By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Street and sacred beats Afro-Cuban jazz musician Nardy Castellini grew up between Matanzas and Havana, in a family with musical inclinations, surrounded by rumbas, abakuas and santeros. In a complex melange of street and sacred sounds, he fuses West African rumba drums with Spanish flamenco rhythmic foundation and the improvisations of American jazz. A Nubian element has more recently been added following a visit to Egypt, and Castellini is now giving two big concerts at Al-Gomhuriya Theatre and Makan. (see Listings p.7) photos: Ayman Barayez Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, honorary president of Special Olympics Egypt, honoured the 70 intellectually disabled athletes who together collected 45 medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Shanghai this October. Present at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics Egypt Ismail Othman, Executive Director Magda Moussa, Minister of Transportation Mohamed Mansour, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Ahmed El-Maghrabi and Goodwill Ambassador actor Mahmoud Qabil. Chairman of the Board of Al-Ahram Mursi Atallah received the General Manager of Fekra Foundation for Commercial, Media and Marketing Works Mazen Eyad Madani and his colleague Mohamed Abul-Eish in the presence of General Manager of the Al-Ahram Advertising Department Hassan Hamdi to sign the contract of the kafalat (custodianship) required for the Al-Ahram bureau in Saudi Arabia. The meeting featured discussions of services introduced by Al-Ahram in Saudi Arabia. On the occasion of Oman's National Day, Omani Ambassador Abdul-Aziz Al-Hanaai held a reception at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel last week. Among the attendees were former prime minister Atef Ebeid, Minister of Waqf Hamdi Zaqzouq and head of the Presidential Secretariat Said Zada. A galaxy of ambassadors such as Saudi Ambassador Hesham Al-Nazer, Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali, UAE Ambassador Ahmed Al-Zoabi and his Syrian counterpart Youssef Ahmed and French Ambassador Philippe Coste were also present. The Public Relations Society of America, among the world's largest and most prominent organisations in its line, has awarded Loula Zaklama the 2007 Atlas Award for her lifetime's work. This is the most esteemed award recognising excellence in the world of public relations today, presented annually to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the practice and profession of public relations on a global scale. Zaklama is a public relations and marketing professional with 45 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and public awareness campaigning. She is the founder and president of Egypt's leading private marketing research and public relations company, with proven expertise and a vast network of connections. Zaklama provides communication strategies for international and local clients and has partners in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. On the Sixth Annual World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) Day, the Egyptian Scientific Society of Bronchology (ESSB) held a conference on "Combating Devastating Lung Diseases" last Sunday at the Nile Hilton. Taking place under the auspices of Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali, the conference focussed on raising awareness among both COPD patients and the public at large. Physicians and the media participated: President of ESSB Tarek Safwat, Ministry of health consultant for chest disease Adel Khattab, head of the chest department at Assiut University Tarek Mahfouz, manager of Cairo University hospitals Ashraf Hatem, actor and WHO Goodwill Ambassador Mahmoud Yassin as well as veteran actors Osama Abbas and Samy El-Adl and TV presenter Amr El-Leithi. The Cairo Capital Lions Club, headed by Nagwa Emad, recently hosted novelist Alaa El-Aswani who voiced his views on literature and life. El-Aswani, who made his name with The Yacoubian Building, talked about creating characters, dissecting personalities and social strata. Syrian and Tunisian as well as Egyptian Club members attended. Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Moselhi attended the opening of an Al-Nour wa Al-Amal charity bazaar at the Ramses Hilton Hotel. Presided over by association head Amal Fekry together with a number of celebrities and diplomats, the event featured contributions from over 50 embassies. On the National Day of Angola, Ambassador Hendrik Neto held a lavish reception at Al-Gezira Sofitel Hotel celebrating 32 years of independence from Portugal. Present were African ambassadors as well as head of Press Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hesham El-Naquib. On a parallel note, Angolan singer Té Macedo gave a concert at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall. On the occasion of the visit of Côte d'Ivoire Foreign Minister Bakayoko Youssef to Cairo, Côte d'Ivoire Ambassador Connan Marcel held a reception at his residence in Ganet Al-Aziziya complex. Youssef expressed his gratitude for Egyptian security and stability support. Ambassadors Shamel Nasser and Sanaa Atallah attended. photo: Moussa Mahmoud The fourth AIDA Individual World Championship for diving, held in Sharm El-Sheikh under the auspices of South Sinai Governor Mohamed Hani Metwali, has concluded its activities. Opening on 23 October, the championship featured eight free-diving disciplines and 105 contestants from over 30 countries, many of them record holders. They included Carlos Coste, Herbert Nitche, William Trubridge, Dave Mullins, Stig Severinsen, Sara Campbell and many others. Past rounds of the championship took place, respectively, in Switzerland, France and Slovenia. Our dear colleague Joseph Qelta, Al-Ahram Weekly 's advertising specialist, and engineer Nardine Antonios tied the knot at the glamorous Al-Galaa Hotel, amidst a host of their relatives and friends. The wedding ceremony was attended by the Weekly 's head of Advertising Department Tawfik El-Sayed, Advertising Production Manager Samar Hatata, Advertising agents Mohamed Hamdi, Maged El-Ashri, Mohamed Ibrahim, and Hani El-Khatib. Among the attendance were businessmen Rimon Mehanna and Safwat Kamel, General Manager of Al-Ahram 's Qalioub Print Fathi El-Sharqawi and his wife. The couple flied to Hurghada to spent their honeymoon.
