A taste of Nubia Few people know that 10,000 Nubian families call Luxor home -- a fact that urged the head of the Supreme Council of Luxor, Samir Farag, to build the Nubian House, here captured by the lens of Sherif Sonbol, situated at the entrance of the flyover leading to the West Bank. Modelled after typical Nubian houses, the attraction will soon house a restaurant and café to lure sightseers. The National Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus is due to perform Tchaikovsky 's masterpiece Swan Lake in a number of concerts at the Cairo Opera House and the Alexandria Opera House. The performance will be accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra, conducted by Russian maestro Oleg Lessoun. (see Listings p.3) Al-Sawy Culture Wheel, in cooperation with the Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development, will host a seminar titled "The Role of Literature and Art in Promoting the Culture of Democracy" next Monday at 12.30pm. Renowned media figure Mahmoud Saad will conduct the seminar, while founder of Al-Sawy Culture Wheel Mohamed El-Sawy and Secretary-General of the Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development Randa Fouad, will deliver welcoming speeches. Veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin, poet Gamal Bekhit, scriptwriter Lamis Gaber and filmmaker Sandra Nashaat will participate in the seminar. photos: Ayman Barayez Wives of Arab diplomats and ambassadors in Egypt organised a traditional Arab food festival whose income was earmarked for the Wa'ai Charity Association, presided over by Samir Abul-Magd. The festival took place at the Gezira Sporting Club in Zamalek and was attended by spouse of the Arab League secretary-general, Laila Moussa, Moroccan ambassador's wife, Khayra Al-Fasi, Lebanese ambassador's wife, Hala Ziyada, and wife of the permanent representative of Iraq in the Arab League, Hanzada Al-Alwasi, among many others. The event also featured a fashion show by renowned designer Hani El-Beheiri, who exhibited his latest collection, in addition to songs by Tunisian singer Hadia. At the Press Syndicate, a lavish ceremony was held to distribute the Mustafa and Ali Amin Journalism Awards, which were presented by chairman of the syndicate, Makram Mohamed Ahmed. Awards and certificates of recognition were given to: editor-in-Chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper, Mohamed Barakat, editor-in-chief of Akher Saa magazine, Mohamed El-Shamaa, Al-Masry Al-Yom newspaper chief-editor, Magdi El-Gallad, media figures, Amr El-Leithi and Mona El-Shazli, Al-Ahram daily newspaper travel editor, Mustafa El-Naggar and Seham Zohni at Rose El-Youssef magazine. Veteran actress Karima Moukhtar was recongnised for her distinguished role in the TV smash hit, Yetrabba Fi Ezzo (Brought Up in Wealth). The American University in Cairo's (AUC) new campus will be the venue for 16 works by one of Egypt's most respected artists, Gazibia Sirry, who has donated her paintings to the university. The donated works are oil on canvas originals that span four decades of the artist's life in Egypt, Europe and North America. They are currently stored in AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library, after which they will go on permanent display. AUC President David Arnold described Sirry 's works as "nothing less than a national treasure". Her education brought her from Cairo to Europe's artistic centres in Rome, Paris and London, but the heart of her work did not stray from Egypt. In addition to her work as an artist, she previously served as a painting instructor at the AUC. Throughout her career, Sirry has held 68 solo exhibitions in Egypt, the Middle East, Europe and North America. She has been presented with the State Fellowship for Creative Artists, a Fulbright and the National Museum for Women in the Arts Fellowship. Among her many honours are first prize at the Salon du Caire, State Merit Prize and Order of Sciences and Arts of the first degree. She will also be the first Egyptian to exhibit work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. On 19 and 20 April, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus's Trade Centre is organising a seminar and exhibition at Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering to promote Cyprus universities and colleges in Egypt. The Egyptian-Lebanese Friendship Association, under the auspices of Negad Shaarawi, held an honorary ceremony to bid farewell to Lebanese economic expert, Gabi Qeseis, vice- president of Audi Bank in Cairo. It was attended by Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, chairman of the bank's board, Hatem Sadek, as well as ambassadors Hassan Shash, Ghazi Nasser and Ahmed Baydoun among others. The US Embassy Public Affairs Counsellor Haynes Mahoney held a reception in honour of a cultural delegation representing four communities in the United States that visited Cairo and Alexandria recently. The aim of the visit was to gain a better appreciation of Egyptian culture and history in order to better promote late author Naguib Mahfouz and his novel, The Thief and the Dogs, in America. The visit is part of the "Big Read" Initiative, which was launched at the Cairo International Book Fair on 31 January 2008 to promote intercultural understanding through the exchange of literature. Mahfouz 's Egyptian classic will be discussed in public libraries, community gatherings and school classrooms in America. As David Fraher, director of Arts Midwest stated, "this visit is the perfect message to tell Egyptians that the American people are eager to learn about Egyptian culture and history." In March, a delegation of Egyptian organisations partnering in the "Big Read" visited the US to gain a better understanding of American history and culture by reading and discussing John Steinbeck 's American classic, The Grapes of Wrath, which will be part of community discussions in Egypt. The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in Talaat Harb Street in downtown Cairo is organising a course in Indian cuisine offering eight sessions of Indian cooking demonstrations covering different delicacies of India from 17 April to 5 June. Classes will be held at the centre's premises every Thursday from 5 to 6.30pm. For registration call: 2393 3396/2396 0071.
