The magic step In collaboration with the Cairo Opera House, the Cervantes Institute (Spanish Cultural Centre) presented a thrilling flamenco show called Ahora (Now) by the well-known Spanish choreographer Rosario Toledo: Bassam El-Zoghby captured this shot at Al-Gomhouriya Theatre. Based on the vision of the masters under whom Toledo studied in Seville in 1969-72 -- Antonio Mairena and Pepe Marchena, for example -- the show is full of energy and provides a vivid experience of the dance, all the more powerful for being free of exaggeration. Born in Cadiz in 1977, Toledo received her BA from the Conservatoire in Seville but started her dancing career in her hometown in 1994. Culture Minister Farouk Hosni inaugurated the 25th Provincial Literature Conference last Tuesday in the presence of head of the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP) Ahmed Megahed, secretary-general of the conference Gamal El-Tellawi and head of this year's round Ahmed Zayed at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall. Held under the slogan "Changes in Culture ", this year's round was dedicated to the late vernacular poet Mohsen El-Khayyat, one of the founders of the conference. The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture and the Embassy of India in Cairo, in collaboration with the Aswan Governorate and the South Valley University, organised an India Week in the period 18-22 December, part of the outreach activities of the embassy in different governorates of Egypt. The event was jointly inaugurated by the Aswan Governor, Major General Mustafa El-Sayed and the Ambassador of India to Egypt R Swaminathan. The week included a talk on India-Egypt relations by Swaminathan, an open discussion forum with the students of the South Valley University, a photo exhibition on India-Egypt relations, a display of books on India, an Indian tea tasting session, a yoga lecture-cum- demonstration and daily screenings of Hindi movies with Arabic subtitles. The Ambassador of India will also convene with members of the Aswan Chamber of Commerce and discuss the potential for enhancing Indian-Egypt trade cooperation. The Korean Ambassador to Egypt Jong-Kon Yoon honoured the participants at the fifth competition for Korean Language Conversation held at the Faculty of Alsun, Ain Shams University -- one of the embassy's attempts to encourage the cultural exchange between the two countries. The ceremony coincided this year with the 15th anniversary of full diplomatic ties. El Sawy Culturewheel held its eighth annual Chocolate Festival from 15 to 20 December. The festival featured several entertaining activities including acrobatic shows for children and a marionette show entitled The Sun Disappeared written and directed by the Sawy founder Mohamed El-Sawy. Luxor celebrated its Governorate Day in a large- scale ceremony at the Luxor Temple with the singer Amal Maher performing a number of the Egyptian diva Umm Kolthoum's songs as well as Lebanese singer Wael Gassar. Present were the Luxor Governor Samir Farag, Hollywood star Demi Moore and businessman Naguib Sawiris. On Thursday evening the Garden City Club was buzzing with prominent cultural figures, poets, writers and journalists as Al-Ein Publishing House celebrated the launch of a new book by the vernacular poet Hossam Nassar, head of the Foreign Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Culture. A Word in the Ear of Death is the second collection of poems by Nassar, who published his first collection, Lost in Search of the Country, in 2005. Present were the Lebanese Ambassador Khaled Ziada and his wife, the President of the Arab Writers Union Mohamed Salmawy, the critic Mohamed Abdel-Muttalib, the head of the Actors Syndicate Ashraf Zaki, the theatre director Khaled Galal, the poet Amin Haddad, the actor Mohie Ismail, Al-Ein founder Fatma El-Boudi, the head of the Supreme Council of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi and head of Garden City Lions Club Awatef Serageddin. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid The seventh International Sculpture Biennale of Piemonte awarded the Armenian-Egyptian sculptor Armen Agop Umberto Mastroianni Award this year. The competition, organised by the Piemontese Arte Association, celebrates some of the most important up-and-coming artists on the international scene. In addition to a cash prize, Agop 's sculpture will be set up in the city of Barge next year. The Umberto Mastroianni Award began in 1994 in the region of Piemonte. Since then, every other year one of the Piemonte communities requests a specific location for a permanent art work. Agop 's work, with the work of Valerio Berrut and Arrianna Merlo/Guilia Nota was selected by a jury as finalists for the city park in Barge. The three projects were then exhibited and citizens of Barge voted to decide on the winning project. Born in Cairo, Agop trained in the studio of artist Simon Shahrigian before graduating from the Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, in 1992. He subsequently received an assistant researcher scholarship from the Faculty of Fine Arts and taught there between 1997 and 2000. Gaining recognition throughout Egypt, Agop participated in many shows and provided the Egyptian Modern Art Museum with several acquisitions. In 2000, he received the Prix de Rome. He now lives in Rome and exhibits internationally. Eighteen South Sudan media figures were in Cairo recently to attend a training course organised by the Supreme Press Council (SPC) and Foreign Ministry as part of the SPC's role in levelling up the professional skills of Egyptian, Arab and African journalists. Egyptian media experts who participated in training their South Sudanese fellow journalists included Mahmoud Alameddin, Ambassador Ahmed Haggag, Ahmed Mahmoud, Maher El-Dahabi, Hussein Amin and Luis Greis.
