Fire of flamenco Spanish dancer, choreographer and flamenco legend Antonio Gades, creator of landmark choreographies such as Carmen, Blood Weddings and Amor Brujo, set up a foundation just before he died in 2004. Its most important project was a dance company that would preserve his artistic heritage and perform his masterpieces, taking the best of Spanish dance all over the world. The company visited Egypt for the first time performing Carmen and Blood Weddings at the Cairo Opera House, where Sherif Sonbol captured this shot, and at Alexandria Sayed Darwish Theatre. Carmen and Blood Weddings are the result of cooperative work between Gades and director Antonio Saura, who produced an extraordinary cinematographic trilogy that opened up new dimensions for flamenco. Now, 25 years on from its premier, Carmen still remains one of the masterpieces of flamenco. Aleida Guevara, daughter of Ernesto Che Guevara, is in Egypt this week. She will be talking about her legendary father in the Library of Alexandria on Saturday 22 November. Aleida, who lives in Cuba, is a political activist in her own right and is taking the opportunity of her first visit to the country to rekindle old ties between Egypt and the progressive forces in Latin America. Viva la revolución! Last Friday, the Jazz Factory Festival concluded its activities at the Amir Taz Palace in Al-Sioufiya Street, Khalifa district. It featured a concert by Alex Wilson (UK), Toufic Farroukh and Charbel Rouhana with RemixPlus musicians from Lebanon, BSB Trio from the Netherlands and Andre Ceccarelli Trio from France. As part of the British Council Egypt's Arts and Development project, it will celebrate International Disability Day for the second year in a row. On this occasion, a theatre performance based on a compilation of stories entitled "Come Listen to This" will be shown at the Downtown Cairo Gomhouriya Theatre on 2-3 December at 8pm. The show integrates able-bodied and disabled artists and performers with some knowledge of dance and aided by the power of improvisation. Admission is free. As statistics show, sexual harassment on Cairo's streets is on the rise. To combat the phenomenon, Rotaract Nasr City Club organised a lecture titled "The Phenomenon of Sexual Harassment in Egyptian Streets and How to Combat it". Keynote speaker was Nehad Abul-Qumsan, director of the Egyptian Centre for Women Rights. Abul- Qumsan called upon women who are harassed on the streets to file complaints with police stations in order to protect their rights and to help eradicate the phenomenon. Attendants also discussed the articles of the anti-sexual harassment bill expected to be debated by parliament soon. Congratulations! Al-Ahram Weekly 's very own Environment page editor Mahmoud Bakr received the first prize of the Press Excellence Competition in layout from the Egyptian Press Syndicate during its celebration of the Journalists Day. Out of 229 participants, 30 journalists were awarded prizes by the syndicate. The event was attended by a galaxy of Arab and Egyptian journalists and authors including former syndicate chief Ibrahim Nafie and actor Said Saleh. Veteran writer Mahmoud El-Saadani was also granted the syndicate award, which his brother, actor Salah El-Saadani, picked up on his behalf. The Montreal Book Fair scheduled to start in Canada next week will host Egyptian writer and head of the Egyptian Writers Union Mohamed Salmawy as its guest of honour. Launching the Canadian edition of Salmawy 's play The Last Dance of Salome, published in France last year, a meeting will be held at the Canadian National Library in Montreal in the presence of a number of Canadian writers and critics. photos: Ayman Barayez Marking Algeria Independence Day, Algerian Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Qader Al-Haggar held a lavish reception at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Attending the celebration were Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab, former foreign minister Ahmed Maher, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali and his Emirati counterpart Ahmed Al-Zoabi, First Under-Secretary in the People's Assembly Magdi Sherif, Deputy President of the Administrative Prosecution Nagwa Sadeq as well as renowned Algerian singer Warda and veteran Egyptian actress Magda. Celebrating Tunisia's National Day, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Tunisian Embassy Tareq Bel-Tayeb held a thrilling reception attended by a bevy of high-profile figures such as the head of the Egyptian-Tunisian Businessmen Association Yamani Felfela, media figure Mahmoud Sultan, actress Hanan Youssef, renowned media figure Wael El-Ibrashi as well as a number of Arab ambassadors to Egypt, singer-cum- actress Dolly Shahine and talented director Sandra. Another exceptionally successful concert was held at the Cairo Opera House introducing a number of promising singers including Khaled Selim, May Farouk, Gehad Aql and Amal Maher. A galaxy of celebrities and high-profile figures enjoyed the concert. Magdi Azab, president of the Heliopolis Lions Club hosted the cast of the Ramadan hit TV soap opera Qalb Mayet (A Dead Heart) honouring its leading actor Sherif Mounir, gorgeous actress Ghada Adel, veteran actress Samira Abdel-Aziz along with its director Magdi Abu Emera. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid Under the auspices of Egyptian Minister of Information Anas El-Fiqi, the award-giving ceremony of the 14th Cairo Arab Media Festival was held at the 6th of October Media City. Awards were given to Omar Sharif, Egyptian actors Mohamed El-Dafrawi, Ashraf Abdel-Ghafour, Kuwaiti actress Soad Al-Abdullah and talented actress Khairiya Ahmed. Among the attendees were actresses Elham Shahine, Sawsan Badr, actor Hussein Fahmi and his wife Leqaa Swedan. Under the auspices of Syrian Minister of Culture Riyad Nassan, Syria celebrated Artists Day, honouring a number of Arab media figures and actors. The entire event was organised by Syrian actor Assad Fadda. Syrian actors Tayem Al-Hassan and Abbas Al-Nuri, Syrian actress Sulaf Fowakhergui, Egyptian actor Farouk El-Fishawi, Egyptian actress Nadia El-Guindi were all present and honoured at the thrilling celebration. Following the success of Piano Seven and other prestigious Swiss groups, such as Mummenschanz, the Zèrcher Ballet and the musical concerts by Swiss conductor Andreas Spörri, Galatea String Quartet is presenting the final event of the "Swiss Tales 2008" programme, organised by the Swiss Embassy in Egypt on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Cairo Opera House. Supported by the Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, the string quartet will feature in two concerts at the Opera House. The Galatea Quartet from Zurich performs in its current configuration since its inception in early 2005. The musicians' intensive work and enthusiasm have earned them the third prize as well as the audience prize at the Geneva International Music Competition, the first prize at the Migros Chamber Music Competition in 2007, and the third prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka. They are now in the process of performing numerous concerts in Switzerland, Japan, Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Albania and other countries. ( see Listings p.3 )
