Woman power photo: Mohamed Wassim The participation of women in the voting process since the beginning of the first round of the 2011 parliamentary elections has been remarkably strong. Women from across the social spectrum, with the full range of cultural backgrounds, age brackets, and religious affiliations. But, as the photographer Mohamed Wassim wonders in this photo, will such female participation in the democratic process continue into the second and third rounds? photo: Sherif Sonbol The Thai National Day, which coincides with the king's 84th birthday, was celebrated at the Cairo Police Club on Sunday. Present were the Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda and his wife, the American Ambassador Anne Patterson, and many European and Asian diplomats. The Thai Ambassador to Cairo Chalit Manityakul welcomed his guests to a fabulous Thai feast, with soft traditional music playing in the background. Towards the end of the evening the ambassador asked Thai nationals in Egypt to sing tribute to their monarch. "It is a great honour and pleasure to express my sincere gratitude for your gathering and allow me to welcome you to the celebration of the Royal Birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand," said Manityakul. "This year is a monumental year for Thais to celebrate the auspicious seventh cycle or the 84th Birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Unfortunately, the recent floods still affecting parts of Thailand had set the tone for this year's celebration. His Majesty asked that celebrations of His Birthday be kept minimal and emphasised immediate response to rehabilitating flood-affected areas to help alleviate the grievances of His people. But Thailand is not alone: Since the start of 2011, the world has witnessed events, unfolded regionally and globally unfortunately and fortunately. Egypt is also one of the countries that experienced the most inspiring change by her people's aspirations and thirst for true democracy. The successful first round of election attests to the democratic commitment of the Egyptian Government and Peoples. As a friend of Egypt, as Thailand has always been, we will continue to support Egypt to achieve this goal," he added. The Ana Masry band is holding the first festival of Songs of the Egyptian revolution, to be held on 17 December at Darb 1718 in Al-Fustat, Old Cairo. The band manager Lamiaa Mohamed says eight bands are participating in the festival, performing different kinds of music. The festival is supervised by Mohamed Ali, one of the founders of Ana Masry. The Yanabei Al-Hayah (Life Springs) campaign organised a day for young Egyptians in collaboration with the Join Us Initiative for blood donation at Vacsera Club in Agouza, with attendance from singer Ghada Ragab, the young actress Menna Arafa, the actor Rami Wahid and TV figure Elham Wagdi. With extensive public participation, the donations were launched with the national anthem. photo: Abdel-Hamid Eid The Lebanese singer Carol Samaha gave a gigantic concert at the 10th Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco. Some 80 thousand of Samaha 's fans flocked to the event. Over an hour and a half Samaha -- in a golden dress -- sang a number of her well- known songs; and by the end she had been wrapped in the Moroccan flag as fans approached her while she was leaving the stage: a gesture of deep appreciation. The 11th Annual Marrakech International Film Festival (2-10 December) opened under the auspices of King Mohamed VI in the presence of international celebrities and filmmakers. The festival includes 15 films from different countries participating in the official competition, with a jury chaired by the Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturic and including the American actress Jessica Chastain, the French actress and the director Nicole Garcia as well as the Iranian actress Leila Hatami, the Moroccan director Abdel-Kader Lagtaa, the Filipino director Brillante Ma Mendoza, the Romanian director Radu Mihaileanu, the Italian actress Maya Sansa and the Italian actress and director Aparna Sen. Honoured at the opening ceremony was the Indian film icon Shah Rukh Khan for his role in My Name is Khan, while Egyptian actors Ahmed El-Saqqa, Zeina, Fathi Abdel-Wahab and Khaled Saleh were warmly welcomed at the ceremony. DayDream sponsored the Fourth Panorama of European Film, which took place in Cairo from 23 to 29 November. The founder and manager of DayDream, editor and producer Mohamed Samir, commented on the event: "Cooperating with Panorama aligns with the company's vision of supporting any creative projects. Panorama of European Cinema offers a unique collection of films that should always reach the Egyptian audience." DayDream provides different artistic services to Panorama, which is managed by Mariane Khouri. On the other hand DayDream is taking part in the Eighth Dubai International Film Festival, which opened yesterday, with a number of different film projects in cooperation with filmmakers from different generations. Established in 2007, DayDream takes particular interest in artistic projects with a unique and creative vision. It also provides post-production services through its multitalented team. DayDream participated in the production of dozens of documentary films that aired on Al-Jazeera news channel; it also provided post- production services to prominent documentaries like Living Skin by Fawzi Saleh, Neighbours by Tahani Rached, both of which were edited by Mohamed Samir. It also made the trailers for big films including The Aquarium by Yousri Nasrallah and Asmaa by Amr Salama. DayDream has recently signed with MAD Solutions, the public relations and marketing firm, to handle all the marketing of the company and its different productions in Egypt, the Arab world and internationally, including film festivals. The American University in Cairo (AUC), at the Zamalek Hostel (16 Mohamed Thakeb Street, off Al-Maraashli Street, Zamalek), is hosting the Zamalek Holiday Book Fair from 9 to 12 December (10am- 5pm). It offers new AUC Press publications, bestsellers, holiday reading, gift books, children's books, bargain books, special events and book signings.
