Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky was chosen last week to head the jury of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) competition at the 75th Cannes International Film Festival.
Though Egyptians have been part of the FIPRESCI jury panel competition in the past, this is the first time one will chair the panel.
Shawky will head a panel that includes a number of film critics from all across the world: Mariola Wiktor (Poland), Nathalie Chifflet (France), Emanuel Levy (USA), Simone Soranna (Italy), Jihane Bougrine (Morocco), Magali Van Reeth (France) Bidhan Rebeiro (Bangladesh) and Youssoufa Halidou Harouna (Niger).
Launched in the 1920s, the FIPRESCI committee is among the most influential film criticism committees internationally. The committee is responsible for awarding the best film at numerous festivals, including at Cannes since the festival’s launch in 1946.
The upcoming Cannes International Film Festival is scheduled to take place between 13 and 24 May 2022.
Shawky is an Egyptian film critic, programmer and screenwriting developer. He writes about film for numerous Egyptian and regional publications. He has also published six books about Egyptian cinema.
A FIPRESCI board member and the vice president of the African film critics’ federation (FAAC), Shawky is also as a programmer for many film festivals.
Shawky was appointed an acting artistic director of the Cairo International Film Festival in 2019, and a year later he was appointed its artistic director.
Shawky is also one of two Egyptian names to head the 75th festival’s juries, with the other being Yousry Nasrallah who will chair the Short Film Jury, a panel in charge of selecting one of nine films in competition for Short Film Palme d’Or.
Suhayr al-Qalamawi is an icon of literature and politics in the Arab world in general and in Egypt in particular.
She greatly influenced cultural life in Egypt and the Arab world and it was her idea to establish the Cairo International Book Fair.
Qalamawi was born in Cairo, in a family that focused on educating their daughters. Her father was a surgeon and her mother spoke various languages. This upbringing helped her complete her education, and she graduated from the American College for Girls in 1928.
Her father also played a major role in developing her linguistic and cultural skills. She excelled reading the holy Qur’an with her father. Qalamawi’s father also owned a library where she was able to feed her infinite hunger for reading.
She was able to benefit from her father’s vast library of works at an early age, and it seems that writers such as Taha Hussein, Rifa’a al-Tahtawi and Ibn Iyas greatly contributed to her literary talent and shaped her voice as a writer.
Her father encouraged her to specialize in Arabic literature, and she became the first young girl to attend Cairo University and the first woman among 40 men to study Arabic literature. After obtaining a Master of Arts, she then received a scholarship to conduct research in Paris for her Ph.D. in 1941. After the completion of her doctoral thesis, she became the first woman to obtain a doctorate from Cairo University.
During her educational career, she was influenced by a number of personalities, most notably the dean of Arabic literature Taha Hussein, who was head of the Arabic language department and editor-in-chief of the Cairo University Magazine at the time. He made her assistant editor-in-chief of the magazine in 1932, and Qalamawi became the first woman to obtain a permit to practice journalism in Egypt.
Suhayr al-Qalamawi started her career after graduation as the first female lecturer at Cairo University in 1936. Soon she became a university professor and later the head of the Arabic language department between 1958-1967, in addition to becoming the president of the Egyptian Feminist Union.
She became the president of the Egyptian General Authority for Cinema, Theater and Music in 1967 and the head of the Child Culture Society in 1968. Qalamawi was also the head of the administration of the General Egyptian Book Organization, from 1967 to 1971, and the head of the censorship authority from 1982 to 1985.
In addition, Qalamawi was able to make outstanding contributions within the cultural field. During her tenure as head of the General Egyptian Book Organization, she worked to expand the range of readers, encourage young writers, and advance the book industry in 1967. From here, she established the first book fair in the Middle East, which is the Cairo International Book Fair in 1967.
Suhayr al-Qalamawi’s contributions were not limited to the cultural community, but she also contributed to the struggle of women, in order to preserve their rights through her literary works, in addition to her participation in many conferences on Arab women, and in 1960, she was the president of the International Conference on Women.
Furthermore, Qalamawi’s journey was also full of political work, and the beginning was when she entered politics as a member of Parliament in 1958 , and was nominated again in the period from 1979 to 1984.
Qalamawi’s career was crowned with a number of awards, as she was awarded the Arabic Language Academy Award in 1954 and the State Appreciation Award in Youth Literature. She also received the State Encouragement Award, the State Appreciation Award in Literature, The First Class Order of the Republic, the Medal of Achievement, and an Honorary Doctorate from the American University in Cairo.
After an enriching career, Suhayr al-Qalamawi passed away in 1997.
Egyptian swimmer Omar Hegazy broke two Guinness World Records last week after losing his leg in 2015.
The 31-year-old first broke the record for “longest distance swam underwater with one breath,” swimming 185 feet and 4 inches (or 56.48 meters). He then donned a fin and broke the record for “longest distance swam underwater with one breath with fins,” traveling 251 feet and 7.68 inches (76.7 meters), according to a statement from Guinness World Records.
Hegazy commemorated his accomplishments in an Instagram post, in which he thanked his friends, family and coaches for their support.
“Nothing beats the journey,” he wrote in the post’s caption. “Enjoyed every cold windy day in the pool. Enjoyed after midnight training sessions. Enjoyed the friendships and the unconditional love I saw in the eyes of my friends, family and coaches. Still hungry for more!”
Hegazy had his left leg amputated in 2015 after he was run over by a truck in a motorcycle accident, according to Guinness. He was 25 years old at the time.
Hegazy had to spend several more weeks in the hospital after the operation, learning how to complete everyday tasks. He eventually became interested in accomplishing athletic achievements of strength after reading about Dareen Barbar, a Lebanese amputee who broke the world record for the longest static wall sit. He also read about Faisal Al Mosawi, a Kuwaiti wheelchair user who broke the record for the fastest 10 kilometer scuba dive.
My source of motivation in the beginning was that I do not have much left to lose,” Hegazy said in statement to Guinness. “I only got into swimming because I was a very angry. I found a way to I let out my anger and frustration, but it was also where I felt really free and capable.”
In addition to breaking two Guinness World Records, Hegazy has achieved a number of other athletic milestones. He swam across the Gulf of Aqaba in 2017, completed in a 700 kilometer cycling challenge and climbed a mountain, according to his website.
“I hope these Guinness World Records titles inspire others and serve as a reminder that amazing is somewhere near you,” Hegazy told Guinness. “You just have to open your eyes wide.”
Representation matters. Not just representation of ethnic background, but of personal experience. As Egyptian director Mohamed Diab becomes the first Arab to direct a Marvel project with the eagerly awaited limited series “Moon Knight,” it’s a landmark moment not only because of his nationality, but also because he was born, raised, thrived and suffered in Egypt, living through his country’s revolution and painful rebuild, and ultimately becoming one of its most important chroniclers.
“I’m not someone who is obsessed with firsts, but I will say that what is unique about me getting the Marvel job is that I’m coming directly from the Arab world,” Diab — who previously helmed the award-winning films “Cairo 678” (2010), “Clash” (2016), and “Amira” (2021) — continues.
There was a major reason that Diab’s voice was so necessary to the project. While many of the Marvel comic books from the 60s and 70s drew from cultures and mythologies from across the world, they were written and drawn from a perspective foreign to the cultures they were influenced by, leading to limited — sometimes offensive — portrayals of those people, places, and histories.
Part of Diab’s mission was not just to apply his own voice to the show, but to include the creative voices of as many Egyptians and Arabs as he could. Each Egyptian character on the show is portrayed by an actual Egyptian — something rarely, if ever, done in Hollywood — including the ancient deity that plagues Moon Knight himself. Behind the scenes, Diab recruited the previous collaborator Ahmed Hafez as one of the series’ editors, and the great Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih to write the series’ score.
Diab — as the show’s key creative voice along with creator Jeremy Slater — was integral in far more than capturing the Egyptian aspects of the show; he helped shape its entire aesthetic, so the show embraces elements that no Marvel project has before in terms of tone, style, and themes. He also personally convinced two actors who had long resisted becoming part of a superhero project — Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke — to come aboard.
“The wonderful idea of hiring Mohamed to be our quarterback, to guide this ship, is that the movies he’s made in Egypt are incredible,” says Hawke. “He’s not looking at this with the eyes of an American, he’s looking at this — and these deities, and this world — from a vantage point of growing up in Egypt and having a lot to say about it. It’s exciting to be around him in that way.”
Diab also recruited the Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy, best known for her role in the Golden Globe-winning sitcom “Ramy,” as one of the show’s leads.
Ultimately, “Moon Knight” — which debuts internationally on Disney+ on March 30 and will premiere in the region this summer — is a show full of outsiders who, in partnership with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and many others, lent their creative voices to make this a Marvel project like no other.
source/content: arabnews.com (edited)
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Egyptian director Mohamed Diab is the first Arab to direct a Marvel project with the eagerly awaited limited series “Moon Knight.” (Supplied)
Elham Fateem’s collection of vignettes about successful Egyptian women in nontraditional careers makes an interesting and approachable read about gender for specialists and the public alike.
A book about gender is normally not an attractive read for the public, yet putting it in the form of stories rendered Hekayat Setat men Baladna (“Tales of Women from our Land”) an interesting read for the specialists in the field and regular readers alike.
The writer is Elham Fateem, a veteran in the human development field who has worked for decades on developing womens’ and childrens’ skills and capacities. She was able, in a smooth writing style, to present stories of regular women and show their strengths while explaining the paths they took and the obstacles they faced.
The subject is women who broke the society’s taboos in choosing nontraditional careers such as diver, butcher, mechanic, carpenter, marble worker and others. The tales came from her fieldwork and interviews across Egypt’s governorates. The writer states that writing about the women she worked with has been a dream of hers for a long time. Taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, she finally wrote and published it.
The writer chose different examples of women that she considered heroines for taking the route they chose in their life. The subjects are diverse; they come from different backgrounds, whether educational, financial or social ones. The choice of jobs depends on each woman’s circumstances, choices and inclinations.
The writer chose seventeen women to profile, which is still just a drop in the ocean.
The subjects are more than we can imagine. Oppressed women and those who have lost their rights by the society are all over the media and can be seen in day to day life, but those who are successful in a non-traditional ways need some digging to show the difficulties they had to face in order to stay on the paths they chose.
Egypt’s Nouran Gohar has ended compatriot Nour El Sherbini’s 17-month reign as the World No.1 after the PSA Women’s World Rankings for April were released today (April 1).
Gohar has been in sensational form throughout the 2021-22 season and has won the last four PSA World Tour Platinum events in a row, including the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and the CIB Black Ball Open last month.
Those wins have seen her leapfrog El Sherbini to claim the World No.1 spot for the second time in her career and for the first time since October 2020.
Hania El Hammamy and Amanda Sobhy stay at No.3 and No.4, respectively, while New Zealand’s Joelle King returns to the top five for the first time since May 2019 after reaching the semifinals of both the Windy City Open and Black Ball Open in March.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry moves down to No.6 ahead of Salma Hany at No.7, while Rowan Elaraby reaches a career-high ranking of No.8 after reaching her first Platinum semi at the Black Ball Open.
Women’s Top 10 – April 2022 / pix: pic: psaworldtour.com
Meanwhile, Georgina Kennedy rises to her career-high ranking of No.9 after achieving back-to-back quarter finals at the Windy City Open and Black Ball Open, the former seeing her reach the last eight of a Platinum event for the first time. France’s Camille Serme – who has been sidelined since September, 2021 due to a leg injury – completes the top 10.
USA’s Olivia Fiechter drops out of the top 10, while Belgium’s Nele Gilis rises a spot to a joint career-best No.12 ranking. India’s Joshna Chinappa is also on the move as she moves up to No.13, ahead of Tesni Evans at No.14 and Nadine Shahin who remains at No.15.
Nada Abbas rises five places to reach No.16, while Hollie Naughton drops down a spot to joint No.17 with Olivia Clyne. Emily Whitlock stays at No.19, while England’s Lucy Turmel moves up six spots to break into the top 20 for the first time. It’s the first time in over two years that there have been three Englishwoman have been ranked inside the top 20 at the same time.
Egypt’s Nour El-Sharkawy is the biggest mover on the women’s tour this month. The 18-year-old appeared at the Black Ball Open in March and enjoys a 186-place rise to a career-high No.147 ranking.
source/content: psaworldtour.com (edited)
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Nouran Gohar in action at the Allam British Open / pic: psaworldtour.com
The day is originally held in the memory of Lieutenant General Abdel Moneim Riyad’s martyrdom in 1969, when he went to the front on the second day of the War of Attrition to personally follow up on the results of the previous day’s battle and to be among his armed forces’ colleagues
“I Am from Every Egyptian House.” Under this slogan, Egypt’s armed forces launched the celebration of Martyr’s Day on the 53rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Lieutenant-General Abdel Moneim Riyad.
In December 2020, Zeinab el Kawashti married a couple, Sondos and Karim, in front of their family and friends. In a different time and place, this would have been a normal occurrence, yet it was the first time any of the guests had seen a woman as a marriage officiant.
This is not odd, given that female Ma’azin (Muslim marriage officiants) are extremely rare.
The first-ever female marriage officiant in Egypt was Amal Soliman; she was hired in 2018 by the Egyptian family court and has since then married more than 300 couples. Many were inspired by Soliman, among them El Kawashti.
El Kawashti is a female M’azoun, a mother of three, and an Azhar Law and Religious Studies graduate.
To become a Ma’zoun in Egypt, one must have at least a Bachelor’s degree. Ma’azin are restricted to their jobs as officiants, with no further commitments. There are around 45 requirements to become a Ma’zoun in Egypt, including age. As of 2014, a Ma’zoun can only be between the ages of thirty and forty. The requirements also include maintaining optimal physical wellbeing.
source/content : egyptianstreets.com
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Zeinab El Kawashti officiating at a katb ketab. Photo Credit: Sondos Moussa
Russian tribute to Yehia Abdel-Tawab, first ballet dancer in Egypt
Yehia Abdel-Tawab, one of the pioneers of ballet in Egypt and the recipient of the Medal of Merit from late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, has been honored by the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities (EAGRSU) and the Russian House in Cairo for his contribution in strengthening Egyptian-Russian relations through his artistic career.
The EAGRSU and the Russian House held a seminar titled ‘The Ballet in Egypt and Russian Experiences’ earlier this week in honour of Abdel-Tawab, who is a professor of ballet at the Academy of Arts.
The seminar, held at the Russian Cultural Centre in Dokki, was moderated by President of the Association Sherif Gad and attended by director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt Marat Gatin, dean of the Ballet Institute in Cairo Atef Awad, former dean of the Ballet Institute Sherif Bahader, member of the board of directors of the association Samia Tawfik, and Ballet Institute professor Tahani Hassan.
Abdel-Tawab also stressed that ballet in Egypt has a strong foundation, and with the efforts made by the state to build new opera houses, there will be many specialized ballet companies, and called for more cooperation with Russian experts in order to exchange experiences.
Former dean of the Ballet Institute Bahader said that Abdel-Tawab is considered one of Egypt’s first pioneers in the art of ballet, and one of the greatest ballet dancers in the entire world.
“He is also one of the first dancers in double dance in Egypt and the Arab world.”
Professor of ballet Tahani Hassan expressed her pride in her teacher at the Ballet Institute Abdel-Tawab, pointing out that all his students learned from him commitment, as he was accurate in timing and executing movements.
During the event, a documentary film on the history of the art of ballet in Egypt was shown, and Gad presented a certificate of honour on behalf of the association to Abdel-Tawab in appreciation of his great artistic career.
source/content: english.ahram.org.eg
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(L-r) Marat Gatin, Sherif Bahader, Tahani Hassan, Yehia Abdel-Tawab, Atef Awad, and Sherif Gad photo credit of the Russiaan Centre
The Fiber Connect Council MENA has announced the appointment of Eng. Ahmed Mekky, Chairman and CEO of Benya Group, as Chairman of the council for a two-year term, succeeding Mr. Juan Colina. His appointment for this esteemed role, marks the first time an Egyptian assumes this position.
Eng. Mekky has been involved with the council in his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors since 2011, and was nominated for his role as Chairman of the council, in light of his endless contributions to the ICT industry on a global level and particularly for his extensive experience in the field of optical fibers.
Benya Cables, a subsidiary of Benya Group, began with ambitious plans to build the region’s largest optical fiber factory, and is now months away from materializing that reality.
Fiber Connect Council MENA has a mandate to exponentially increase the deployment of high-speed fiber networks, to connect consumers, businesses, governments and organizations, with the products and services needed to enhance quality of life, make a sustainable impact on the environment, boost business competition and develop apps to ultimately transform the way people live and businesses operate.
The Council’s Board of Directors is comprised of a notable cohort of member organizations such as Corning, Prysmian MEFC, OFS, Etisalat, and Oman Broadband. The board was formed in 2011 as an initiative launched by the founding members, and since inception, now boasts a member and partner count over 50 prominent industry leaders.
Kholoud Al-Dergham, Director General of Fiber Optic Connect Council MENA, welcomed the appointment of Eng. Ahmed Mekky as the Council’s new Chairman, highlighting “his expert record and experience in this field as invaluable assets to the Council, as well as a unique opportunity to invest that kind of experience, to accomplish the council’s objectives to expand the use of fiber optics”.
Eng. Ahmed Mekky is one of the most influential and prominent leaders in the ICT sector. In 2017, he founded Benya Group, formerly known as “Fiber Misr Systems,” and its affiliates with the goal of accelerating the Middle East and Africa’s digital transformation.
Prior to that, he launched Gulf Bridge International (GBI) in 2008 to build and operate the first underwater cable network, stretching over 40,000 kilometers and connecting 25 nations.
In 2011, he was appointed to the SAMENA Council’s Telecommunications Committee, and was selected on the Board of Governors (PTC).
Eng. Mekky has received various honors in recent years, including the “Telecom Review” award for best CEO in the area of enterprises offering services in telecom infrastructure for three consecutive years (2019, 2020 and 2021)
