To be or not to be Russian Hamlet ballet is about a Russian prince whose life was very similar to Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is a remarkable show that was featured last week at the Cairo Opera House's Main Hall and is due to be held again tonight at the same venue. Sherif Sonbol took the shot. photo: Magda El-Sehrewi At the opulent and ravishingly decorated Manasterly Palace in Manial, the American University in Cairo Press celebrated the publication of Jehan Sadat 's new book My Hope for Peace with an autographing event. More than 500 prominent members of Cairo's cultural community and friends of late president Anwar El-Sadat family attended the celebration, including Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own Mursi Saad El-Din, who collaborated with her on her writing for many years, the Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass, head of Al-Shorouk Publishing House Ibrahim El-Muallim, Al-Ahram writers Aisha Abdel-Ghaffar, Afkar El-Kharadli, Al-Ahram Weekly 's own caricaturist George Bahgory, veteran writer Neam El-Baz as well as AUC President David Arnold. AUC Press director Mark Linz also welcomed celebrated pianist Ramzi Yassa who flew in from Paris to surprise Sadat and the guests with a splendid performance. Nubian pop singer Mohamed Mounir performed with renowned Spanish singer Maria Del Mar for the first time in an exceptionally glamorous musical evening held at the Cairo Opera House's Main Hall. Mounir and Del Mar dedicated the concert to Gaza's civilians, emphasising the important role played by art in reinforcing cultural relations between nations. The concert was organised by the Anna Lindh Euro- Mediterranean Foundation, in cooperation with the Arab League, the European Commission and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. The concert was crowned by the presence of the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, his wife Laila, Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi and his wife the European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero- Waldner. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid At the InterContinental CityStars Hotel, a lavish celebration was held commemorating the anniversary of Horyati magazine honouring a galaxy of high-profile figures and celebrities. Singer Rami Sabri, actress-cum-singer Serene Abdel-Nour, Lebanese singer Wael Gassar and gorgeous Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram enlivened the celebration. Editor-in-Chief of Horyati Mona Nashaat and Chairman of the Board of Al-Gomhouriya Establishment Mohamed Abu Hadeed distributed the awards to the honourees. Filmmaker Khaled Youssef, actress Raghda, comedians Ahmed Helmi and Mohamed Heneidi, gorgeous actress Ghada Adel, veteran actress Mervat Amin, talented actors Magdi Kamel and Khaled El-Sawy, veiled actress Shahira and rising actress Donia Samir Ghanem were among the honourees. The Garden City Lions Club (GCLC) presided over by Awatef Serageddin held a seminar at the Cairo Capital Club (CCC) discussing the role of NGOs in developing society. Among the keynote speakers was Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi. Meanwhile, former minister of economy Mustafa El-Said, MP Hisham Mustafa Khalil, head of the Heliopolis Lions Club Magdi Azab, veteran actress Laila Taher and members of GCLC Bahiya Youssef, Safinaz Zein El-Abdine, Gihan Halawa and Samiha Hafez were all present. photos: Ayman Barayez At the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, a prestigious reception was held commemorating the fourth anniversary of the death of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri. Organised by a galaxy of his friends, the reception was attended by Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, Al-Ahram Editor-in- Chief Osama Saraya, MP Hisham Mustafa Khalil, Lebanese Tourism Consultant in Cairo Faisal Fetfet, head of the Egyptian-Lebanese Friendship Association Negad Shaarawi, deputy head of the Egyptian-Lebanese Friendship Association Ghazi Nasser and Nisf Al-Donia magazine Editor- in-Chief Afkar El-Kharadli. In its fifth annual conference held at the AUC, the Leadership for Education and Development (LEAD) scholarship students proposed various innovative solutions to tackle the phenomenon of sexual harassment. The three-day conference titled "Street Harassment: A National Dilemma", gave young Egyptians from different universities, representing 27 governorates, political parties, and NGOs the opportunity to take part in workshops that addressed the issue from a sociological, psychological and legal perspective. The conference is a joint venture with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is organised in cooperation with various civil society associations, including the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR), headed by Nihad Abul- Komsan. The slogan of the winning campaign is: "Know Your Rights... Together We Will Eradicate Sexual Harassment". Among the outcomes of the conference was the decision to launch an anti-sexual harassment advertising campaign at different metro stations. An awards ceremony was organised by the Indian Embassy, at which it was announced that 61 children won prizes, medals and certificates of merit for the annual painting competition titled "Glimpses of India". This year, 2,400 children from 225 schools in both Cairo and Giza governorates participated in the competition. Counsellor of the Indian Embassy B P Kothiyal, Press and Culture Secretary Rajesh Swami as well as Mahmoud Qassem, editor-in-chief of Dar Al-Helal's books for boys and girls, were there to distribute the prizes among the children. Our dear friend Mona Makram Ebeid, former MP and distinguished lecturer of political science at AUC, has received an invitation to teach a course on conflict and human security at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica for 10 days in March. Students are set to arrive from all over the world to take part in the course, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and the Arab region. On the occasion celebrating International Women's Day (IWD), the Al-Qanater Al-Khayria branch of the Egyptian Association of Human and Environmental Development (EAHED) in collaboration with the One Woman initiative, held a conference last Thursday to inaugurate its women's justice initiative. The project focuses on key empowerment issues that allow women to become active partners in society. The conference was attended by Qalioubiya Governor Adli Hussein, US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey, USAID's Programme Office Manager Latania Map Fert and a galaxy of NGOs and official body representatives. Ulrich Huth, general manager of the Cairo Marriott Hotel, recently announced the appointment of Helga Fischer as director of services. Before joining the Cairo Marriott Hotel, Fischer worked for several international hotel chains including Le Meridien and Sheraton, where she achieved outstanding results. Bulgarian music icon Theodosii Spassov is to be star guest at the Cairo Jazz festival, from 12 to 15 March at Al-Sawy Cultural Wheel and the Cairo Jazz Club. A world famous artist he plays the kaval, an eight-holed wooden shepherd's flute, one of the oldest instruments in Europe, rich in tone and technical possibilities. Spassov developed his own unique style of playing the instrument by synthesising traditional folklore with jazz and classical music. He has been awarded many prestigious prizes. He has over 20 albums and has performed in over 1,000 festivals and events worldwide. He will perform at the festival this year with his latest formation, "The World Groove". He'll be showcasing his latest release Viara, which translates as Faith. Spassov will also be the guest of honour along with the Egyptian band Eftekasat in the closing act of the festival. The festival features other jazz bands including the Riff band, Rashad Fahim Trio, Yehia Khalil 's band as well as Fathi Salama and his Sharqiat band. ( see Listings p.6 )
