A shopper's paradise The recent renovation of the old souq in Aswan, the city that will next month host the activities of the 13th Aswan International Sculpture Symposium, urged Nader Habib to take a snapshot of the souq with its new wooden gates -- with their ancient design -- beautiful lanterns and stores that all boast similar façades. In cooperation with the Cairo Opera House, the Japan Foundation's Cairo Office is organising "Trumpet Recital: Between Tradition and Technology". The recital will feature distinguished Japanese trumpet player, Kiyonori Sokabe, playing some pieces with the assistance of a special computer programme, called "Small Fish Tale", which displays the musical effect on a screen during the show. The trumpet performance will be accompanied by a piano performance by promising Japanese pianist, Kanako Abe. The concert will be held on 19 January at the Small Hall of the Cairo Opera House. "Small Fish Tale" is a computer programme consisting of 15 small sections. Each section has several movable graphic elements within its interface. By interactively arranging the graphic elements in different ways, variations and interactions of musical parameters are created. In the concert, the sound of the trumpet will function to interactively manipulate the graphic elements. � On behalf of the king of Belgium, Belgian Ambassador in Cairo Daniel Leroy granted Al-Ahram Hebdo chief editor and head of the Arab Writers Union, Mohamed Salmawy, a prestigious award for his efforts in reinforcing the media and cultural cooperation between both countries. The honorary party was attended by Salmawy 's wife, painter Nazli Madkour, their son and daughter, Al-Ahram's Nisf Al-Donia magazine Chief Editor Afkar El-Kharadli, author Sherif El-Shoubashi, head of the American University in Cairo press department, Mark Linz, as well as a number of diplomats. � Celebrating its centennial anniversary, the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo (1908-2008) is organising a major international conference from 19 till 22 October 2008. It is no coincidence that the faculty was built concurrently with the building of Cairo University, Ahly Club and Egypt's Bank, a period of renaissance in Egyptian history. During this period, a group of foreign resident artists, with a French sculptor at the helm, proposed the idea of establishing a new school of Fine Arts, with a design akin to the European academies of art in France and Italy. The October conference will include a series of sessions and seminars that cover all the faculty's department activities: architecture, décor, painting, graphics, sculpture and history of art. They all aim at documenting the history of the faculties of fine arts in Egypt, exchanging experiences with specialists from all over the world, activating the role of scientific research in the field of fine arts and protecting Egypt's national art heritage. � The Egyptian-Lebanese Businessmen Society was home to a press conference held on the occasion of the Expatriate Miss Lebanon Beauty Contest. The first of its kind, the judges will choose Miss Lebanon from contestants representing the Lebanese community in Egypt. Members participating in the conference were Lebanese Consul in Egypt Rabei Narsh, President of the Expatriate Miss Lebanon Beauty Contest Salah Hussein, head of the Domestic Tourism Sector at Egypt's Tourist Authority Ahmed Shoukri, as well as member of the organising committee, Ghazi Nasser. The contest titled "For the Sake of Lebanon" aims to unite members of the Lebanese communities across the globe. The contest is scheduled to be held on 23 February at the JW Marriott Hotel. � A truly enlightening seminar was held at Al-Sawy Culture Wheel conducted by Mohamed Abdel-Moneim El-Sawy, who introduced veteran psycho- analyst, Yehia El-Rakhawi, and his son Mohamed, a psychiatrist, to speak about the definition and significance of human minds, announcing the year 2008 as the year of "Minds". They tackled the importance of improving the functions of minds and developing human skills in order to achieve tangible, beneficial results in Egyptian society.
