Category: CULTURE

News about culture and cultural heritage

Workers find remnants from Byzantine church in Gaza

The findings include segments of marble pillars with ornate Corinthian capitals and a foundation stone bearing a Greek symbol for Christ.

During the works to build a shopping center in Gaza, Palestine, a group of construction workers discovered ancient ruins that archaeologists believe they are parts of a Byzantine church sating from around 1,500 years ago, the Palestinian tourism and antiquities ministry said on April 4.

The findings include segments of marble pillars with ornate Corinthian capitals, one nearly three meters long, and a 90 cm foundation stone bearing a Greek symbol for Christ. Fifteen pieces have been uncovered, with excavations continuing, as Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Our first thought is that the site is a cathedral or a church from the Byzantine period,” said Jamal Abu Rida, the general director of the antiquities ministry.

“During that era, there was a great interest among the Byzantine rulers to build churches in the Gaza Strip.”

Gaza was a prosperous seaport during the Roman period, with a diverse population of Greeks, Romans, Jews, Egyptians and Persians. Pagan temples were destroyed in the late 4th and early 5th centuries and there was widespread church-building.

(en.protothema.gr)

April 22, 2016
Photographers capture loss of Alexandria’s historic architecture over last 20 years

Photographers Mostafa Mamdouh and Abdallah Hanafy took to Alexandria’s decades-old streets with their cameras in a quest to display how time has taken its toll on the city’s historic landmarks over the last two decades.

The photos document the replacement of beautifully-crafted buildings with modern, dreary towers between 1996 and 2016.

Mamdouh and Hanafy collected old photos of areas of Alexandria and researched their dates, then took photographs of the same place as it is now, holding up the photographs of what used to be there in front of what is there today.

The essential aim of the project was to document the heritage sites in Alexandria; some of which did not survive the architectural purge that came with the modernization of the city, Mamdouh told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

“This is one of a series of projects we carried out to monitor the stark difference between 1996 and 2016 in nine areas of the city,” he said, adding that the changes in the city during the last 20 years have been for the worse in many places, while others still cling on to their architectural beauty.

(www.egyptindependent.com)

April 21, 2016
Three Greek photographers on Thomson Reuters team to win Pulitzer Prize

Three Greeks are among the photography staff of Thomson Reuters, which was awarded on Monday a Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News Photography category, “for gripping photographs, each with its own voice, that follow migrant refugees hundreds of miles across uncertain boundaries to unknown destinations.” The Reuters photo coverage of Middle Eastern migrants arriving in Europe was led from Greece by Yannis Behrakis, chief photographer for Greece and Cyprus, and the Guardian newspaper’s 2015 Agency Photographer of the Year. The other two Greeks on the team that was awarded in the 100th installment of the prestigious event at New York’s Columbia University are Alkis Konstantinidis and Alexandros Avramidis. The team captured a series of images of migrants crowded on flimsy sea craft and their first moments upon reaching Europe. “We showed the world what was going on, and the world cared. It showed that humanity is still alive,” Behrakis said. “We made for these unfortunate people’s voice to be heard. Now with a Pulitzer, we feel that our work has been professionally recognized.” Some images showed families rushing ashore, flailing away in the water or collapsing on the beach. Others juxtaposed the rafters at sea with a cruise ship or a leaping dolphin or the setting sun.This year’s announcement marked the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzers, which began in 1917 after a bequest from newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

April 21, 2016
Greek-Cypriot author Georgiou wins 2016 European Literature Award

Greek Cypriot author Antonis Georgiou has received the ‘European Literature Award’ for 2016 for his book titled ‘An album of stories’, originally title: ‘Ena alpum istories’, published by ‘To Rodakio’. The European Literature Award started in 2009 by the EU in an effort to promote young successful authors in their home countries to a pan-European audience. The judging committee is made up of 10 people from the countries participating in the event each year. The author wrote on his facebook page that he was pleased to have been selected and thanked the committee. The Award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Brussels at the end of May.

(en.protothema.gr)

April 6, 2016
On Alexandria’s Fouad Street, some have a longing for the elegant past

Along Fouad Street, a Costa coffee shop near old buildings with Italian and French architecture reminds Egyptians that commercial ventures threaten to erase traces of Alexandria’s aristocratic past.

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: Along Fouad Street, a Costa coffee shop near old buildings with Italian and French architecture reminds Egyptians that commercial ventures threaten to erase traces of Alexandria’s aristocratic past.

Named after King Fouad I, who died in 1936, the street is a throwback to a time when the arts flourished in a cosmopolitan city that is now overcrowded and dilapidated like many of Egypt’s urban centres.

Some, like architect and urban planning teacher Ahmed Hassan, are pushing to preserve some relics of the bygone era while keeping pace with growing businesses – the goal of his “Save Alex” initiative, launched in 2012.

“We aim to try to find a balance between civil society and profit-driven private sector to protect the heritage buildings from getting demolished,” Hassan told Reuters.

“We want a system where all stake holders agree on a system to keep the heritage.”

In the past, the city founded by Alexander the Great and once considered the jewel of the Mediterranean, featured a fusion of communities – Greek, Italians, Armenians, Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Fouad Street is the most potent symbol of Alexandria’s grand history, with its elegant villas and antique shops.

A Reuters photo essay captures some of Fouad Street’s past glory at http://reut.rs/21Faim7 .

At a car repair shop once used to service the monarch’s vehicles, for example, mechanics work over cars from the 1930s and 1960s.

Sigma, a company with a branch that has been investing in heritage building, hopes to keep some of the magic of the past turning a profit at the same time.

CEO Laithy Mekawy was influenced by the three years he spent as an architect in Istanbul, where he observed the restoration of historic buildings.

He turned a television company on the ground floor of the old Société Immobiliére building, an 1928 Neo-Renaissance structure, into “L Passage”, a food and cafes court with well known brands.

“I’ve always loved walking on a Friday morning on Fouad street,” Laithy said, describing the weekend day in predominantly Muslim Egypt.

“The beauty of the old architectural buildings, the opera house and the arts centre have kept its beauty for years.”

COSMOPOLITAN PAST

Fouad is one of the oldest streets in Alexandria, featuring landmarks such as a centre that used to house the Mohamed Ali club – named for a past king – built near the British forces base in Alexandria during late 19th century.

On the other end of the long street is a statue of Alexander the Great, a present from the Greek government on the occasion of the opening of Bibliotheca Alexandria library and cultural centre.

British novelist and travel writer Laurence Durrell, author of The Alexandria Quartet, lived on the street, as did Greek poet Constantine Cavafy.

After the Free Officers toppled the monarchy in 1952, multicultural communities that helped turn Alexandria into a modern city began fleeing, and the aristocracy had no place in the city among widespread nationalisations.

Some long for the old days.

Zahraa Awad, who gives special tours of Fouad street, recalls listening to her grandmother’s stories about the Greek, Italian, French, Armenian, Jewish families who owned the Belle époque villas along Fouad street.

“I remember all the names, they represented the cosmopolitan atmospheres of Alexandria,” she said.

“And in the evening when there’s not much cars, you can always hear the piano coming out of the music school of the Conservatoire.”

(Editing by Michael Georgy/Jeremy Gaunt)

(www.channelnewsasia.com)

March 27, 2016
Alexandria’s ancient sites face extinction due to stalled renovation

Archaeological sites in Alexandria are facing ruin, with renovation projects by the Antiquities Ministry covering 13 ancient Islamic, Coptic and Jewish monuments stalled due to a shortfall in funding that stretches back many years.

Eighty percent of the province’s sites, meanwhile, have not been touched by conservators for tens of years.

Archaeologists have told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the whole history of Alexandria is threatened with extinction, especially since the only UNESCO-registered ancient Coptic site, the Abu Mina archaeological zone, may be removed from the organization’s world heritage record due to high levels of underground water at the 600-feddan site.

Among those concerned is Antiquities Ministry official Mohamed Ali Saeed, the former director of Alexandria’s antiquities. He told Al-Masry Al-Youm that many ancient Islamic sites are near collapse, either due to a lack of renovation work or work being interrupted.

Enumerating the endangered structures, Saeed listed the Shorbagy Mosque, the Terbana Mosque, the Haqqania courthouse, the Ptolemaic Wall, the old towers, the cisterns of Ibn al-Nabih, Ibn Battouta Ismail and Ingy Hanem, as well as the entire Abu Mina Coptic site. He said that while renovations at some sites have been halted for at least six years, others have not seen conservators for more than 20 years.

Saeed urged “immediate intervention” by the ministry to save the historic sites, warning that weather conditions, most notably seasonal winter storms, represent a serious threat to them.

In his warning, Saeed gave special attention to the Abu Mina area, which, he explained, is Egypt’s only Coptic site listed by UNESCO. He said groundwater levels at Abu Mina have reached 5.5 meters, submerging the ancient tomb of Saint Mar Mina.

Ahmed Abdel Fattah, another expert and a member of the ministry’s permanent antiquities panel, warned of rising groundwater levels at the ancient Ptolemaic and Greek tombs of Mostafa Kamel, Shatbi and Anfoushi, where walls and floors are being gradually eroded. He said the structures should be prioritized for renovation, especially due to their exposure to high humidity levels resulting from proximity to the sea.

Abdel Fattah pointed to the endangered ancient Ptolemaic cemeteries of Alabaster and Wardian near the seaport, which he identified as two of the most historical sites in the Alexandria area. The Ptolemaic cemeteries of Souq al-Gomaa, are also suffering “severe deterioration” according to Abdel Fattah.

“They fall between the tramway and low-income housing, surrounded by piles of garbage on all sides,” he noted.

Speaking from Abu Mina, the region’s antiquities official, Father Tedaous Avamina, said that in 2005 the Antiquities Ministry embarked on a LE50 million scheme, sponsored by UNESCO and the government, to reduce groundwater levels at the site. He explained that, though the project was completed in 2010, political upheaval and economic hardship meant there was not enough money for periodic maintenance of the water drainage equipment.

Political instability was also responsible for stalled renovations at other sites. An official source at the ministry’s engineering administration said nearly LE57 million had been earmarked for renovations at the Terbana and Shorbagi mosques since 2009. The official said that, while the first phase of renovations was concluded before the 2011 uprising, later phases were halted due to political upheaval.

According to the official, four other schemes are planned for the same sites, including the renovation of the ancient cemeteries and draining groundwater there. However, work cannot begin until the money has been found.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

(www.egyptindependent.com)

March 26, 2016
18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

The 18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival “Images of the 21st Century” will be held on March 11th until the 20th. The annual international institution will host 72 documentary screenings and a plethora of events open to the public, viewers, volunteers and film makers.

Thematics of the Documentary Festival include:

– Human rights
– Financial crisis and “antidotes”
– Politics
– Refugees
– Images of Greece
– Personalities
– Art
– Architecture
– Revealing stories about the environment
– Collective memory
– Aspects of history
– Next Door People
– Searching for answers

In addition there will a department for “Docs in Progress” which will contain 13 films from Central Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, which will be addressed only to special guests of the festival and will be presented to producers, sales agents, distributors and festival representatives. This year, the Greek post production company 2|35 Inc, offers a prize of 15,000 euros in post-production services.

Therefore, the “Docs in Τhessaloniki / EDN Pitching Forum 2016” which is organized by the European Documentary Network, in collaboration with the 18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and with the support of the European program “Creative Europe MEDIA,” offers discussions for producing and pitching documentaries from all over the world through meetings who are open to the public. This way, Greek and foreign professionals from the audiovisual field are given the opportunity to present and promote their work in TV stations in Greece and abroad.

(greece.greekreporter.com)

March 6, 2016
Egypt’s Popular Annual Book Fair Promotes Reading Culture With New Initiatives

The 47th annual Egyptian Book Fair, which kicked off on January 27 and comes to an end on February 10, brought a unique mix of events, initiatives, seminars and newly published authors.

In addition to inviting Bahrain as its guest of honor and hosting a total of 850 publishers in the famous “Soor Al-Azbakeya” location, the book fair was used as a launch pad for governmental initiatives and the introduction of recently published authors.

In addition to hosting a total of 850 publishers – including 50 foreign publishers – Bahrain was named the guest of honor at the fair and highlighted their participation through documentaries and seminars about the history of Bahrain.

The widely popular book fair, which adopted the theme of “Culture in Confrontation” this year, was also used as a launch pad for initiatives and the introduction of recently published authors to the general public.

“BREAD AND A BOOK” INITIATIVE

One of the prominent initiatives unveiled this year, dubbed “Bread and a Book,” launched by a foundation called “Batana” gave a 90 percent discount on any book to any citizen who holds a supply card.

In a statement released during the first week of the fair, the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Khaled Hanafy said that the initiative aims to build a connection between books and bread, stating that these two components are equally important for further development and that this is the true meaning of “Bread and Freedom.”

Hanafy said that this collaboration between the government, private sector and civilians served to motivate civilians to make use of subsidies while also promoting cultural awareness.

According to Atef Ebeid, president of Batana, the foundation and the ministry will be collaborating in setting up booths across many governorates to continue this initiative after the book fair ends.

“No one went to our booth in the book fair and didn’t get a book unless they didn’t like it, however, we are trying to vary from the types of books we offer by surveying people about the topics they would like to read about so we would provide such books in the near future,” Ebeid told Egyptian Streets.

One of the initiative’s slogans is “reducing acts of terrorism starts with the citizens’ minds,” which is what Ebeid says the initiative is attempting to achieve by cooperating with the National Translation Center and the Supreme Council of Culture to develop comprehensive strategies.

“Someone who is throwing a rock in an act of violence, definitely must be doing this based on a concrete thought in his/her mind, and the only way to try to reshape that thought will be through books, enlightening this reader through many different topics including nationalism, forgiveness, collaboration, and peace delivered in a very general manner that will fight religious polarization,” he added.

Ebeid also announced a new initiative that aims to provide a book free of charge to citizens who manage to save up on the greatest amount of bread, adding that this is the real idea that ties bread and books together.

NEWLY PUBLISHED AUTHORS

The fair was stacked with many authors and publishers, including young and newly published authors who highlighted the importance of youth engagement in creating new methods of expression.

Newly published authors Salma Abu Zeid, author of “The Willow of Half a Fugitive Spirit of Eternity” and Ahmad Farghaly, author of “Escapism,” both encouraged Egyptian youth to broaden their knowledge of poetry and theater through reading.

“To be a newly published author feels great; not only because it was my ultimate dream for a couple of years now, but also because I’ve always wanted to communicate my voice more to the people who read,” Abu Zeid told Egyptian Streets.

She also wishes to add a great sense of understanding through her books as she thinks that is what Egyptian culture lacks and is short on acceptance of various types of art.

“It felt great once the book was published and people got it and read it. Then I felt the responsibility of proving what I am capable of doing with my upcoming works in the field, as I have to deserve the title of ‘author,’” Farghaly said

Farghaly said he hopes to promote the concept of questioning in Egyptian culture and that, through his books, he seeks to encourage readers to think independently and come to their own conclusions.

Both authors are working on new books they wish to deliver to readers: Farghaly is intending to release a novel and a screenplay for a movie that depicts one of the stories he wrote about in “Escapism,” while Abu Zeid is working on a new novel that carries different themes.

The Egyptian book fair is an annual event that takes place in Cairo and is organized by the minister of Culture. This year it hosted 21 Middle Eastern and African countries, including an additional of six more countries than last year.

The fair also included 30 seminars this year hosted by prominent figures such as Farag Foda, Nasr Hamed abu Zeid, and journalist Hassanein Heikal, and aired documentaries about the Egyptian military’s achievements on a daily basis through its cinema halls.

(egyptianstreets.com)

February 21, 2016
Egypt’s soprano Fatma Said wins prestigious Dublin Int’l Singing Competition

24-year-old Egyptian soprano Fatma Said was announced as the winner of the 8th Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition.

Egyptian soprano Fatma Said has won this year’s Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition in Dublin, coming ahead of baritone William Davenport, (2nd prize, USA), soprano Adriana Gonzalez (3rd prize, Guatemala) and soprano Anna Anadarajh (4th prize, UK).

The results were announced on Thursday during a special gala that included six finalists.

The competition is named for Veronica Dunne, who is considered Ireland’s Grande Dame of singing. Born in Dublin, Dunne had a thiving operatic career and then moved on to training young voices and launching a singing competition which is held every three years inciting talents from across the world.

To date, eight editions — spanning over 21 years –of the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition have taken place.

The young soprano is taking the operatic world by the storm. In 2011 she won the second award at 16th International Schuman Lied Contest and the Grand Award at the Giulio Peroti International Opera Contest.

In 2012 she won two prizes at the 7th Leyla Gencer Voice Competition that took place 15-20 September in Istanbul, Turkey — first prize awarded by the competition jury and the audience prize. She already performed at the numerous prestigious stages and she sung in a concert conducted by the renowned Juan Diego Flórez.

Said began her singing studies in Egypt, under soprano Neveen Allouba. Said spent 5 years with Allouba, time during which she won 1st and 2nd prize at the ‘Jugend musiziert’ competition. She then moved on to study in Germany where she enrolled at the Eisler Hanns’ music school in Berlin (under Prof Renate Faltin). Most recently, she received a scholarship to study at the world’s prestigious music academy La Scala in Milan, Italy.

(english.ahram.org.eg)

February 4, 2016
Egyptian former child actress Feyrouz passes away at 73

Egyptian actress Feyrouz passed away Saturday morning, 30/01/2016, at the age of 73, according to actor and senior member of the Actors’ Syndicate’s board of directors, Sameh El-Sereity

The celebrated actress, who was nicknamed “the miracle child”, suffered from kidney and liver disorder. Her condition had deteriorated recently, and she had been placed on a ventilator before she passed away.

Feyrouz was known for her musical performances in black and white films, in which she usually appeared with the late renowned actor, Anwar Wagdy. She appeared in 10 films over the course of nine years, before retiring at the tender age of 17.

She appeared in “Yasmine”, “Feyrouz Hanem” and “Dahab”, three of the best-known films in the history of Egyptian cinema, wherein her musical performances marked the main reason behind their success over the years.

In 2001, she was honoured at Cairo International Film Festival for her contribution to Egyptian cinema.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

February 1, 2016