Puccini's Opera Tosca is a tale of love, lust, deceit and murder; it is a story of overwhelming passion amid the perils of war, set in Rome at the time of Napoleon's advance on the city. For six days in a row, Tosca was seen at the Cairo Opera House Main Hall, where Sherif Sonbol was there to capture it. Tosca was presented by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company and the Cairo Opera Orchestra, conducted by Nyeir Nagui, as well as the Cairo Opera Choir, conducted by Aldo Magnato. Al-Shemou' Salon, headed by Lotus Abdel-Kerim, held a cultural evening with a number of political, economic and legal experts to discuss the danger of unemployment in Egypt and ways to eliminate the problem. Present were the professor of international law and former judge at the International Criminal Court Fouad Riad, the Iraqi representative at the Arab League Qais Al-Azzawi, the economist Salah Diab, the professor of comparative law at Cairo University Ali El-Ghatit, the professor of management and marketing Sabri El-Shabrawi, the AUC professor Latifa Zaki and Major-General Magdi Diab. At Anthropologie Hall in Zamalek, the Czech Ambassador to Egypt Pavel Kafka inaugurated the exhibition of the Czech artist David Dvorsky, who insisted on holding an exhibition in Egypt after the revolution. The exhibition showcases 10 variously sized paintings depicting the place and its people. An array of artists, diplomats and high-profile figures were present. photo: Abdel-Hamid Eid The eighth Dear Guest Festival awards ceremony took place at the Dusit Thani Hotel in New Cairo in the presence of stars and media figures. Actor Ahmed Helmi won the best actor award and his film X-Large the best film award, while the best director award went to Sherif Arafa and the best actress award to Hind Sabri for her role in Asmaa. The best comedy actress award went to gifted Donia Samir Ghanem, the best rising star award to Horeya Farghali, a special prize to Joumana Murad for her role in Kaf Al-Qammar, and the best actress in Egypt award to Ghada Abdel-Razek. Special prizes were given to Gamal Suleiman, Rashwan Tawfiq, Ahmed Zaher, while Bassem Samra and Riham Abdel-Ghafour were honoured. The media figures' share of awards went to radio presenter Osama Mounir and Islamic preacher Amr Khaled. The newly named director of the Cairo Opera House flautist Ines Abdel-Dayem has announced that the Opera House will organise a full-week event to celebrate the anniversary of legendary singer, composer and actor Mohamed Abdel-Wahab (1897-1991). The celebration will include the opening of the Abdel-Wahab Museum, located in the Arab Music Institute in Ramsis Street, to the public -- with free admission from 11 to 18 March (daily from 10am until 4pm), offering a tour through the late artist's life, music and movies. It displays a number of memorabilia dedicated by his widow Nahla El-Qoudsi to the Cairo Opera House such as his bedroom, his favourite items of furniture as well as some of his personal belongings, medals, certificates of recognition and rare photos with public figures and artists. A big concert featuring a selection of his songs will be given at the Arab Music Institute. ( see Listings p.23 ) Last week, a protocol of cooperation was signed between the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP), headed by Saad Abdel-Rahman, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, presided over by Ismail Serageddin, and attended on his behalf by Khaled Azab, the head of the projects department at the library. Among the terms of the agreement is the launch of an initiative to develop the Egyptian cultural scene and co- organise a series of cultural, artistic and literary conferences in Egypt's remote areas. The protocol also provides for promoting scientific research and information technology. In the framework of cooperation between GOCP and other sectors of the Ministry of Culture, the organisation has contributed publications to the Cairo International Book Fair ongoing in Port Said until 17 March. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Culture Minister Shaker Abdel-Hamid, head of GOCP, poet Saad Abdel-Rahman and head of the General Book Organisation Ahmed Megahed as well as writer Ahmed Zaham, deputy head of GOCP and Port Said governorate officials. In conjunction with the fair, an exhibition entitled "The Revolution Caricature" by artist Mustafa El-Ezabi as well as a calligraphy exhibition by Mahmoud El-Borsaidi was on display. As part of the opening programme, dance shows were performed by the Port Said and Suez Folk Musical Instruments troupes as well as the Ismailia Folk Arts troupe. The American University in Cairo's (AUC) "Behind the Headlines" series of media roundtable discussions, addressing complex economic issues confronting Egypt in 2012, was launched last week. The programme, "Egypt's Economic Woes: Fact or Fiction", featured AUC economic expert Galal Amin, professor emeritus; Abdel-Aziz Ezz El-Arab, professor of political economy; Mohamed Al-Ississ, assistant professor of economics; and Monal Abdel-Baki ; associate professor of economics. The panel discussed the challenges confronting Egypt's financial systems and the mechanisms required to resuscitate the market. The roundtable, which took place at AUC's Tahrir Square campus and was attended by several Egyptian and foreign journalists, was moderated by AUC alumna Khaled Dawoud, assistant editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Weekly. According to AUC's panelists, the Egyptian economic situation requires urgent attention. Egypt loses LE1.8 billion monthly while the monetary reserves drop by almost 50 per cent. Immediate challenges to Egypt's economy include unemployment, lack of security, lack of transparency, foreign loans, and the dire need to restructure economic and monetary policies. photos: Ayman Barayez The Masr Al-Kheir Foundation, presided over by Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, held a conference entitled "Science and Technology in the New Egyptian Constitution" at the Smart Village conference hall. Together with Gomaa, the Minister of Scientific Research Nadia Zakhari and the Minister of Education Gamal El-Arabi were the keynote speakers. Gomaa stressed the significance of science, technology and creativity. Former prime minister Essam Sharaf, former minister of scientific research Venus Kamel Gouda and renowned Egyptian heart surgeon Magdi Yaqoub were present among other scholars and media figures.
