photos: Mohamed Wassim Tahrir Square revisited In the middle of the outrage and blood that overwhelmed Tahrir Square last week, the Revolution Artists Coalition -- a group of young, enthusiastic creative people as well as older independent artists -- gathered to reflect their view of political unrest in Egypt, drawing evocative sketches and caricatures. Mohamed Wassim captured the life of the artists in Tahrir with his lens where they have been camping: eating, singing, painting, surrounded by the public who admired their art and took photos with their camera phones. The 2011 Roland Berger Human Dignity Award was given to representatives of the Arab Spring: Tunisian lawyer Radhia Nasraoui, Egyptian director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights in Cairo Gamal Eid and Syrian journalist and human rights activist Mazen Darwish. According to the German government for human rights envoy Markus Löning, speaking in Berlin, "representatives of the Arab Spring deserved the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award. Millions are struggling under very difficult conditions in the Arab world to achieve democracy, freedom, human rights. The award encourages the people and provides the Arab Spring with power in this transitional period. I have a belief, which I realised during my visit last week to Tunisia and Egypt, that people there need our support and they deserve it. I seize this opportunity to express my thanks for the Roland Berger Foundation for conveying this clear message." The Omani Ambassador to Egypt Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al-Harithi welcomed guests to a lavish diplomatic reception at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel to celebrate the 41st Omani National Day. Among those present were Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil El-Arabi, Cairo Governor Abdel-Qawi Khalifa, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Al-Rashid, Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Al-Qattan, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali and his Indian counterpart R Swaminathan, Palestine's Arab League Representative Said Kamal, head of the Egyptian Actors' Union Ashraf Abdel-Ghafour and singer Mohamed El-Helw. The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) organised the third annual painting competition for Indian children under the auspices of the Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan, marking the National Integration Week at the headquarters of the Indian Embassy. Twenty-five Indian children aged five-17 participated in the competition, while a three member jury selected the nine prize winning paintings. Indian children presented a brief cultural programme for the participants' entertainment and their families which included patriotic songs and dances; by the end of the celebration Swaminathan distributed the prizes and certificates to the winners and honourees. In the framework of International Children's Day, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology -- in cooperation with the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organisation affiliated to the Arab League -- held a workshop entitled "Protection and Privacy" on secure Internet browsing in the Arab region. A seminar to discuss the same topic featuring the Chairman of the Egyptian Company for Mobile Service Iskandar Shalabi as the keynote speaker discussed mobile phone use among children.
