Culture Minister Shaker Abdel-Hamid inaugurated the first round of the African Nubian Festival in a spectacular ceremony at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall. The festival features exhibitions showcasing Nubian heritage and plastic art, handmade crafts, singing by artists such as Abdu El-Soghair, Eid Abdel-Razek and Shams Hussein. Cairo Governor Abdel-Qawi Khalifa and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hisham Qandil were present, among other high profile figures. The Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan gave a prestigious reception at his residence in Zamalek in honour of the Indian Foreign Minister Shri S M Krishna, who was on a visit to Egypt for the sixth Meeting of the Joint Commission heading a delegation of officials from a number of ministries and departments involved in cooperation with Egypt. During his visit, Krishna unveiled a portrait of the Indian poet Tagore given to Egypt as part of Tagore's 150th birth anniversary celebrations. Diplomats and high-profile figures spent a delightful evening. They included the Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, the Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, the Minister of Aviation Hussein Massoud, the head of the Egyptian-Indian Friendship Association political science professor Alieddin Hilal, the President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman, AUC professor and former MP Mona Makram Ebeid, former minister of administrative development Ahmed Darwish and members of the Indian Embassy. ( see Culture p.17 ) photos: Ayman Barayez Last Sunday, the American University in Cairo (AUC) Press celebrated its new publication Grand Hotels of Egypt in the Golden Age of Travel, compiled by Andrew Humphreys at the Windsor Hotel in downtown Cairo, in a block erected during the last decade of the 19th century. The book tells the stories of Egypt's historic hotels and some of the people who stayed in them. AUC Press Promotion Manager Nabila Akl welcomed guests who dressed in 1930s style, including AUC professor Mona Makram Ebeid, Swiss artist Magi, actress Lebleba, writer Sherif El-Shobashi, former Al-Ahli goalkeeper Adel Heikal, Magda El-Sehrawi, Wafiq Doss and Susan Qenawi. The Masr Al-Gedida Cultural Salon, presided over by the lawyer Rita Badreddin, organised a cultural evening on the cultural awareness of the young in social development. The panelists were former health minister Mamdouh Gabr and Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own cartoonist George Bahgory as well as Major General Magdi Sherif and heart surgeon Adel Imam. Present were many diplomats and media figures like the former ambassador of Libya Saleh Al-Derouqi and his Algerian counterpart Abdel-Qader Al-Haggar as well as media figures Dina Abdallah, Nermine Magdi and Fatma El-Nagdi. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid Actress Ghada Abdel-Razek and media figure Mohamed Fouda tied the knot in the presence of family and friends in a modest celebration that took place at the Al-Rahman Mosque. Present to congratulate the couple were veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin and his wife retired actress Shahira, actor Ashraf Zaki and his wife actress Rogina, Lebanese singer-cum-actress Haifaa Wahbi and her husband Egyptian businessman Ahmed Abu Hashima, actor Maged El-Masri, singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab, popular singer and actor Hamada Hilal and actress Dina Fouad. The Pharaonic Village welcomed presidential hopeful Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh for an extended conference in which he discussed his presidential programme in detail: freedom and democracy rights, and respect for the law. At the end of the seminar Abul-Fotouh was honoured by Chairman of the Pharaonic Village Abdel-Salam Ragab. Google has announced its hosting a Google+ Hangout with the Arab world's largest pop star Amr Diab on 9 March. It will take place backstage before a concert he will be performing during the Du World Music Festival at Burj Park in Dubai. Nine lucky fans will participate in the Google+ Hangout with Diab during a live online event. The "hangout" allows lucky fans to engage directly with the pop star via video chat over the Internet while he is backstage. To join the Hangout with Diab please visit the following link: http://www.amrdiab.net/diab/google. Diab, who connects with his fans using the Internet, joins the rank of celebrities and key figures who are using Google+ to connect with global audiences. Google+ hangouts have been used by everyone from celebrity singers like Lady Gaga and Will.I.Am to public figures like President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and even footballer David Beckham. "We are thrilled that Amr Diab will be the first Google+ hangout from the Middle East region -- he always knows how to connect with fans and this partnership with Google is just the beginning," according to Najeeb Jarrar, Google MENA Marketing. He added, "This Google+ hangout will allow us to create magic moments between Diab and his fans in new and unique ways." UN Women and CARE Egypt, in collaboration with the Gender and Development Donors Subgroup, will celebrate the 101st International Women's Day at the Cairo Opera House on 10 March. The celebration is titled Laha (For Her) in appreciation of Egyptian women's contributions and achievements. This event will highlight the beauty, diversity, and strength of women through a diverse group of guest speakers and artists. The main message through the day is the empowerment of Egyptian women and the gains it brings to her family and community. The event will bring together nearly 1,000 citizen advocates, general public, donors, policymakers, peer organisations, partners and supporters, media, humanitarians and global leaders to celebrate the achievements of women, and urge stakeholders to support female empowerment. photo: Mohamed Muharram Judge Ibrahim Zaki celebrated the second anniversary of his salon with a galaxy of celebrities and high-profile figures including political thinker Mustafa El-Feki and deputy head of the Constitutional Court Hassan Badrawi. The stars gathered at the ceremony of the 33rd Egyptian Cinema Oscar Festival headed by Abdel-Moneim Saad at Pyramisa Hotel in Dokki. The ceremony began with the honouring of numerous figures who enriched Egyptian film such as actresses Nabila Ebeid, Maali Zayed, composer Mohamed Sultan, directors Mohamed Abdel-Aziz and Samir Farag, musician Magdi El-Husseini, late Omar El-Hariri and the late Hind Rostom. Producer Mamdouh El-Leithi handed the awards to the winners: Karim Abdel-Aziz, Donia Samir Ghanem, Ahmed Helmi, Wafaa Amer and Horiya Farghali, while the ceremony had extensive media presence; celebrities included actresses Lebleba and Madline Tabar, producer Mohamed Fawzi, Al-Ahram theatre critic Amal Bakir and TV anchor Poussy Shalabi.
