How did it happen? The obvious question is: How did the goat climb on top of the cow? The answer lies not with the administrative head of Al-Ahram Weekly, Samir Naoum who, after the fact, could only snap the odd couple in Deirut Al-Sharif in the Egyptian city of Assiut. photo: Ayman Barayez A thrilling signing was held for the newly released book Al-Malika Farida (Queen Farida) by writer Lotus Abdel-Kerim at Diwan bookstore in Zamalek. A plethora of high-profile figures attended to congratulate Abdel-Kerim, including Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada and his wife, former minister of local development Mustafa Abdel-Qader, Major-General Magdi Diab, physician Abdel-Hadi Mesbah. Retired veiled actress Shams El-Baroudi, publisher Ahmed Mohamed Rashad, poet Ahmed El-Shahawi and Prince Fouad Sadek were present as well. Last Wednesday, Kandil Egypt, the leading lighting fixtures manufacturer in Egypt, hosted an esteemed celebration at the J W Marriott Hotel marking the occasion of entering the Guinness Book of Records for manufacturing the world's biggest chandelier. The chandelier is a centrepiece in a New Cairo mosque. photo: Nasr Attia Under the auspices of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, a spectacular concert was held at the Cairo Opera House Open-Air Theatre marking Colombia Independence Day. The concert featured Martina Camargo and her band. Guests enjoyed the Colombian folk dancing and singing, while Colombian Ambassador to Egypt Mario Iguaràn danced with Camargo in a thrilling spectacle. The concert was attended by Cairo Opera House Director Abdel-Moneim Kamel as well as a galaxy of high-profile personalities and members of the Colombian community in Cairo. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid Last week, thousands flocked to Marina in the North Coast to attend the concert of popular singer Tamer Hosni, who rocked the stage of the Roman Theatre. Hosni presented many of his new album hits as well as old ones, singing with Tarboush (Fez hat) in one of his songs along with his band, incarnating the character of a prince. Producer Mohsen Gaber and his family, as well as actress Nihal Anbar and her son singer Hossam El-Husseini, were among the attendees. Summer concerts everywhere! Stunning Lebanese actress-cum-singer Serene Abdel-Nour featured in a fabulous concert at one of Morocco's straits. Some 15,000 attended the event, where Abdel-Nour appeared in an astounding one-strap red dress singing many of her famous songs such as Bil Logha Al-Arabia Al-Foseha (In the Most Eloquent Arabic Language). Under the auspices of the Copt Catholic Fathers in Assiut, head of the Catholic Centre in Cairo Father Boutros Daniel, talented actress Menna Shalabi and her mother, retired belly dancer Zizi Mustafa, visited Assiut to deliver an impressive lecture. During the three-hour lecture, the keynote speakers tackled the relation between the media and the raising of youth, and how it can affect societal discipline, with the attendance of some 250 youth from Assiut. Fashion designer Mohamed Dagher held a breathtaking fashion show for the latest swimsuit fashions of 2010 at Agami beach. The show was presented by 10 models, with variations of the swimsuit in style and colour. Within the framework of the Japanese Establishment's programme for translating Japanese books into Arabic, a ceremony was held at Al-Shorouq bookstores to celebrate the first edition of the Japanese-Arabic dictionary that was recently released in cooperation with Al-Shorouq publishing house. An assembly of professors of the Japanese language at the Faculty of Arts in Cairo University compiled the dictionary. The ceremony was crowned by the attendance of Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Kaoru Ishikawa and head of the Egyptian Publishers' Union and Chairman of Al-Shorouq Ibrahim El-Muallim. The El Sawy Culturewheel festival for full- length and short documentary films announced its awards last week. Two films, Banena Al-Sad Al-Alli (We Built the High Dam) directed by Mahmoud El-Adawi and Happy New Year Loay directed by Riham Ibrahim were granted best full- length and short film awards respectively. The films Rasael Al-Hikma (Letters of Wisdom) directed by Tamer Mohamed Hanafi and Tawasol (Connection) directed by Maged Nader were given special awards by the festival's jury committee. An award of excellence was conferred on Rimal Masriya (Egyptian Sand) directed by Ayman Mohamed. The jury committee, headed by director Nabiha Lotfi, included director Saad Hendawi, cinematographer Gamal El-Boushi and film editor Rabab Abdel-Latif. El Sawy Culturewheel's Garden Hall is hosting a thrilling exhibition entitled "The shirt... in Arabic". It features an exceptional selection of cotton T-shirts and handbags with Arabic printed on them, such as Kalemni Arabi (Talk to me in Arabic) designed by Abdel-Aziz El-Guindi. A large number of El Sawy Culturewheel goers flocked to the exhibition to buy the shirts. ( see Listings p.5 ) Head of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces Ahmed Megahed agreed on a unique design for a poster for the Monastery of Saint Paul where it appears that the crescent holds the cross on top of its dome. Megahed announced that the poster would be a perfect expression of national unity between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. The Monastery of Saint Paul is located on the Red Sea, 10 kilometres away from Beni Sweif. It dates back to the fifth century and was founded near the cave where Saint Paul lived for 80 years.
