which was commissioned to undertake it by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). "Showcasing the talent and diversity of American artists at the Cairo Biennale is a diplomatic imperative. These works transcend languages and cultures alike to create opportunities for open dialogue, mutual understanding, and collaboration among people of all backgrounds," said Ann Stock, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. ( see Listings p.6 )
