Egypt Today January / February 2020

January/February2020 January/February2020 LE 30

egypt today the magazine of egypt volume 40 • number 1

The Dawn of a New Age for Egypt The new Grand Egyptian Museum ushers in a decade of hope for the nation

BRUNCHING AT T H E PA L AC E .

B B Q B R U N C H I S BAC K !

Stroll along our Garden Promenade Café… listen to the grills sizzle …Savor the tantalizing aromas as our chefs rewrite the brunch menu. We have all what your taste buds desire from a fresh fish market and an endless sushi station to BBQ specials with veggie options, all while enjoying the live jazzy sounds sifting through the waving palms. Grab your family and friends for a great day of #BrunchingAtThePalace. Make a date every Friday from 1pm - 5pm for the best brunch in town!

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January 2020 vol 40 - number 1

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COVER STORY On the Cover GEM: The Dawn of a New Age for Egypt Cover design by Hesham Amer

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FEATURES 23 The Year in Arts A look back at the arts and culture scene in 2019.

By Angy Essam

Achievements Meet the mastermind behind OD's turnaround who also happens to be the real estate emerging market 2019's best CEO.

By Angy Essam

34 In Tribute From entertainment celebrities to intellectuals, critics and authors, we pay tribute to the prominent cultural figures who left us this year.

LOOKING AHEAD AT 2020 42 A Smoke-Free Future How tobacco company Philip Morris International is leading the revolution against tobacco, with the ultimate goal to get people to give up smoking.

48 Khaled Bichara: A CEO Equipped with Optimism and Solid

51 Engy El-Sabban: On women’s Empowerment and Full Inclusion Why women's empowerment is essential for Egypt's sustainable development.

By Engy El-Sabban 52 Five Indicators of Egypt’s Attractiveness to Foreign Investors This past year has been a very successful one for the real estate industry. JLL’s Country Head Egypt Ayman Sami identifies five strong reasons foreign investors will be eyeing Egypt’s real estate market in 2020.

By Ayman Sami

54 Greenwashing Fashion It’s critical that we take action against climate change–but we also need to call out the camouflaged awareness platforms and their greenwashing techniques.

By Maria Fathy 56 Designers to Follow in 2020 Meet nine young up-and-coming designers who have shown incredible talent and determination to make a difference in today’s design scene.

By Art D'Egypte 66 Five Artists to Follow in 2020 Art D’Egypte shares their picks of experimental artists to keep an eye on this year.

By Art D'Egypte

102 Parting Shot Our Man of the Year: Mohamed Salah. With a number of new titles under his belt and a stunning year on the pitch, for Egypt Mohamed Salah has been a source not only of joy and pride, but also of inspiration and of hope.

THE GUIDE ART 10 Egyptian Art Comes to Geneva Art D’Egypte becomes the first Egyptian art organization invited to showcase contemporary artists’ works at artgenève Salon D’Art.

By Art D'Egypte FILM 12 Sayidat al-Bahr: The Choices That Set Us Free Winning the Verona Film Club Award when it premiered at Venice’s Critics’ Week, powerful Saudi film Scales defies customs on a number of levels. Lead actress Fatima Al Taei speaks about her role in the movie and the tenacity it takes to break with tradition and achieve your dreams.

By Angy Essam FILM 14 French Riviera Film Festival: World’s Best Short-Films Under One Roof On the sidelines of the Cairo Film Festival, FRFF founder Gotham Chandna weighs in on the role of short-form content in today’s filmmaking scene.

By Angy Essam NATURE NOTES 16 Unbounded Hope The New Year is always the best time for optimism, especially with hope often arriving in the form of four-legged companions leading to exciting new finds, as has happened several times for this naturalist.

By Richard Hoath TV 20 Going Global: Taking Egyptian TV to the Next Level Producer and writer of primetime dramas Christopher Adam Keyser and Managing Director of Norman Lear Center Johanna Blakely speak about the future of Egyptian television.

By Angy Essam

FOOD TODAY 72 Main Course / Winter Warmers Three hearty soups to ward off the cold this winter season.

By Maggie's Little Kitchen

TRAVEL TODAY 77 Passport / GEM: Egypt's Gift to the World in 2020 With the final touches being put in place, the Grand

Egyptian Museum is set to usher in a new dawn for Egypt and for international travellers all over the world.

By Angy Essam 82 Snapshot / Travel news and offers

FASHION TODAY 86 Back to the Future 2020 is here, and in the fashion world the 1990s are back in full force. Attempting to capture that aesthetic visually, The 1995 Project pays homage to the Egypt of the 1990s, with all its radness and its golden memories.

By Maria Fathy 92 Bold Statements Striking colors and accents for your winter wardrobe.

By Maria Fathy

TECH TODAY 98 Intelligent Connections OPPO plans $7bn R&D push to build a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity 100 A New Era for a New Smartphone Leader The fresh brand took markets by storm when it was launched last year. We look back at the wave's realme's been making and ahead at innovations to come.

By Maria Fathy

ALSO...........

6 The Notebook 94 Around Town 102 Parting Shot

Founder William Harrison (1940–1995)

Executive Editor in Chief

JA NUA RY 2020 - VOL 40 - NUMBER 1

Mohamed Abdel Baky

Managing Editor Noha Mohammed

A New Decade—A World of Opportunity This past year has been one of progress and flux all over the world. Here in Egypt there has been huge and exciting growth, witnessing internationally acclaimed development in tourism, the arts—be that in film, visual arts or culture—women’s rights breakthroughs as well as progressive anti-climate initiatives. For our special opening issue of 2020 we invite experts in a wide range of fields to take stock of the watershed progress of the last 12 months and look ahead toward the trends and developments we can expect so see this year. These leading market innovators offer a host not only of predictions for the new decade and the exciting promise of opportunity that it holds, but also their own advice for finding success and happiness on both professional and personal levels.

Achieving spectacular success by setting himself targets and keeping his eye on the goal, Khaled Bichara, CEO of Orascom Development Holding and Orascom Development speaks about everything from business to real estate, tourism, art and even football. In “A Smoke-Free Future,” Philip Morris International leaders tell us how the tobacco company is leading the revolution against tobacco, with the ultimate goal to get people to give up smoking, while in “5 Indicators of Egypt’s Attractiveness to Foreign Investors,” JLL’s Country Head Egypt Ayman Sami identifies five strong reasons foreign investors will be eyeing the real estate market in 2020.

On the culture scene Art D’Egypte share their picks of experimental contemporary Egyptian artists to keep an eye on this year while Lifestyle Coordinator Maria Fathy interviews up-and-coming designers to follow in 2020 for tips on the fashion trends expected this year and the ones they are happy to say goodbye to. “In the Year in Arts,” Senior Writer Angy Essam looks back on the marathon achievements of Egypt’s arts and cultural scene in 2019; and we pay tribute to the prominent cultural figures, from beloved entertainers to intellectuals, critics and authors, who have left us this past year.

Looking ahead to a wealth of opportunities in 2020 and the decade ahead, we’ve chosen the inspirational Grand Egyptian Museum, set to change the face of international tourism this year, for our cover story. We end our special edition with et’s pick of a modern Golden King inspiring Egyptians and changing the world: Mohamed Salah.

We hope you enjoy the issue — Noha Mohammed nmohammed@egypttoday.com

Follow us here EgyptTodayMagazine EgyptTodayMag egypttodaymagazine

Editors Yasmine Hassan Yasmin El-Beih

Senior Writer Angy Essam

Columnist Richard Hoath

Lifestyle Coordinator Maria Fathy

Contributors Art d’Egypte Maggie’s Little Kitchen Ayman Sami

Art Director Wael Wahba

Creative Supervisor Heba Mekky

Graphic Designer Kareem Adel For advertising inquiries please contact

01222239700 Egypt Today, founded in 1979, is published monthly by International Business Associates Group, Cayman Islands. US Office: Egypt Today, P.O. Box 2191, Austin, TX 78768. Tel: + 1 (512) 7436279. Camera-ready advertising copy deadlines are the 10th of the month preceding publication; reservations, cancellations and changes must be made by the 20th of every month.

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THE GUIDE Art • Books • Film • Food • Health • Music • Stage • Style• Tech • Television • Travel • Culture

ART

Egyptian Art Comes to Geneva

Art D’Egypte becomes the first Egyptian art organization invited to showcase contemporary artists’ works at artgenève Salon D’Art.

FILM

Sayidat al-Bahr: The Choices That Set Us Free

Winning the Verona Film Club Award when it premiered at Venice’s Critics’ Week, powerful Saudi film Scales defies customs on a number of levels. Lead actress Fatima Al Taei speaks about her role in the movie and the tenacity it takes to break with tradition and achieve your dreams.

TV Going Global: Taking Egyptian TV to the Next Level Producer and writer of primetime dramas Christopher Adam Keyser and Managing Director of Norman Lear Center Johanna Blakely speak about the future of Egyptian television.

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Guide | Art

Egyptian Art Comes to Geneva Art D’Egypte becomes the first Egyptian art organization invited to showcase contemporary artists’ works at artgenève Salon D’Art.

A

t the end of this month, a select group of works

by Egyptian artists will go on show at the ninth edition of the artgenève Salon D’Art. Set to be held January 30 through February 2, the acclaimed art expo— which welcomes international galleries and devotes a large area to public and private collections, as well as independent spaces and curators, promoting a dynamic dialogue between institutions and galleries— falls during a key period for luxury tourism in Geneva and strategic dates in the art fair calendar.

Also working to cultivate dialogue is Art D’Egypte, which this year has become the first Egyptian art organization to be invited to showcase the work of contemporary artists at the expo. “Art D’Egypte aims to promote Egypt’s central role in contemporary art today,” says founder and curator Nadine Abdel Ghaffar. “We are an art consultancy and cultural operator bridging the gap between sustainable development and artistic mobility with the overarching goal of making art accessible for all.”

Art D’Egypte, whose annual exhibition was recently held under the auspices of the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt and its latest exhibition under the patronage of UNESCO, will aim to present an overview of its previous exhibitions in the past three years. Since 2017 Art D’Egypte has organized three highly acclaimed exhibitions showcasing the works of over 50 Egyptian artists: Eternal Light at the Egyptian Museum (2017); Nothing Vanishes, Everything Transforms at the Manial Palace (2018); and Reimagined Narratives on Al Mu’iz Street in

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Guide | Art et

Art D’Egypte: Making an Impact Through Art Aware of the important role that art plays in a flourishing and developing society, Art D’Egypte works not only to raise awareness of art but also aims to make an impact through a number of initiatives. As part of its privatepublic partnership model, Art D’Egypte secures annual in-kind donations for every heritage site it exhibits in. In 2019 for example, for Reimagined Narratives, they secured in-kind donations from Duravit for bathroom renovations, Signify for lighting adjustments, and Orange for free WIFI for the duration of the three-week event at El Mu’iz street. They also managed to secure residences for artists at local factories such as KAMA Iron Manufacturing, NADIM Factory, Meuble el Chark and Marmounil. “These residences allow our artists to execute their vision, with all the funding, raw materials, space and machinery required to do so,” explains Abdel Ghaffar.

With its Nothing Vanishes. Everything Transforms exhibit, Art D’Egypte secured inkind donations valued at LE 7.5 million to preserve and upgrade the historic sites where the exhibitions took place, including donated integrated art preservational lighting systems.

It saw the first collection of art pieces to be covered by SMARTIFY in the Arab region, pioneering the concept of digitizing art and making the information accessible for all.

Founded in 2005 as a privately owned Egyptian multidisciplinary art consultancy and cultural operator, supporting the contemporary Egyptian arts and culture scene, Art D’Égypte has, since 2017, expanded its mission by organizing yearly exhibitions in Cairo to showcase and support contemporary Egyptian art within a historical setting. Over the last year, Art D’Égypte has collaborated with partners to create art scholarships and artist residency programs. Public events are hosted regularly, including free talks and lectures by key players in the arts and culture landscape, to make art accessible to all.

Old Cairo, a UNESCO World Heritage site (2019).

By raising awareness, the team’s target is to help preserve Egypt’s heritage and advance the profile of modern and contemporary Egyptian art, presenting an alternative view of Egypt to the world. Each exhibition is supplemented by a strong educational collateral program hosting international scholars, historians, educators, curators and key-note speakers to host lectures, panels, and Q&A

discussions in order to help educate people on the art ecosystem and the importance of sustainable development and heritage preservation in the art industry.

Artists showing at artgenève as part of Art D’Egypte’s showcase are Ahmed Farid, Ahmed Askalany, Farouk Wahba, Mohamed Abla, Sherine Guirguis, and Youssef Nabil.

—Courtesy Art D’Egypte. Images courtesy MO4 Network

JANUARY 2020

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Guide | Film

Sayidat al-Bahr: The Choices That Set Us Free Winning the Verona Film Club Award when it premiered at Venice’s Critics’ Week, powerful Saudi film Scales defies customs on a number of levels. Lead actress Fatima Al Taei speaks about her role in the movie and the tenacity it takes to break with tradition and achieve your dreams.

By Angy Essam

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Guide | Film et

S

et in a dystopian landscape, the bold Saudi film Sayidat al-Bahr (Scales) quickly earned critical acclaim for its gallantry, paucity and its stance against old customs and traditions when it was first presented in Egypt at the Cairo International Film Festival at the end of last year. Revolving around a young, strong-willed girl who defies her village’s dark tradition in which every family must give one daughter to the sea creatures inhabiting the waters nearby, the film is set in black and white, with a visual narrative that uses shadows and light to create its storytelling elements.

Using silence to find a language to express feelings, Saudi director Shahad Ameen provides a perfect picture of what an Arab female filmmaker can do. Inspired by folklore and mythology, she is able to formulate a tale that triumphs for women around the world.

“It’s uncommon to see Scales as a Saudi Film, as it has few dialogues, the mixture of imaginary and reality, a deep look into women struggle in symbolic way and the black and white concept,” actress Fatima Al Taei tells Egypt Today on the sidelines of the Cairo International Film Festival. Speaking about her experience in the groundbreaking movie, Taei explains that the film’s message is delivered in a way to fit the struggle of any female watching this movie, it’s a call of action to seek freedom of choice and living.

“I am pleased to play a deep, conflicted mother who has to deal with society’s behavior toward her and her opinion about her family after her husband refuses not to do what is expected. She was under the pressure of a difficult situation where her husband made a decision not to sacrifice their daughter, a customary tradition in the village,” Taei describes.

The actress started her career in 2011, joining the New York Film Academy to study acting for film before moving to London to develop her acting talent. “I’ve Ioved acting since I was young, but thought it wouldn’t be possible with our society’s expectations and traditions; then I realized that I have a gift that I am responsible for bringing to life. I am currently starring on a NETFLIX series called Justice and I believe whether you are a woman or a man you must accept the challenges and be determined to achieve your goals, so there are no excuses of complicated situations, you must have the guts to do what you believe in,” Taei maintains.

She adds that each one of us has to be independent and accept the challenge of rejection in the beginning. “But when you follow your dream, you will find people who believe in you and support you, and when you are serious about your career, even your family will support you eventually,” says Taei. “It’s all in your hands, if you have the guts and patience.”

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Guide | Film

French Riviera Film Festival:

World’s Best ShortFilms Under One Roof On the sidelines of the Cairo Film Festival, FRFF founder Gotham Chandna weighs in on the role of short-form content in today’s filmmaking scene.

By Angy Essam

C

reative, vivid and innovative, short films have long played a vital role in the international cinema industry; one that is now recognized and celebrated annually at the French Riviera Film Festival (FRFF) held in Cannes, France.

This month we catch up with FRFF founder Gotham

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Chandna on the sidelines of the Cairo Film Festival and chat about the festival’s mission and goal. Held during the renowned Cannes International Film Festival since 2019, FRFF is a platform for worldwide short-form content created for film, television, web and all digital platforms.

Guide | Film et What’s the main mission of the French Riviera Film Festival?

The FRFF’s mission is to provide a platform for filmmakers to showcase short-form content to a worldwide audience under one roof. Cannes is one of the largest events attended by the filmmaking community from all around the world. It is literally the melting pot for creativity; and that backdrop provides the best setting for our film festival.

To what extent does short form content play a vital role in the cinematic scene in general?

Short-form content is gaining popularity very rapidly.

Audiences today like instant gratification, sooner than ever.

The advent of platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram stories have brought the attention span of people to a bare minimum. We decided to go the short film route to cater to the changing times.

Short-form content plays a vital role in the big scheme of things. It is an arena where budding or experienced filmmakers can practice their craft of storytelling on a small budget and in a very limited time. Unlike feature-length films, the filmmakers working with short films have a very little time to get the message across. Many times, this also sets the stage for future feature-length projects.

What can you tell us about the festival’s different sections?

The filmmakers have a wide variety of film genres that they can pick from in the festival. These include drama, comedy, documentary, animation, sci-fi/horror, experimental; more recently, lifestyle, fashion, music video were added to give it the “French Riviera” flair.

Tell us more about the festival’s achievements in its first edition.

The FRFF’s inaugural edition was very successful. Not only did we receive hundreds of submissions from all around the world, our festival advisory board and jury were also very helpful in helping us bring the festival together. The festival opened with an “out of competition” screening of the Oscar (2019) winning short film, Skin. We had intense competition in the drama category and the winner Tattoo is a Berlinale Crystal Bear alumni. The best actress [award] also went to Behdokht Valian for Tattoo.

Bruno Chatelin of Filmfestivals.com provided us with major support in the first year, and he continues to do so in a very strategic manner. All in all, we’re one small, happy family.

With your passion for independent cinema, what are your future plans for the festival?

I love independent films [more than mainstream cinema] and I’d only like to see more filmmakers learn about our film festival and showcase their talent. A little secret, I watch all shorts that are submitted to the festival!

Do you follow Egyptian or Arabic cinema? If so, how do

you evaluate it?

I’m not avidly following Egyptian or Arabic films, but I do watch them on a regular basis. The filmmakers [in the region] have a unique way of storytelling; and their nurturing has a lot to do with that. Different backgrounds offer different ways of telling stories.

I equally enjoy the drama tearjerkers and the comedies that I have come across. I would really love to see more Arabic content being submitted to the festival.

You attended the Cairo International Film Festival for the first time this year, what are your thoughts?

It was my first time in Cairo and it will always have a special place in my heart. I was truly amazed to see the lavish red carpets (yes plural), A+ production by the festival team and the impeccable hospitality and service offered to me everywhere in Egypt. The festival left no stone unturned. I look forward to being there in the years to come.

What are your plans for the second year of FRFF? Nicole Muj and I co-produce the festival and we are thrilled about our second year. We have worked together for about six years at Cannes Film Festival on various projects and on many other events, including Miss India America in LA, as well as events during Sundance, American Film Market, and others.

We have amazing partners and judges already in place, and an online shop at Yuzzl.com. I hope you can join us at the second annual FRFF. We also recently announced the Reel Rosé film festival that will launch during LA Fashion Week in September 2020.

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et

Guide | Nature Notes

Unbounded Hope The New Year is always the best time for optimism, especially with hope often arriving in the form of four-legged companions leading to exciting new finds, as has happened several times for this naturalist.

Written and illustrated by Richard Hoath

Long-eared Owl.

M

y favorite story from the season’s festive press comes from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) in Bournemouth, England.

It concerns a Labrador called Marley who was rushed to the clinic after having wolfed down over 30 gin-

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gerbread decorations that were waiting to be hung from the Christmas tree. Left unattended in the kitchen, never a good idea with Labs, Marley duly demolished every single one, sadly including all the decorative baubles and ribbons. Marley underwent a very unfestive emergency operation and all has end-

Guide | Nature Notes et ed happily. Will Marley be chastened? Not a bit of it. I know Labs.

I grew up with Labradors. When very little I was not allowed a dog, my parents figuring out that it would probably be them that ended up doing the walking. I was given a guinea pig, which I pretended was a dog but it was not the real thing. I was given a budgerigar, a rescue bird called Pip, that in my febrile imagination became a falcon. And then, at around the age of 10, I met my first love, an athletic blonde called Susie.

Susie was the yellow Labrador owned by neighbors. They were looking for someone to walk her every now and then and I wanted a dog. It was a match made in heaven and when the following summer they were away for a fortnight’s holiday, they asked if I could look after her. With parental permission I was delighted to do so but under strict conditions not least that Susie stayed up at their house. Our house and garden were strictly out of bounds. This may have worked well but we lived in a cul-de-sac and I had to walk past my own house each walk. After a couple of days there was a water bowl in our garden. A day later, some treats. By the second week she was coming in for the water and treats. By the end of the fortnight my parents of iron will had capitulated completely. Not long after came our first Hoath yellow Labrador—a puppy named Kasper.

And there was no going back. After Kasper came Seth and then Daniel, Heba and finally Lottie. Each one was different with their own personalities and quirks and each as adorable as the other. But they had one thing in common. Labradors have boundless energy—they need exercise and lots of it so I was out rain or shine trekking the fields behind our house and that meant wildlife. In spring there were Skylarks and Yellowhammers, summer the swallows and martins, in fall the trees changed from green to auburn and orange and in winter there were the flocks of winter thrushes, the Redwings and Fieldfares. By the chalk stream on longer walks there was always the possibility for Kingfishers and even a Sparrowhawk.

It has not just been my own Labradors. In Australia I was at Victor Harbour on the south coast searching the beaches for a Southern Elephant Seal that had rumored to have hauled up—a very rare record indeed. For something that can reach five meters in length it was proving very elusive and I was close to throwing the towel in when a large, pale yellow Lab came bouncing up to me almost bowling me over with his exuberance. His owner followed up soon after and we got talking.

She asked about my binoculars and I explained my quest. “No worries!” She had seen the seal the day before and proceeded to tell me exactly where. Half an hour later I was standing right next to three meters (it was young!) of Southern Elephant Seal grinning from ear to ear. And all because of a Lab. A few Christmases ago I was in Munich staying with my sister. She has a Lab, a big black Lab called Ben and that of course meant long walks through the forests and along the lake. On one occasion Ben made a dash for the water. I went after him; just yelling “Ben” was never effective—Labradors have finely tuned selective deafness. As Ben hit the water the ducks dispersed but not too far and amongst the usual Mallards and Tufted Ducks were a number of elegant drakes with crimson

bills and fiery crests. These were Red-crested Pochards—an entirely new species for me and all courtesy of a Lab. And here too. Many years ago the number two at the British Embassy owned a yellow Labrador called Megan. They lived on Ibn Zanki and took Megan for her constitutionals to the Gezira Club. One morning I got a call that while walking the dog Megan had sniffed out some pellets (Labs have the uncanny knack of sniffing out anything the remotest bit pungent and basically the smellier the better). The number two who happened to be a keen naturalist looked up and found he had a number of pairs of deep orange eyes looking down at him.

Were these Long-eared Owls? Needless to say I hot-footed it over to Zamalek. Megan got her second walk of the day and I was happy to confirm that yes, they were indeed Long-eared Owls. It was an excellent record and my first ever for Egypt.

Those owls were regulars for several winters at the club.

Then the authorities pruned back much of the dense tangles of leaves and twigs in which the birds hid and I have not seen them for some time. It is a shame. I used to have a four-owl day trip. It would start at Saqqara where a pair of Pharaoh’s Eagle Owls bred on the upper tiers of the Step Pyramid. Then it was to Abu Sir where Little Owls could almost be guaranteed.

Then lunch. Then on to the Gezira Club for Megan’s Longeared Owls and then a sundowner on the Marriott terrace, and if we were really lucky a Barn Owl might fly over.

So Marley the Bournemouth Labrador was lucky. The vets were able to remove the tangle of Christmas decorations from his stomach. Many others are not nearly so fortunate. In recent weeks there have been reports in the international press of just what damage, and from plastic especially, we are doing to our environment.

As ever it is the unusual sub stories that catch my attention.

In Nara the free-roaming wild deer for which the ancient capital is famous are endangered not by hunting or persecution but by plastic. Since last March, 14 of the deer have died and of these nine were found to have large amounts of plastic in their stomachs. In the Pacific large numbers of hermit crabs have perished as they try to use washed up plastic bottles as surrogates for their natural commandeered sea shells. Worldwide cetacean species are washed up with their stomachs clogged with plastic or wrapped in plastic trawler nets. Sea turtles— several species of which live and breed in Egyptian waters—are especially susceptible. For some species jellyfish are the natural prey and a plastic bag floating along in the currents looks uncannily like a jellyfish. The plastic is far more dangerous than a jellyfish sting.

Yet I move into 2020 feeling more optimistic. Yes there is Greta Thunberg. I am grateful for her bringing the world’s focus onto the environment, but I am worried that someone so young is being exploited. However with major elections coming up in countries around the globe it looks as though the environment is going to be a major issue. Last month in the UK while Brexit was the single largest topic, environment was not far behind and I hope the new government stands by their election pledges. And in the US it will be interesting to see what environmental initiatives emerge. I am trying to be optimistic!

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Nostalgic Wedding Celebrations At The Nile Ritz-Carlton Cairo

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he Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo is bringing the good old nostalgic days back to Cairo’s favorite ballroom Alf Leila We Leila. Since founded in June 1959, the legendary property has been a symbol of elegance, history, and understated luxury. Bringing to Egypt the taste of modern international hospitality standards, the property holds fond memories for the greats of the Arab elites, royalty, artists, celebrities and the world’s most powerful and famous, first among them Nelson Rockefeller, Jane Russell, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra.

The 1950s, 60s and 70s generations embrace treasured memories of world-class events at Cairo’s most historical wedding ballroom. For vintage elegance and opulence, Alf Leila We Leila is without par Cairo’s most popular ballroom. Hosting hundreds of glamorous high-profile weddings; its exquisite chandeliers and sumptuously upholstered walls adds a touch of class and luxury that time cannot fade.

Always loyal to Egyptian traditions, the hotels’ historical staircase celebrates cultural roots with authentic entertainment witnessing more than 50,000 Egyptian zaffa performances that highly contributes to the mystique of this timeless venue. Glid-

ing down the sweeping staircase while the zaffa music notes rise up, remains the most sentimental and nostalgic wedding entrance of all time.

Every wedding has a unique story and The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo has created bespoke moments for decades that showcase the distinct story of each couple. The Ladies and Gentlemen of the hotel are happy to assist couples in finding an opulent setting that suits their refined taste, be it lavish or intimate, traditional or themed. Whether the wedding is an intimate reception or a grand affair, spanning 924 square meters; Alf Leila We Leila can welcome up to 600 guests. For smaller, more intimate affairs or pre-wedding functions, the ballroom can be divided into three smaller venues.

It comes as no surprise that vintage inspired wedding themes is making a big comeback, and Alf Leila We Leila is no excep-

tion. The property’s experienced and professional team of event managers will turn wedding dreams into reality by applying their know-hows at service and transforming the ballroom’s exceptional settings into a one-of-a-kind celebration.

Executive Chef Bugra Keles and Pastry Chef Jean Francois Lavialle along with their culinary team work with passion to harmonize all special occasions with the refined culinary world.

The hotel celebrates all milestone events under one roof with exceptional dinner spaces, wedding venues and more. The Nile Ritz-Carlton’s stunning ambiance and impeccable service will ensure wedding celebrations, anniversaries, and birthdays are unforgettable.

et

Guide | TV

Going Global:

Taking Egyptian TV to the Next Level

Producer and writer of primetime dramas Christopher Adam Keyser and Managing Director of Norman Lear Center Johanna Blakely speak about the future of Egyptian television.

By Angy Essam

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Guide | TV et

“People are looking for unique stories, different stories; they don’t want the same stories over and over again.

For American audiences, it would be very exciting to find out what daily life is actually like in a place like Cairo.”

H

eld on the sidelines of the 41st edition of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) and in collaboration with the US Embassy in Cairo, the second annual “Cairo Industry Days” workshop program hosted a number of prominent American filmmakers and TV experts, including famed producer and writer of primetime dramas Christopher Adam Keyser, and managing director of Norman Lear Center Johanna Blakely.

Blakely and Keyser spoke to Egypt Today about their role in the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI), a Hollywood mentorship program aimed at Arabic TV writers and producers, which held workshops at the event; and about the future of Egyptian cinema and television.

Best known for the television series The Society and Party of Five, which took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series in 1996, Keyser says, “I mentor some of the writers from the region and I came [to attend CIFF) because this is a kind of get-together for all the people who were part of the program the last two years, a kind of reunion.” He adds, “We had fruitful conversations with people from the region about how to keep forward this collaboration between the US and Middle Eastern writers.”

Acknowledging that the program is focusing very much on television in the region and how it can become part

of the global conversation on worldwide television, Keyser says, “Television in the region tends to be structured around Ramadan season. and moving away from that is expanding beyond that to make the kind of stories, character based stories that allow your regional speakers to speak to the whole world. For us, it has mostly been a conversation about how you begin by writing and telling stories that are true to the Egyptian or Middle Eastern audience, that speak to everybody.”

Also involved with the MEMI from the very beginning, Blakely adds that the Ramadan format is not something that translates internationally, which is why it is essential that the industry embraces a serialized format that allows for multiple seasons. She explains that at the Norman Lear Cente do a lot of research about how entertainment and media affect people’s lives, bringing them together with a common culture. She further adds that if you just have one of these series that disappear after one Ramadan, there is no opportunity to develop a continued relationship with the characters and what they experience.

“I think all humans require storytelling throughout their lives, and continuation of storytelling could become very addictive, people become very devoted and I think it is through this kind of storytelling that Egypt might be able to attract a much larger international market; other

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Guide | TV people outside Egypt could become obsessed with the really creative characters and the specificity of the experience here. I think people are looking for unique stories, different stories; they don’t want the same stories over and over again. For American audiences, it would be very exciting to find out what daily life is actually like in a place like Cairo, so I really hope that sort of transformation occurs,” Blakely says, adding, “I think we were very spoiled because we had a huge entertainment industry dedicated to us, speaking about our jokes and things we understand; and we forced the stories basically on the rest of the world because they didn’t have the same entertainment industries in their countries.” But that is changing, Blakely is happy to say. “It’s actually become much cheaper to produce a lot of content because of digital devices, so it has been very interesting for me to see how foreign content has really started to get a grip on the US audience because a lot of us are bored with the stories our own industry has been telling us … it only takes one show to make a breakthrough,” she explains.

Blakely’s dream has always been to find the kind of content that would be appealing to pan-Arab audiences across different nations, different dialects and different sensibilities. “If someone is able to find this formula that really appeals to this large audience, I think this will be very lucrative,” she notes.

For Keyser, Egyptian TV can be taken to a global level. “In Egyptian television, I know that the budget tends to be lower, and the world expects pretty high production values. [But] we found in other countries that production that is made for a local audience is now finding a global audience, feeding money back into production. . . . Once the audience is global, production values can go up because they will reprofit from the global audience,” he explains.

Keyser further adds that there is a large market in the region, much larger than other individual markets. “You have a market that is large enough to actually reap the profits, as this industry goes global the more money will be invested in the industry, the more production value gets better,” he says. “In the US, for example, you can make a product that is not in English and people will watch it,” he notes.

Keyser also makes note of the growing digital market in the TV field. “[Digital markets] provide an entry point into the industry. This was very difficult but now young artists

can make a YouTube series, they can make a game, they can tell a story via Instagram . . . I think there is a huge democratizing influence on creativity to have all these platforms.”

Blakely also acknowledges that fans enjoy finding out how their favorite movie was made or television show came out, and hearing the stories of the celebrities, which is what the digital platforms can really offer. These quick insights build loyalty with characters and storylines, Blakely says, adding that this is how they become financially competitive in the marketplace. “I am quite optimistic about how the streaming platforms in particular are going to bring all kinds of content from all over the world to global audiences,” Blakely says.

Keyser shares his optimism about the future of the industry in the region. “I think young filmmakers in the region are moving in the right direction, really sophisticated, honest, driving character-based stories that can work in the global market, but it takes time to do all of that, we are working on empowering young storytellers and individual writers to create their own narratives, they don’t need our advice on what stories to tell,” he says.

Blakely advises program participants to take their audience very seriously.

They need to find out what they crave, what stories they are not hearing and need to know about, to find ways to connect with the audience through storytelling, by telling the stories that are relevant to their lives, she says, explaining that this kind of relationship with the audience translates to high viewership and financial benefits. “We have met several talented people from the Egyptian cinema industry through the Middle East Media Initiative because they come to Hollywood to visit; and so, everybody in the program acknowledges that Egypt is a driving force in television and cinema, and there is a great respect for people here.”

Keyser agrees. “This year, the Cairo Film Festival is a continuation of a meaningful addition to world cinema; and it meant a lot to American filmmakers to begin that kind of cooperation and conversation that makes television in Egypt and the region as meaningful as cinema has been and this is part of the reason why we are here,” he says, adding, “We met wonderful young people who will be part of the future of Egyptian cinema and television and some more established people who are part of Cairo Industry Days not just the MEMI program, all this made a wonderful introduction for this country, that we will definitely visit again.”

“Young filmmakers in the region are moving in the right direction, really sophisticated, honest, driving character-based stories that can work in the global market, but it takes time to do all of that. We are working on empowering young storytellers and individual writers to create their own narratives, they don’t need our advice on what stories to tell.”

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The Year in Arts

A look back at the arts and culture scene in 2019.

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President Abdel Fattah ElSisi inaugurates the Cairo International Book Fair’s 50th edition.

The Arab Theater Festival kicks off at the Cairo Opera House.

The Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) rolls out events across 21 different venues in Downtown Cairo.

American actor and basketball player John Salley arrives in Cairo for a three-day visit.

The American star gives a speech at the Creativity Industry Forum.

Egyptian-American star Rami Malek makes it to the Oscars and receives the Best Actor award for his brilliant portrayal of Queen’s main vocalist, the legendary Freddie Mercury, in Bohemian Rhapsody.

The third edition of the Aswan International Women’s Film Festival’s kicks off, with 32 films competing in the festival’s long and short film competition.

Egyptian soap operas Tayea, Ekhtefa (Disappearance) and Khalsana Beshyaka (Elegantly Ended) are featured on Netflix.

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The eighth edition of the Luxor African Film Festival is held, bearing the name of Burkinabé filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo. Paying a special tribute to Tunisian cinema, LAFF honours a number of renowned African filmmakers including Egyptian actress Lebleba, Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Egyptian actor Asser Yassin, Burkinabé director Fanta Régina Nacro, Egyptian director Omar Abdel-Aziz, Sudanese singer Faiza Amseeb, Tunisian producer Dorra Bouchoucha, Malmö Arab Film Festival director Mohamed Qabalawy, and others, in addition to a special tribute for Egyptian actor Mohamed Sobhi and a celebration of late Egyptian-Greek musician Andre Ryder.

On March 20, Google Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Egyptian poet and essayist Gamila el-Alaily to commemorate her birthday.

Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem announces the launch of the first Artistic Excellence Award, in cooperation with the Academy of Arts in Cairo and the Academy of Arts in Rome, to encourage young talents.

Singer Tamer Hosny, Puerto Rican star Luis Fonsi and Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne are chosen to perform at the opening of the 2019 Olympics, held in the UAE. The Embassy of India in Egypt, in collaboration with Teamwork Arts, presents the seventh edition of India by the Nile Festival. The annual cultural festival is supported

by TCI Sanmar and runs in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said.

American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers perform for the first time in Egypt at the Giza Pyramids.

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Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabri is named Ambassador of African Women during the Arab African Conference on Women’s Empowerment in the presence of ministers and dignitaries from across the Arab region and the African continent.

A huge parade is hosted in El-Muizz Street as part of the seventh edition of the International Festival of Drums and Traditional Arts.

The Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts kicks off.

Google honors acclaimed late Egyptian painter and feminist Inji Aflatoun on April 16 with a Google doodle to celebrate what would have been her 95th birthday.

The Ministry of Antiquities organizes the third edition of the Egyptian Heritage Festival at the Egyptian Textile Museum on April 18, which coincides with International Heritage Day. Famed international rapper and singer French Montana performs for the first time in Egypt.

Famed Lebanese singer Carole Samaha performs in a concert titled Helm (Dream), alongside a hologram of late Egyptian iconic singer Abdel-Halim Hafez at Manara Hall in New Cairo. This was the first hologram concert to be held in Egypt, and the first in the world to feature Abdel-Halim Hafez.

Egyptian mega star Amr Diab, acclaimed British singer James Arthur and famed Turkish record producer Mahmut Oran perform together at the American University in Cairo’s centennial centennial celebrations.

Prominent singer Tamer Hosny receives the Murex D’or award for best male Arab singer in Lebanon.

The fifth edition of Alexandria Short Film Festival runs from April 3-8.

The Sharm El-Sheikh International Theater festival kicks off on April 1.

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Egypt wins the membership of the UNESCO Scientific Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage.

A new route customized for visually impaired visitors is inaugurated at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

The 3rd edition of the Forum for Youth Cinema kicks off at the National Center for Cinema on May 26.

The Cairo Opera House celebrates the anniversary of the entry of the Holy Family into the land of Egypt on the stage of Al-Manara Conference Center in the Fifth Settlement. The celebration is attended by the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Tawadros in addition to a number of ministers and public figures. In tandem, the Coptic Museum organizes a temporary exhibition under the title “Holy Journey” on the occasion of the anniversary of the Holy family’s arrival in Egypt.

The National Media Authority signs a protocol with video streaming app Watch iT allowing it to commercialize the archives of Egyptian television.

The Czech Republic’s 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival honors late great Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine.

The Egyptian Embassy in Berlin launches a cultural blog to preserve and digitize Egyptian heritage.

The movie Eyar Nary (Gunshot) represents Egypt at the official competition of the Tripoli Film Festival.

Ambassador of Egypt in Rome Hisham Badr inaugurates a fine arts exhibition entitled “Colors of Egypt” in Rome under the auspices of cultural attaché Hajar Seif el-Nasr and in the presence of a number of Egyptian and foreign diplomats. The exhibition presents the works of four Egyptian artists: Farida Darwish, Dina Fahmy, Farida al-Koni and Rasha Ghaleb.

The Gayer-Anderson Museum completes the preparation of explanatory cards using the Braille tactile system to be used in its exhibition halls. The move is part of the Ministry of Antiquities’ plan to develop museums and archaeological sites to serve the visually impaired.

Music distributor Islam Chipsy participates in the opening of Kunsten Festival Des Arts’ 24th edition, hosted by the Belgian capital Brussels.

Christie’s hosts a panel discussion on Egypt’s Creative Journey: Ancient, Modern and Contemporary, featuring Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of Art D’Egypte; Omniya el Barr, researcher at the V&A; and Ramzy Dalloul, collector and founder of Dalloul Art Foundation.

Dancer, choreographer, dance educator and founder of MAAT for Contemporary Art Karima Mansour is selected by the Executive Council of the International Theater Institute, in partnership with the ITI dance committee and the World Dance Alliance, to write the International Dance Day message for 2019.

Famed Egyptian-American actor Sayed Badreya is cast alongside megastar Jackie Chan in Vanguard. The film is set to premier in 2020.

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Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem includes 207 Egyptian films in the Egyptian Cinematic Archive.

The Egyptian film Leil Khargy (Exterior Night) is screened at the first edition of Meknes International Cinema Festival in Morocco.

Watch iT digital platform opens a pop-up designated for documentaries.

The Egyptian film Ben-Bahrain (Between Two Seas) wins two awards in the official competition of the Brooklyn Film Festival.

After being discontinued for eight years, the Cairo International Biennale is resumed. Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem inaugurates the 13th edition of the Biennale under the slogan “Toward the East” at the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art and the Art Complex in Zamalek.

Artist Ahmed el-Badry wins first prize, worth LE 150,000.

The Opera Summer Festival kicks off from June 12 to 20.

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Mohamed Ramadan’s Mafia amasses 140 million views on YouTube within seven months of its release.

Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabry is chosen as a jury member of the Debut Work Competition at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first female Arab filmmaker to fill the post.

Award-winning Greek composer and maestro Yanni performs at Mountain View North Coast.

Acclaimed singer Angham receives the Middle East Music Awards for best female singer.

Mostafa Khater is honoured at the Hamsa International Festival of Arts and Literature as best actor for his role in the series Talqet Haz (Lucky Bullet).

Mohamed Ramadan gives his first concert in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Director Khalid Khaled launches his new play Cinema Masr (Cinema Egypt) on July 15. The play stars the second batch of graduates of the de-

partment of acting in the Center of Artistic Creativity and tells the history of Egyptian cinema through different scenes from its most prominent films.

The scenes feature graduates with talents in acting, singing, dancing and performing arts.

Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem inaugurates the Naguib Mahfouz Museum to honor the iconic Egyptian writer and shed light on his great works and contributions.

Acclaimed Egyptian architect and International Ambassador of Design Dalia Sadany receives the Golden Award at the international A’ Design Award and Competition in Italy for her project entitled “The Cyber Security Museum.”

Megastar Yousra, famed producer and head of Cairo International Film Festival Mohamed Hefzy and acclaimed director Amr Salama are chosen as members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Celebrated Egyptian tabla (drum) player Said El-Artist gives his first performance in Paris’ Hall de la Chansonon.

The ninth edition of the Dokki Book fair organized by Microphone Group is launched.

On the film’s official Facebook page, United Bros. Studios postsa four-minute recap video featuring the highlights of the first part of El Kenz (The Treasure) for the first time in Egypt and the Arab world, following the steps of Hollywood’s largest production companies such as Marvel Studios and DC. Beloved comedian Mohamed Henedy announces a new stand-up comedy show entitled Henedy Live, to be staged over six months in 20 different countries, kicking off at the Beacon Theatre at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Earlier in July, Henedy’s Talat Ayam Fel Sahel (Three Days in North Coast) had a successful three-day run in Saudi Arabia.

The Supreme Council of Culture names former minister of culture Gaber Asfour, painter Ahmed Nawwar, and former minister of higher education Mofeed Shehab as winners of the Nile Award.

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Egypt announces plans to open an archaeological museum in the New Administrative Capital to tell the history of Egyptian capitals in different eras from prehistoric eras to modern times to clarify why the New Administrative Capital of Egypt was created.

The 28th Edition of the Salah El-Din Citadel Festival of Music and Singing kicks off. Organized by the Egyptian Opera House headed by Magdy Saber, the festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Cairo Opera House.

Iconic singer Afaf Radi returns to performing concerts after a long hiatus. On August 31, Radi becomes the first Egyptian singer to perform on the stage of Damascus Opera House.

Egypt’s first Festival of Nature Local Cultures launches at Wadi Degla Protected Area in Cairo. The three-day festival aims to promote ecotourism and nature reserves, showcasing folklore products, arts and diversified Egyptian cuisines from Sinai, St. Catherine, the Red Sea, Fayoum, Siwa, Halayeb, Shalateen and Nubia.

The Egyptian film El-Fakh (The Trap) directed by Nada Riad is selected to participate in the official competition at Toronto International Film Festival’s 44th session. The film came to worldwide recognition after its world premiere in the official competition of the critics’ week at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.

Renovation begins on the Akhenaton Museum, the third-largest museum in Egypt and the largest in Upper Egypt.

The 12th edition of the National Egyptian Theater Festival headed by Ahmed Abdel Aziz kicks off, this year honoring veteran comedian Lotfy Labib.

Welad Rizk II (Sons of Rizk) records box-

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office takings of LE 8,401,929 in one day, making it the highest-earning Egyptian movie per day in the history of Egyptian cinema.

The Ministry of Antiquities reopens the newly restored Tanta Museum to the public.

Jennifer Lopez, one of Hollywood’s most successful performers and Hip-hop icons, performs her firstever concert in Egypt’s North Coast on August 9. Celebrities including Mona Zaki, Ahmed Helmy, Hussein Fahmy, Mostafa Fahmy, businessman Naguib Sawiris, Bushra and Mahmoud El-Essily were spotted at the concert.

TC Candler nominates Yasmine Sabry as one of the top 100 most beautiful faces in the world for 2019.

Russell Vitale gave a huge concert in Egypt for the first time at New Alamein. The famed American Rapper was later spotted at the Giza Pyramids along with his wife.

After a long hiatus, pop singer Hisham Abbas surprises his fans with the release in the form of a lyrical video clip of his newest solo titled Shary Bel Ghaly.

The 16th edition of the Alexandria International Song Festival kicks with a concert by Lebanese megastar Nawal El-Zoghbi.

The Ministry of Antiquities allows visitors to Egyptian museums and archaeological sites to take photos using cell phones for free.

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Africa is chosen as the guest of honor of the 12th edition of the International Samaa’ Festival for Spiritual Music and Chanting.

Blue Elephant II, starring Karim Abdel Aziz, becomes the first movie in the history of Egyptian cinema to exceed LE 100 million in revenues since its screening in cinemas on July 25.

The 26th edition of the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre kicks off with a comprehensive program. The festival opened with the American musical The Fantasticks following a ceremony held at the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House.

An Egyptian delegation headed by Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem travels to the Angolan capital Luanda to participate in the Biennale of Luanda-Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace.

The Egyptian Writers Union announces the winners of 2019 awards.

The Classical Poetry Award goes to poet Mohamed Mohamed EIssa, the Literary Criticism Award to Abdel Hakam Alami, the Short Story Award to Azza Badr, the Folk Poetry Award won to poet Sahar Sami, the Science Fiction Award to Salah Maati and the Children’s Literature Award to Eman Sanad.

Rising star Ahmed Malek is cast in the upcoming Australian film The Furnace, co-starring with veteran actor David Wenham. The adventure movie, directed by Roderick MacKay and produced by Timothy White, is set in western Australia in the 1890s.

Cairo is chosen as the 2020 capital of Islamic culture.

Egyptian singer Mostafa Haggag is nominated for the best African artist in North Africa award for his song “Khatwa” (Step).

Hend Sabry is awarded the Starlight Cinema Award at the Venice International Film Festival; she is the first Arab actress to win the prestigious award.

Egypt nominates Ward Masmoum (Poisonous Roses) for the best foreign film competition at the upcoming Academy Awards.

The Fine Artists Syndicate announces the winners of the State Awards in Arts. The Nile Award goes to Mostafa el-Razzaz (2018) and Ahmed Nawar (2019). The Excellence Award goes to Said Badr (2018) and Ibrahim Desouky (2019) The Encouragement Awards go to Fatima Abdel Rahman and Mohamed Banawi (2018) and Mohamed Naguib and Asma al-Nawawi (2019).

Tamer Hussein is nominated for Best African Poet of the Year Award at the All Africa Music Awards for his song “Naseny Laih?”

(Why Do You Forget Me?) by Tamer Hosny.

With hordes of stars, dazzling spotlights and flashing cameras, the third edition of El Gouna Film Festival opened its curtains on September 19, with a slogan that stressed a deep connection between the movie industry and humanity, adding “Cinema for Humanity” as its permanent motto.

The celebrity-packed event—supported by founder Naguib Sawiris, El-Gouna founder Samih Sawiris, CEO and co-founder of the festival Amr Mansi, COO and festival co-founder Bushra Abdallah Rozza, festival co-founder Kamal Zadeh, and festival director Intishal AlTimimi—saw an impressive turnout of celebrities, filmmakers, directors and producers from various countries. This festival was attended by Mona Zaki, Ahmed El Fishawy, Amina Khalil, Rania Youssef, Ahmed Dawoud, Ola Roushdy, Karim Kassem, Amr Youssef, Kinda Alloush, Emy Samir Ghanem, Hassan el Raddad, Laila Elwi, Elham Shahin, Yousra, Eman el Assi and Mohamed Ramadan were all spotted on the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony.

Egyptian star and UNICEF ambassador Mona Zaki announced a special agreement between UNICEF and GFF pertaining to children’s rights while Aladdin star Mena Massoud was chosen by the Egyptian Ministry of Immigration as ambassador of the “Etkallem Masry” (Speak Egyptian) initiative, which promotes national identity among Egyptians abroad.

Around 80 movies were screened during the festival, vying for awards worth $224,000. In the Feature Narrative Competition, the El Gouna Golden Star went to You Will Die at Twenty​

by Amjad Abu Alala, the El Gouna Silver Star to Corpus Christi​by Jan Komasa and the El Gouna Bronze Star to Adam​by Maryam Touzani.

The El Gouna Star for Best Arab Narrative Film​ went to Papicha​by Mounia Meddour, the El Gouna Star for the Best Actor​went to Bartosz Bielenia for ​Corpus Christi and El Gouna Star for the Best Actress​went to Hend Sabry for her role in ​Noura’s Dream.

In the Feature Documentary Competition, the El Gouna Golden Star went to Talking About Trees​by Suhaib Gasmelbari, the El Gouna Silver Star to 143 Sahara Street​by Hassen Ferhani and the El Gouna Bronze Star to Kabul, City in the Wind​by Aboozar Amini. The El Gouna Star for the Best Arab Documentary Film​went to Ibrahim: A Fate to Define​by Lina Alabed.

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The Manial Palace Festival’s second edition headed by Prince Abbas Helmy kicks off under the auspices of the European Union and the ministries of antiquities and culture. The event is attended by the Spanish ambassador and a number of diplomats and public figures.

American star Katy Perry is spotted at a number of Egyptian tourist attractions such as Siwa Oasis, the White Dessert and the Giza Pyramids among others, celebrating her 35th birthday.

Egyptian poet Fawzi Khedr becomes the first-ever recipient of the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal International Prize for Arabic Poetry in the theatrical poetry section for his play Sheikh President Ibn Sina.

Egypt, Nubia, Palestine and Syria by photographer Maxime du Camp is showcased at the 39th Sharjah International Book Fair. The rare book, which features numerous archaeological sites in Egypt, is priced at £300,000 and includes photographs collected between 1849 and 1851.

Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of the Art D’Egypte Foundation, curates the Reimagined Narratives as part of the 40th anniversary of UNESCO’s selection of Al-Muizz Street as one of the most important heritage sites in the world.

Egyptian band Sharmoofers wins the British Boisdale Music Award for the Best Youth Band in the world in 2019.

At the conclusion of its 207th session, the UNESCO Executive Board adopts Egypt’s resolution entitled “Promote the Implementation of the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property” tackling the sale of antiquities at international auction houses and their practices that contradict with the convention.

Netflix announces that Egyptian actor Ahmed Amin will play the lead role in their first Egyptian series, Paranormal. Set in Egypt in the 1960s, the series sees Dr. Refaat Ismail plunged into a series of supernatural events as he attempts to unravel the mysteries behind each unique and unusual case. The series, which went into production in November, is directed

by Amr Salama joined by Emirati director Majid al-Ansari.

The series is based on the late Ahmed Khaled Tawfik’s books which sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and will be produced by Mohamed Hefzy and Amr Salama.

The fourth Afro-Chinese Arts and Folklore Festival kicks off at Philae Temple to celebrate the selection of Aswan as the

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capital of African youth.

Megastar Ahmed Helmy’s name is placed in the celebrity corridor in Dubai, making him the first Arab actor to receive a star in the corridor, along with his wife, famed actress Mona Zaki.

After a hiatus of more than two decades, Opera Aida returns to Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor.

The 35th Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries headed by critic El-Amir Abaza kicks off. This year’s edition pays tribute to iconic actress Nabila Ebeid, including the publication of a book prepared by Sherine Abdel Khalek about the star’s artistic career and biography,.

Patriotic movie El-Mamar (The Passage) tops the Twitter trend after its first TV screening on ON TV channel on October 6, to commemorate the anniversary of the October War. YouTube grants leading production company Synergy the Gold Creator Award after its YouTube channel surpassed 1 million subscribers. The award is received by Synergy CEO Tamer Mursi.

CIFF head Mohamed Hefzy is selected to serve as a jury member for the Official Competition of the 63rd BFI London Film Festival, held in October.

Egypt is the guest of honor at the Belgrade International Book Fair, held October 22-28.

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The Egyptian movie Egyptian Jeanne d’Arc is screened at the 27th African Diaspora International Film Festival in New York.

Art D’Egypte and Karim Francis gallery partnered with Abu Dhabi Art 2019 to present outstanding works by a number of Egypt’s stellar contemporary artists.

Veteran actress Samiha Ayoub is set to return to the stage with a play entitled Fengan Qahwa (A Cup of Coffee) directed by Khaled Galal. The Theater Art House production is a joint Arab cooperation, with an Iraqi writer and an Egyptian director. Veteran actor Abdel Rahman Abou Zahra will co-star alongside Ayoub.

Attending the 40th edition of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in France and in the presence of culture ministers and representatives from 120 countries, Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem gives a speech at the Forum of Ministers of Culture, discussing the issue of culture in public squares, and the catalysts of social and cultural transformation.

Acclaimed Egyptian singer Ali El-Haggar receives the 2019 Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, becoming the first Egyptian artist to receive the accolade.

Ahmad Al Morsy wins the Australian Cinematographers Society Silver Award in the Feature Films category for his work on Turab El-Mass (Diamond Dust) and the Gold Award in the Documentary Films category for Point of Convergence.

Famed Egyptian singer Ramy Gamal announces he is suffering from vitiligo, taking to social media to share his condition with his fans, in order to help him take one of two decisions: either retire from singing or be accepted by the public. Gamal’s fans supported him, revealing that they love him and accept him the way he is.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Khedive Opera, a grand ceremony is held at the Cairo Opera House where Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem honors 12 first-generation ballet dancers from the Egyptian Opera, among others.

Egypt participates as a guest of honor at the 21st edition of the Corsica International Music Festival in France, reflecting Egypt’s strong soft power and its cultural stance.

Egyptian film Leil Khargy (Exterior/Night) takes part in the official competition of the Festival des Cinémas d’Afrique du Pays d’Apt in Paris.

Famed international Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah elDibany becomes the first recipient of the Hassan Kamy award at the Manial Palace Festival after giving a recital with Egyptian pianist Seif Mohie at the festival. El Dibany is the first Egyptian to win the Opera de Paris’ coveted Prix Lyrique de l’AROP. America Abroad Media honors Egyptian superstar Yousra at its seventh annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., citing that Yousra’s collective work provides American audiences with a glimpse into the history of the Egyptian entertainment industry.

The French edition of Mohamed Abdel Nabi’s novel Fe Ghorfat El-Ankabut (La Chambre De L’Araignée) wins the Arab Literature Award presented by the Arab Institute in Paris.

The Panorama of the European Film kicks off at Zawya Cinema in Downtown Cairo, Zamalek Cinema and a number

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of film theaters in various Egyptian governorates. The panorama’s program includes the screening of more than 75 feature, documentary and short films from over 30 countries.

The Egyptian Armed Forces Symphonic Band presents a distinguished performance during the sixth International Nanchang Military Music Festival, aired on various Chinese media outlets.

Mohamed Ramadan managed sets a new record by becoming the most viewed celebrity in the Middle East. Ramadan’s official YouTube channel surpasses 2 billion views, easily placing him on the throne of the most-viewed artists of the Middle East.

Crooner Sherine Abdel Wahab announces that she will play her first leading role in a romantic musical. The suspense movie is expected to be Sherine’s strong film comeback after a 16-years hiatus.

Actress Hend Sabry wins the Best actress Award at Carthage Film Festival for her role in Helm Noura (Noura’s Dream).

The 28th edition of the Arab Music Festival kicks off at the Cairo Opera House with the participation of a notable group of stars such as The King Mohamed Mounir, Medhat Saleh, Omar Khairat, Assala and Mohamed El-Sharnouby, among others.

The Cairo International Film Festival kicked off in November with an extensive program of seminars, panels and workshops executed by CIFF creative filmmaker Mohamed Hefzy, acting artistic director Ahmed Shawky and executive director Omar Kassem.

Opening with The Irishman and spotlighting Mexico as the focus country of the edition, the edition honoured renowned Egyptian filmmakers Sherif Arafa at the festival’s opening ceremony. Visionary director, screenwriter, actor and animator Terry Gilliam was honored with a Faten Hamama Award.

CIFF became the first Arab festival and second African to sign the Gender Parity Pledge 5050×2020, joining the commitment launched during the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. CIFF committed to promoting gender equality and transparency for its 42nd edition in November 2020. In another first, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) awarded the festival the Oscar-qualifying film festival status.

Dedicated to the festival’s artistic director, the late great film critic Youssef Sherif Rizakallah, CIFF prepared screened a documentary about Rizakallah entitled Rizk El-Cinema to honor his long and fruitful cinematic career.

Sherine Reda was a jury member for Best Arab Film Award, Hanan Motawie was a jury member in the Cinema of Tomorrow jury and Hana Shiha was a jury member in the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition.

The festival held the second edition of Cairo Industry Days, which provided professionals with opportunities for partnership and networking with the international film community, in addition to attending seminars, workshops and discussion panels. Valuable prizes were awarded to winning film projects in the development and post-production stages, with a value of up at $200,000.

Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem and Hefzy inaugurated the Cairo ... I Love You exhibition to highlight Cairo’s rich cinematic origins as one of the oldest film industries in the world.

At the end of the festival, CIFF granted famed American actor Billy Zane a Special Tribute Award. English actress Nathalie Emmanuel handed the Youssef Cherif Rizkallah award to Egyptian director Marianne Khoury for her documentary Let’s Talk. Hefzy handed acclaimed Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro an award and famed Lebanese director Nadine Labaki was also honored at the closing ceremony.

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Amr Diab is featured by Spotify on a massive billboard in the heart of Times Square with the tagline “This Is Amr Diab.”

Acclaimed Italian sand artist Fatmir Mura present a sand drawing show at the inauguration of the World Youth Forum Theater on December 13, attended by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and First Lady Entissar El-Sisi.

Cairo Show Theater announces it will present Hazalqoum, a play starring Ahmed Mekki. The play will debut in Saudi Arabia and is directed and produced by Magdy El-Hawary, co-founder of Cairo Show Theater, who is confident the character will achieve great success on stage; the same way it succeeded in cinema and television.

Port Said is chosen as the 2020 capital of Egyptian culture. Cultural activities in the governorate are under discussion as are ways the government can promote cultural activities, and discover and nurture talents through the Talent Development Center at the Cultural Palace.

Egyptian-American stars Rami Malek and Ramy Youssef are nominated for 2020 Golden Globe awards. Youssef is nominated to Best Actor TV Comedy/Musical award for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series Ramy, while Malek is nominated for Best Actor TV/Drama for his role in the famous American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot.

Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem announces the retrieval of the 16th part of the Qur’an manuscript of Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghuri (1446-1516) which was offered for sale at Chiswick English Auctions House, referring to the smuggled manuscript as “part of Egypt’s identity.”

Famed Egyptian-Canadian star Mena Massoud’s latest series Reprisal is screened for the first time on Hulu Network. Taking revenge as its main theme, the series revolves around a woman who decides to avenge herself after being left for dead by a gang of gearheads. The series stars Abigail Spencer, Rodrigo Santoro and Madison Davenport, among others.

On World AIDS Day, UNAIDS MENA applauds actor

Nicolas Mouawad’s efforts in fighting against HIV and gender-based violence.

Veteran actor and head of the Actors Syndicate Ashraf Zaki is elected head of the Academy of Arts.

Ahmed Ezz’s new play Aladdin is staged in Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season. The play is written by Hassan elMahdi, Mohamed Galal, Mohamed Talaat, Ahmed Sheko and Diaa Mohamed and directed by Magdy El-Hawari.

The Ministry of Culture launches a new season of the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome, held under the title “Egypt and Italy: Dialogues of Art and Creativity.”

Egyptian megastar Tamer Hosny performs a song he composed on the occasion of the UAE’s Year of Tolerance at Abu Dabi’s Marina Mall and receives an award for his achievements. Hosny broke a Guinness World Record for the most contributions to a bulletin board on this event.

After a hiatus of two years, veteran comedian Samir Ghanem announces he will return to theater with the play El-Zahr Lama Yelaab. The new play is scheduled to be staged at one of the new theaters in Cairo once the rest of the cast is decided.

The first edition of the Alexandria Arab Theater Festival for Institutes and Colleges is launched. Headed by Dr. Alaa Abdel Aziz Suleiman, drama professor at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, the edition celebrates the great theatrical director Galal El-Sharkawy with the participation of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Lebanon.

Prominent artist and former head of the painting department in Alexandria Fatma Arargi puts on her first solo exhibition in 30 years. Entitled ‘’Man, Place, and Time, a Seven-Decade Journey,” the exhibition displays almost 51 paintings produced over a 70-year period and features themes such as the 1956 aggression, Luxor and Nubia, the working class, the 1967 war, postwar and populist surrealism.

Songstress Sherine Abdel Wahab gives a huge concert at Al Manara Theater. The concert is part of a series organized by Tazkarti, headed by acclaimed marketing expert Montasser Al Nabarawy.

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In Tribute

From entertainment celebrities to critics and authors, we pay tribute to the prominent cultural figures who left us this past year.

Youssef Cherif Rizkallah Cinema critic Youssef Cherif Rizkallah passed away in August at the age of 77. Rizqallah was the artistic director of the Cairo International Film Festival and also held the post of chief news editor news at the Egyptian Radio and TV Union (ERTU). Between 1997 to 2002, he served as head of Nile TV International channel.

The late critic, who helped popularize Hollywood and international films in Egypt, graduated with a degree in political science from Cairo University in 1966. A prolific TV presenter of several cinematic programs on Egyptian TV, he sat on numerous film festival committees in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

According to Variety.com, “Rizkallah began attending major film festivals around the world, becoming a fixture on the circuit, and launched and hosted hugely popular film-review shows on Egyptian television. They included “Cinema Club” and “Oscar TV” in 1975 and 1980, respectively, and then “Telecinema” and “The Magic Lantern.” On these shows he introduced Hollywood and European stars, such as Meryl Streep and Claudia Cardinale, to Egyptian and Arab audiences. Rizkallah also reviewed prolifically for a number of Egyptian and Arab publications, exerting great influence on generations of moviegoers and filmmakers in the Arab world.

“Rizkallah, who spoke several languages, served on the juries of the Strasbourg, Milan, Rotterdam, and Montpellier fests and was bestowed with France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor. He is survived by his wife, Mervat el-Ebiary, and their two sons, Ahmed and Karim.”

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Ezzat Abou Ouf Born Mohamed Ezzat Ahmed Shafiq Abou Ouf on August 21, 1948, the beloved actor and performer was a staple in the nation’s movie industry over for the past few decades. A medical doctor by training, Abou Ouf was part of famed family group Four M, which also included his four celebrity sisters. After the group disbanded, Abou Ouf began to focus on his cinema and TV career, and is best known for his roles in acclaimed serials such as Hawanem Garden City, Nisf Rabie Al Akhar and Ziziniya. His film credits include Mateegy Norqos, Halim, El-Sefara fel Emara and Horoub Edterary.

In 2008, Abou Oaf took the helm of the Cairo International Film Festival and made his last TV appearance on Fi Zil El-Rais in 2017. He died at the age of 71 after a long battle with illness, leaving behind a son and daughter Miriam Abou Ouf, an acclaimed director.

Haitham Ahmed Zaki Born in 1984 to celebrity parents Ahmed Zaki and Hala Fouad, Haitham Ahmed Zaki was an acclaimed actor in his own right whose untimely death in November shook Egyptian audiences and social media users. Zaki was only 35 when he collapsed at home with circulatory complications but it was his loneliness that posthumously filled fans with grief. Losing both parents, Zaki’s only living colleagues and fans flocked to his funeral to pay their respects.

Zaki followed in his parents’ footsteps and joined the film industry at the younh age of 22. He made his film acting debut in 2006 in the film Halim, playing the male lead as the younger Abdel Halim Hafez on behalf of his father Ahmed Zaki who eventually died in 2005 during the shooting of the film. He also notably won the Best Egyptian Male Actor award for his performance in the 2011 film Dawaran Shobra. Other film credits include Elbelyatsho (2007), Kaf Alqamar (2011), Sukkar Mor (2015), The Treasure (2017) and The Treasure 2 (2019). He also appeared in three TV drama series, namely Al Sabaa Wasaya (2014), Kalabsh 2 (2018) and Alamet Estefham (2019).

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Mohamed Negm Beloved actor and comedian Mohamed Negm (January 15, 1944– 5 June 5, 2019) passed away this year at the age of 75 after suffering a stroke. Born in Zagazig, the funnyman known for Ehtaressi Men El-Regal Ya Mama (1975) and Hekayty Ma Al Zaman (1973), among many other successful works, began his career in the 1960s with the troupe of iconic theatre director and actor Abdel-Moneim Madbouly. In the 1970s, he took on small roles in cinema and television then he founded his own theater which bears his name.

One of his most famous plays is Cuckoo’s Nest. He is considered a landmark in comedy. Negm put on dozens of other plays, but Esh El-Maganeen (1979), with Hassan Abdeen and Laila Elwy, has always been one of his most popular, and it was staged for over three years. The comedian gave many classic performances, including in Hekayty Ma’a El-Zaman, Moled Ya Donia, Bamba Kashar, and many others.

Farouk El-Fishawy Actor Farouk El-Fishawy died of cancer in July aged 67, and just a short time after announcing he had fallen ill with the disease. Born in 1952 in Monofia, El-Fishawy began his artistic career in the 1970s and starred in dozens of films and television series. He featured in over 130 films, including al-Qatila (1991), alTufan (1985), al-Rasif (1993), Mutarada Fi al-Mamnu (1993), Ghadan Sa’antaqem (1980), Hanafy al-Obaha (1990), La Tasalni Man Ana (1984), Siriyun Lilghaya (1986), Nessa Khalf al-Qodban (1986), Qahwat al-Muaridi (1981), el-Mar’a el-Hadeedeya (1987), Fatat Min Israeel (1999), al-Fadiha (1992) and Dik al-Barabir (1992). He also worked in TV dramas, including Abna’ey El-Aezaa, Shukran, Domou Sahebat El-Galala, Ard El-Nefaq and Fi Baytuna Ragul. Among his theater credits were El-Monologist, El-Brinceessa and El-Nas Elli fel Talet.

El-Fishawy was twice married to actresses. His first wife was actress Soumayaa al-Alfi, from 1972 until their divorce in 1992. His second wife was actress Suhair Ramzi whom he married in 1992 but divorced after five years.

On October 3, 2018, El-Fishawy received an award at the Alexandria International Film Festival where he announced that he had cancer. He left behind two sons, including actor Ahmed El-Fishawy.

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Hani Shukrallah Hani Shukrallah (1950–May 5, 2019) was an Egyptian journalist and political analyst. He served as editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Weekly between 1991 and 2005 before founding Ahram Online in February 2011. He was also the Executive Director of the Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism. In 2009 he served as the co-chief editor of the Al-Shorouk daily, a paper he helped establish.

Shukrallah was born in Cairo in 1950, and was raised in the city to a Coptic Christian family. Throughout the 1970s, he was a student activist during the presidency of Anwar Sadat. He described himself as a “Marxist,” but antagonistic of the “dogmatic leftist thinking” that he said marked many of the socialist and communist countries during that period. He became an advocate of the human rights movement in Egypt during this period, and together with Saad Eddin Ibrahim he co-founded the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) in April 1985.

Throughout his career in journalism, Shukrallah, who starting in 1995 had his own column called “Reflections,” also wrote articles in the London-based Al-Hayat and The Guardian, the Indian magazine Outlook and the Journal of Palestine Studies.

The main topics Shukrallah concentrated on were the Egyptian government, domestic politics, political Islam, the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and the United States-led Iraq War and War on Terror.

Talaat Zakaria Comedian Talaat Zakaria passed away in October at the age of 59. In 2007, he suffered an inf lammation of the brain and slipped into a coma but later recovered.

In 1984, Zakaria graduated from The Higher Institute of Arts and began his acting career by taking bit roles in many movies, plays, and television shows. In 2005, Zakaria earned his big break when he played his first leading role in the film Haha wi Tofaha with Yasmin Abd El-Aziz.

Zakaria went on to make his biggest movie, Tabakh El-Rayes (The President’s Cook), in 2008.

Halimo Ostoret El-Shawate (Halimo the Beach Legend) was the last work. Released in movie theaters in December 2017, the film co-starred Dina, Reem El-Baroudy, Amina, Nermin Maher and Bayoumi Fouad and was directed by Mohamed Saed.

Shortly before his death, Zakaria also participated in the film El Mawqef (The Situation) alongside Menna Fadaly, Mohamed Reda, and Rico, and directed by Mamdouh Zaki.

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Shaaban Abdel Rahim Famed Egyptian shaabi singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim passed away at the age of 62 at Maadi Military Hospital in December. Known to his fans as Shaabola, the singer was as famous for his politically motivated songs as he was for his colorful outfits and wristwatches.

For years, Abdel Rahim was a makwagi (laundry presser) before shooting to fame in 2000 with “Ana Bakrah Israel” (I Hate Israel). The controversial song went viral among Egyptians and achieved booming success, turning Abdel Rahim overnight into one of the most popular shaabi singers in Egypt.

Abdel Rahim went on to make popular hits such as “Habatal El-Sagayer” (I Will Quit Smoking) and comment on current affairs with songs like “Ya Amm Arabi” (Oh Arabs), the simplicity of both his songs and character resonating strongly with his audiences. Shortly before his illness, Abdel Rahim performed in Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season.

Mahmoud Hegazy Prominent man of letters Mahmoud Fahmy Hegazy passed away on the morning of December 11. A member of the Arabic Language Academy and professor of linguistics at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. Hegazy served as the first head of the National Library and Documentation House from 1994 to 1997, after it became a separate entity from the General Egyptian Book Organization.

The late iconic writer authored numerous books, including Arabic Throughout the Centuries, Arabic Language: Renewal Issues And Future Prospects, Language Political Trends, and Language and the Contemporary World, among many others.

Hegazy also participated in compiling the German-Arabic dictionary. In recognition of his endeavors, he was awarded numerous honors and awards, including the Federal Order of Merit of the first class from the Federal Republic of Germany in 1997, an Appreciation Award from Cairo University in Humanities in 1998 and the State Appreciation Award for Arts in 2000. Most recently, in 2019, he was awarded the King Faisal International Award for Arabic Language and Literature.

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Hassan Afifi Iconic Reda Folklore Troup co-founder Hassan Afifi passed away in the early hours of December 15 at the age of 77.

At press time Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem announced the star would be honored during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the legendary troupe, adding that Afifi had contributed to developing the concept of theatrical shows and devised works that will remain immortal in the memory and conscience of the Egyptian people.

Afifi started his artistic career with the Reda Troupe and participated in several movies with them, including Gharam Fel Karnak (Love in Karnak Temple), Agazat Nos El-Sana (Midyear Holidays) and Fatat El-Esterad (Show Girl).

After leaving the troupe, Afifi worked as a costume designer, and was famous for his numerous other theatrical and television works.

Samir Seif Acclaimed director Samir Seif died in December at the age of 72 after going into cardiac arrest.

With a long career in cinema, the brilliant director was recognized for his many achievements and contributions, and up until the time of his death was a much-loved professor of directing and arts at private universities in Egypt.

Seif began his artistic career by directing the hit movie Daerat El-Intiqam (Circle of Revenge) in 1976, followed by Qeta ala Nar (Cat on Fire) a year later with acclaimed late actor Nour El-Sherif. Both films were considered a very successful start. In 1978, the late director presented Iblis fel Madina (Satan in the City), which was another masterpiece, followed by Al-Motawahesha (The Savage) a year later.

The late director presented Adel Imam in an entirely new role, away from comedy, through the film El-Mashbooh (The Suspect) alongside Soad Hosny in 1982, in addition to the film Ghareeb fe Baiti (Stranger in My House) starring Hosny and El-Sherif. In 1983 Seif directed another successful film, El-Ghoul, starring Adel Imam, before presenting Akher El-Regal El-Mohtarameen starring El-Sherif one year later.

The late director was also known for his work in comedy, working on El-Khot starring Adel Imam in 1984, followed by Shaware’ Men Nar (Streets of Fire) starring Sherif. In 1985, Seif also worked with Imam on El-Halfout (The Bum).

Though his forte was cinema, bringing us beloved greats such as Shams El-Zanaty, Maali El-Wazir (His Highness, the Minister) and the iconic Hekaty Maa El-Zaman (My Tale with Time) with Algerian singer Warda, Seif also worked on several TV series, the most recent of which were Nessim El-Roh (Life Breeze) in 2008, Nour El-Sabah (Morning Light) and Cinderella in 2006.

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A New Decade, A World of Opportunity

This past year has been one of progress and flux all over the world. Here in Egypt there has been huge and exciting growth, witnessing internationally acclaimed development in tourism, the arts—be that in film, visual arts or culture—women’s rights breakthroughs as well as progressive anti-climate initiatives. For our special opening issue of 2020 we invite experts in a wide range of

fields to take stock of the watershed progress of the last 12 months and look ahead toward the trends and developments we can expect to see this year. Here market innovators offer a host not only of predictions for the new decade and the exciting promise of opportunity that it holds, but also their own advice for finding success and happiness on both professional and personal levels.

Photo Courtesy PMI

A SmokeFree Future

How tobacco company Philip Morris International is leading the revolution against tobacco, with the ultimate goal to get people to give up smoking.

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early 1 billion people around the world light up cigarettes every day. Here in Egypt an estimated 19 billion cigarettes are smoked annually and it is thought that approximately 20 million people (that’s 20 percent of the population) regularly use tobacco products, be they cigarettes or shisha.

Leading tobacco company Philip Morris International has exciting new alternatives and is working to replace the sale of cigarettes with smoke-free products, which could be a game changer in the market. But are we ready to give up our cigarettes? In these exclusive interviews, SIMON DOWDING, Senior Global Communications Manager, Philip Morris International and ASHRAF EL AMIN, Manager Translational Research, PMI, share their take on changing consumer habits and the role they believe science, technology and innovation can have in convincing smokers to switch products.

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The Conversation around Innovation

Simon Dowding, Senior Global Communications Manager at Philip Morris International, on the challenges of convincing smokers to switch to alternative smoke-free products

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ow do you expect the market will receive your new products? Are you confident they will be the game-changers as many believe they will be?

Leading health expert organizations and public authorities, including the World Health Organization, estimate that there will be more than 1 billion smokers in the next decade, despite ongoing efforts to encourage nonsmokers not to start smoking and existing smokers to quit. This means that the number of smokers will remain approximately the same in the next decade. With so many people choosing to smoke, it makes sense to provide those who would otherwise continue smoking with less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.

We are transforming our organization to meet the ambitious objective of achieving a smoke-free world—a world where cigarettes are replaced by smoke-free products to the benefit of men and women who smoke, public health and society at large—and are making significant efforts to accel-

erate the transition. We’re investing people, resources, time and money to develop and assess the risk reduction potential of these innovative products. To date, we have invested more than $6 billion to develop and produce a range of alternatives to cigarettes—products without smoke but that can satisfy current adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking.

We have conducted extensive scientific research on our heated tobacco product IQOS, including laboratory and clinical studies, and all of the evidence to date clearly indicates that whilst not risk free, switching completely to IQOS is less harmful than continued cigarette smoking. Additionally, there are also nearly 30 independent studies on IQOS, and the vast majority confirm important elements of our research. For example, more than 12 studies clearly confirmed significant reductions in the average levels of harmful chemicals in IQOS compared to a cigarette.

IQOS is currently available in key cities or nationwide in

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Opinion Courtesy PMI-Scuderia Ferrari

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51 markets across the world. As of September 30, 2019, we estimate that there are approximately 12.4 million IQOS users, of which 71 percent—8.8 million IQOS users—have switched to IQOS and stopped smoking, with the balance in various stages of conversion.

Despite PMI’s ban on tobacco advertising several years ago, the brand is still heavily associated with smoking.

How are you working to convince markets to accept Philip Morris’ vision of a smoke-free future?

Our goal to achieve a smoke-free future depends significantly on our ability to engage with adult smokers and encourage them to switch to products with the potential to present less risk of harm than continued smoking. We believe current adult smokers have a right to such information. We aim to have fact-based conversations around the role that science, technology and innovation can have for the world, and how progressive collaborations can help to move things forward and use many forums to engage with business, media and government stakeholders, such as our motorsport partnerships and scientific forums.

What is Mission Winnow? What’s the reason behind the name choice?

Mission Winnow is not about products or brands. To “winnow” is to examine something carefully in order to separate the various elements, to sort out the good from the bad, keep the positive elements and remove the negative ones. PMI has a clear vision for the future and we are investing heavily in science, technology and innovation to achieve

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our goals. Through Mission Winnow we aim to encourage a dialogue where we can voice our commitment to transforming our business and to constantly improve and evolve.

It’s been noted that Mission Winnow was launched on the F1 circuit because motorsport fans understand there is no reverse gear in racing, only forward thinking.

What’s the reasoning behind that?

The Ferrari story is one of continual reinvention. PMI is on a similar journey, transforming for the better. Mission Winnow provides us with a platform to engage with people to demonstrate that we are transforming our business, to challenge preconceptions, and to spark conversations on positive change that can benefit society as a whole. We will use the valuable visibility and experiential engagement activities that we have through our partnership with Scuderia Ferrari to tell our story and show our commitment and drive to constantly improve and evolve.

PMI and Formula 1 are two very different companies in totally unrelated fields. Why a partnership between the both of you?

PMI and Scuderia Ferrari have been partners since 1973.

Our 47-year partnership is a strong one built on mutual respect and shared values, but PMI’s Mission Winnow initiative marks the closest connection yet between us. Scuderia Ferrari is the ideal partner for Mission Winnow because of the team’s passion for innovation and drive to constantly improve in the quest for victory. Today, Scuderia Ferrari continues that quest for excellence, just as PMI has an unwav-

Opinion et ering commitment to scientific and technological advances that will continue to transform our company and our industry.

How do you feel that science, technology and innovation can be a powerful force for good in the car racing industry?

We believe in celebrating human-powered progress and the positive effect it can have on our world. We recognize that it is people, not technology, that drive progress, no matter what the industry. In Formula 1, Scuderia Ferrari has a laser-like focus on constant improvement in performance through innovation, while PMI’s journey to transform our business is rooted in science and technology.

Courtesy Callo Albanese

How are you linking smoke-free products and Formula 1?

Our partnership with Scuderia Ferrari is not about product promotion. We simply want to show the world what we are doing and how, with full transparency. We have been very clear that Mission Winnow does not and will not promote or advertise any of our tobacco or e-cigarette products or brands, irrespective of what others are doing.

Courtesy Egypt Today

Tell us more about PMI’s scientific engagement programs at Formula 1 Our partnership with Scuderia Ferrari and the Formula 1 events provides us with an opportunity to clear the air by engaging in a dialogue with a wide range of people—from media, business people, opinion leaders and other stakeholders. We aim to demonstrate our commitment to scientific and technological advances that will continue to transform our company and our industry in order to bring about positive societal change.

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The $6 Billion Question

Ashraf El Amin, Manager Translational Research at PMI , crunches the figures and gives the fact on how safe smoke-free products are and how much less harmful they are than cigarettes.

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he $6 billion question: Are smoke-free products really safe?

Let’s be clear, the best choice remains not to start smoking or to quit smoking altogether, but the reality is that many won’t. Smoke-free products are not riskfree. They deliver nicotine, which is addictive and not riskfree. Therefore they are not for non-smokers and ex-smokers.

However, for men and women who already smoke and won’t quit, scientifically substantiated smoke-free products represent a much better alternative because they do not burn tobacco and have the potential to be less harmful than continued smoking. They reduce the exposure to harmful toxicants compared to what a smoker is exposed to. When tobacco is burned, high levels of toxicants are emitted; in smoke-free products, because combustion is eliminated, these levels of toxicants are significantly reduced.

For example with IQOS, one of our heated tobacco products which has gone through an extensive scientific assessment, the harmful toxicants are reduced on average by up to 95 percent compared with the smoke of a reference cigarette. Our clinical studies further showed a significant reduction in exposure to a number of these toxicants when smokers completely switched to IQOS. In fact, the reduction in exposure approached that observed in those who quit smoking for the duration of the study.

I already recommended IQOS to smoking friends and relatives who wouldn’t quit.

And yet the main cause of harm caused by smoking cigarettes is often thought to be nicotine and not tobacco. . .

These are some of the misconceptions about nicotine and the role of nicotine in smoking-related disease. While nicotine is addictive and not risk-free, most experts agree that it is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. It is actually the other toxic chemicals present in the smoke that is generated when tobacco is burned that are responsible for the disease. The main cause of harm and smoking-related diseases is the high levels of harmful chemicals present in cigarette smoke as a result of combustion.

So smoke-free products are guaranteed to be less harmful than cigarettes?

While all smoke-free products have the potential to be less harmful than cigarettes, the actual reduction in risk of harm needs to be assessed and substantiated for each product. Because there is no combustion, smoke-free products do not generate smoke, instead they generate an aerosol that is very

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different from smoke because it does not contain the solid particles and the levels of toxic substances are substantially reduced, therefore they have the potential to be less harmful.

For IQOS, we have completed 18 non-clinical (laboratory) studies and 10 clinical studies in adult smokers using stateof the art technologies and following international standards.

These studies show that when smokers completely switch to IQOS, they reduce their exposure to toxicants in a manner similar to those smokers who abstained from smoking for the duration of the study. Switching to IQOS also resulted in favorable changes in clinical risk endpoints when compared to those who continued smoking.

All scientific data generated so far points in the same direction: IQOS is a better alternative to continue smoking. For this reason, we believe that smoke-free products like IQOS

Opinion et should be made available to smokers as quickly as possible.

Again, IQOS and other smoke-free products are not risk-free, and therefore they are only intended for adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking cigarettes. They are not products for minors, or non-smokers, ex-smokers, or smokers who want to quit smoking.

Vaping has been all the rage for the past few years, but today there are major concerns that they have spawned new types of lung disease. How long have smoke-free products been tested for, are they approved by any regulatory bodies and could they possibly have negative side effects when they are rolled out?

Vaping is generally associated with the use of e-cigarettes, a category of products that aerosolize liquid nicotine. IQOS on the other hand is a heated tobacco product and not an e-cigarette. IQOS has gone through a comprehensive 10-year scientific assessment program, comprised of 18 preclinical and 10 clinical studies, where we follow the highest quality standards and applicable international guidelines. There is a growing number (70+) of independent studies on IQOS and in general the results are in line with ours. There are also 7 reports from public health bodies in the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, etc.

IQOS was launched in 2014, and is now marketed in over 50 countries. There are currently around 12 million IQOS users worldwide, and approximately 70 percent of them have completely stopped smoking cigarettes altogether, with no major adverse health events reported since the launch.

PMI hired more than 400 scientists from different disciplines, academia and pharmaceutical companies for the research and development department that PMI developed. We are sharing our progress in the development and assessment of our smoke-free products with scientists, governments, and other stakeholders to facilitate dialogue and independent verification, and to provide information that helps shape regulatory frameworks. Following a thorough review of our IQOS applications, the US Food & Drug Administration confirmed on April 30, 2019 that marketing IQOS in the US is appropriate for the protection of public health and therefore authorized the sale of IQOS in the United States.

You did your undergraduate studies here in Cairo, so you must be familiar with the nation’s smoking habits where there are an estimated 19 billion cigarettes smoked annually. How widely accepted do you expect smoke-free products to become here?

Having done my undergraduate studies at the American University in Cairo I am very familiar with the smoking habits among Egyptians. While the majority of smokers are aware that smoking is harmful and they should quit, many don’t— thus you have 20 million smokers in Egypt. Smokers have different preferences, where they look for a combination of nicotine, taste, ritual and experience. Moreover, smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke but are concerned about their health are looking for less-harmful alternatives to cigarettes. We have a diverse portfolio of smoke-free products, which we believe meet these various needs from the differ-

ent smokers. These smoke-free products offer a number of benefits such as the absence of smoke and ash. They generate and leave less smell than cigarettes and obviously emit significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals.

Globally, how do you feel smoke-free products will change the shape of the market?

I strongly believe that smoke-free products are already changing the landscape of the tobacco market in many places.

Smokers are concerned about the health effects of smoking, but quitting is difficult and therefore many don’t quit. The vast majority are looking for less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. The recent growth in the e-cigarette and heated-tobacco product market is evidence of this demand. This will result in the future in the decline in the sales of cigarettes globally.

An example of such a decrease has already been observed in Japan where there has been an unprecedented decline in cigarette sales since IQOS and other heated tobacco products were introduced in the market.

In the fight against harmful substances and substance abuse, do you feel that heated tobacco products be subjected to smoke free laws?

Heated tobacco products such as IQOS and e-cigarettes are examples of an emerging and dynamic category of products that do not involve combustion and therefore have the potential to be less harmful alternatives to cigarettes for smokers.

Such products deserve a regulatory framework that is differentiated from cigarettes that allows accurate information of proven relative risk to smokers and encourages them to switch if they don’t quit. Ideally any regulation should clearly differentiate between smoke-free products and cigarettes, but users should comply with any public use restrictions.

How is Philip Morris working to set itself apart from others?

PMI is the only tobacco company that has made a commitment to completely replace cigarettes with smoke-free products as soon as possible. At PMI we are committed to conduct extensive and rigorous scientific studies to demonstrate that switching to our smoke-free products can result in a significant reduction in the risk of smoking-related diseases compared to continued smoking. Our research is inspired by well-recognized practices of the pharmaceutical industry and is in line with draft guidance from the US Food & Drug Administration (2012). It includes laboratory research, clinical studies with adult smokers, and research to understand the potential benefits of the product for public health, including how smokers perceive the product’s risk and how they use the product in real-life conditions. We also monitor the actual use after the product is on the market. We have published methodologies and findings from our research in more than 340 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the past 10 years. We are also committed to transparency and share our study data so results can be verified by external independent institutions. We share our methodologies and findings through scientific publications, presentations at scientific conferences and our dedicated PMIscience.com website.

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Opinion

Khaled Bichara:

A CEO Equipped with Optimism and Solid Achievements Meet the mastermind behind Orascom Development’s turn around who also happens to be the real estate emerging market 2019’s best CEO.

K

By Angy Essam

haled Bichara, CEO of Orascom Development Holding and Orascom Development Egypt, has maintained his success by setting clear objectives and keeping his eye on the goal. When asked about the best return on investment, his answer isn’t money; it’s that youth should invest in themselves, whether in learning a new skill, developing personally or professionally.

What’s the quality we love the most about him? It’s his aspiration as an entrepreneur and his perfectionist businessman habits. We were lucky to meet the man helming one of Egypt’s most successful companies to speak about everything from business to real estate, tourism, art and last but not least his passion for football.

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Opinion et What are your achievements and what has satisfied you on both the professional and personal level?

The best thing about achieving milestones is the challenges that we go through in every step of the way. On the professional level, I have been with Orascom Development Holding and Orascom Development Egypt since 2016. During the past year, the holding company’s performance has been remarkable. We were able to sustain our solid performance, sealing coverage by two leading Swiss banks.

As for Egypt; we launched our first project in Cairo “O West” in October city, amongst other expansions across Orascom Development’s destinations, encompassing a multitude of services challenging the conventional lifestyle we have become accustomed to, and offering a healthier and more relaxed way of life where everything is designed to offer a true wholesome town experience.

On the personal level, in Switzerland, I was awarded “the best CEO for a medium company” across the country; it is what we can call a mathematical award because it is based on returns, stock price and gross. Also, the Middle East Investor Institute awarded me “the best CEO for an emerging market” award. These awards are a true blessing, coupled with the fact that my son got his first job at a bank in Boston, I am beaming with pride. This year has undoubtedly been good to me.

What should we be optimistic about this year?

Egypt for Orascom Development is a strategic market for the region with almost 100 million people, hence with 100 million opportunities. I think Egypt is in a really satisfying state now and various challenging decisions were taken on the subsidy, whether for power electricity or lowering interest rates.

As for the tourism sector, it is recently witnessing a comeback, seizing national and international exposure. However, we are always keen to achieve the best; we want things to accelerate and grow with a rapid momentum. I think there are clear steps taken in the right direction, we are definitely not there yet, we need much more work, planning and execution but at least we are ending the year saying, we are pleased with what we have achieved.

However, great achievements require time and patience and we always aspire and hope for more.

How do you think happiness can be achieved?

Happiness is seen as a goal that people seek to achieve and is considered the driving force for people to progress in life. However, happiness varies from one person to the other, some people are happy when their personal lives are in harmony, while others feel grateful when they achieve their business potentials. In my opinion, business is a very big part of my personal life, so when I am happy at work I am happy with my personal life. My measurements are usually numerically based, I like to have something that is quantifiable to be able to assess my achievements.

My advice to everyone is to always invest in yourself, quantify your goals to be able to measure your level of progress. Sometimes people feel lost because they don’t have something measurable they want to achieve. Happiness to me is setting targets and achieving them.

What advice would you give youth so they can make a differ-

ence in their community?

I am someone who believes in cycles that yield return. For example, if a business does well, the community will eventually benefit. It’s the same with managerial positions because as a manger if I do well, I will hire more people, they will make more money, and hence pay more taxes, leading to an overall developed community.

As a businessman, my role in society mandates that I push others to be successful, especially since we live in a country where 50 percent of the population is below the age of 25, so we need to keep creating job opportunities for the benefit of the ecosystem.

Hence, my advice to youth is to find something you are passionate about, look for a partner who complements your work.

By being part of initiatives like Endeavour, Rise Up and Ted Talks, we are helping the community grow through knowledge sharing.

Success is a journey and my advice is to enjoy the journey and get the best out of it.

What aspirations do you have for your company, field and sector in general? What innovations are you looking forward to?

My pride in being part of the Orascom Development family springs from the fact that we are very different in what we do and in what we call town development. We are probably one of the very few in the world that build towns in every sense of the word: houses, hotels, schools, hospitals and services to name a few.

Today we are present in seven different countries across three different continents, so we aren’t regional players, we are an international player. We boast hiring many Egyptian talents across these destinations but we also hail a long list of international talents, making us international with an Egyptian flavour.

To elaborate, El Gouna is a fully integrated town, with its own film festival, squash tournament, football team and other essential services. This year we were celebrating El Gouna’s 30th anniversary, which is something we are really proud of and our hope is to continue to be the premiere private town development company in the world.

What are your expectations for the tourism sector in Egypt in 2020?

The tourism sector is one of the most promising yet underdeveloped sectors in Egypt since, it is not growing enough in comparison to the amount of potential the sector has. This sector can be three to five times bigger if we joined forces; the public and private sector to take the sector to the next level.

Tourism could easily be Egypt’s number one source of revenue and employment; and if I said that the sector could be three to five times bigger in 10 years, I don’t think that is farfetched. If 50 million tourists visiting Egypt annually, the ramifications on employment, GDP and the country as a whole are limitless.

To relate, look at the percentage of tourists that go to Spain, although, it is not a 12-month destination like Egypt. Having 10 million tourists, whereas France gets 70 million and Dubai 30 million, I believe we deserve much more if we keep in mind the national and natural treasures we have.

What message do you want to give our readers?

To Egyptian readers and especially youth, I advise them to set

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Opinion

“

We are probably one of the very few in the world that build towns in every sense of the word.

”

goals for themselves because setting goals is an act of planning, without that it is nearly impossible to achieve your goals. Always be a productive person and plan every step of your life in order to attain amazing results. Besides, it is very important to manage your time effectively because time is so valuable, and create a schedule that forces you to invest your time in the things that are most important. Above all, find something you truly love and are passionate about and work on it, work on developing yourself and you will attain great results.

Also, Egypt has all what it takes to be a better country, Egyptians are really smart, they work hard and our country can be in a much better place, including the private sector, the public sector and the government as well.

To foreign readers, I would like to tell you that our country is a phenomenal one to invest in, 100 million people; 100 million consumers who will be buying products, whether food, clothes, education or healthcare.

Tell us more about your latest project, O West?

O West is Orascom Development’s latest addition to its integrated town’s portfolio. O West is coming soon to change everything you’ve come to know about integrated developments in West Cairo. It exhibits a wide range of services from homes to residences, leisure and entertainment, education, healthcare and businesses. O West is a new success story packed with accumulated knowledge gained through monitoring El Gouna’s growth since its inception. All our experiences and results are being transferred to all Orascom Development’s destinations across the world.

An example would be our achievement on the health level through El Gouna Hospital, it is now the number one hospital in the Red Sea Governorate. Also, in terms of education, we were ranked amongst the top 25 schools who grant the IGSCE de-

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gree. These are our standards. When we do things we do them at Orascom Development with quality. It has been a promise backed with long history and deliverables, which is reflected by our sales and the level of trust our consumers have bestowed on us. Yes, O West is our one-year-old town, but it has 30 years of experience.

How do you evaluate the third edition of El Gouna Film Festival?

The festival went very well, however, we are always eager to achieve more progress every year. The beauty of El Gouna Film Festival is this intimate relationship the festival creates with all cinema experts, where the town becomes the festival and the festival becomes the town.

The level of progress escalated when we started allowing some of the films to be screened in Hurghada cinemas not only in El Gouna cinemas. Hence, if you ask me was it a good festival? I will say absolutely yes, but not with the incremental improvement that we aspired.

What about the performance of El Gouna Football team in 2019?

Sweet and sour basically! I think the reputation and the beauty of the game in 2019 held more good aspects than bad. I am a crazy football fan so I usually attend matches, we won tough games and we played some good ones against Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs and we beat Pyramids. However, we lost games we shouldn’t have lost.

When you talk about targets, you will see that we have achieved our goals, but we could have done much better. I am very optimistic for 2020 since we have a set of phenomenal players and we are looking forward to achieving a much better ranking.

Opinion et

Engy El-Sabban: on Women’s Empowerment and Full Inclusion Why women’s empowerment is essential for Egypt’s sustainable development.

W

By Engy El-Sabban

omen play a very important role in our lives and the world as a whole. They are our mothers, wives, sisters, and future leaders. Throughout history, women have been observed as a weaker section of society. However, the 21st century brought about a series of transformations to the status of women empowerment all over the world, and especially in the MENA region. In fact, Egyptian women have proven their power and ability to create change; and for that, they are the backbone of the Egyptian economy and community.

The government, aware of this inequality, has taken steps to empower women’s participation and development in the past years. Many Egyptian women and young girls were able to break free of the status quo and prove themselves as successful icons in various sectors, whether it is the traditional Egyptian mother who makes beautiful objects to earn more money, or the prominent business tycoons who have taken their projects to a completely new level.

Efforts and programs calling for the empowerment of women at all levels, especially the economic level, have become an integral part of the statements and plans of international organizations and Egyptian institutions.

Why should we empower women? What would a day without women do to the economy?

It is true that women’s economic participation and empowerment are vital to strengthening women’s rights. However, even more so, the empowerment and independence of women and the improvement of their political, social, and economic status is essential for the achievement of sustainable development. Worldwide experience proved undoubtedly that supporting a stronger role for women contributes to economic growth. Our society is starting to understand how empowering women has become a necessity for the very development of the Egyptian society, since it enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development. In a nutshell, investing in women is vital to sustainable development “When more women work, economies grow”.

What is stopping women from being empowered in our society?

Most Egyptian women limit themselves to the role of housewives, therefore they do not challenge themselves enough.

Some have been able to push themselves but lack the required skills and frequently face the issue of gender discrimination.

The barriers begin with cultural stereotypes and patriarchy,

which in fact fuels a gender restrictive family governance structure that clashes with gender equality and social justice. Moreover, it hinders the idea of having an enabling environment for trust and respect, where women get the freedom of self-actualization to know that they are capable and entitled to hold authoritative and decisive positions and recognize themselves as having the right to act and the aptitude to influence.

How can we influence other women?

In spite of the many hurdles faced by women, there is still a silver lining. Notable women from diverse sectors sharing their passion and knowledge on how to succeed and reach the top is extremely important. These role models will prompt others to follow in their footsteps. It is very significant for successful women to have an incessant voice and share their experiences. A continuous showcase of female leadership inspires an important mindset, that success in greater measure is obtainable for today’s women, and the women of the future. Empowering and inspiring other women towards fruitful careers in this field is one of my passions.

Eventually, women should be hearing other women’s success stories and methodologies, which will ultimately resonate with them and inspire them to seek the careers they want to build. It is about taking a moment to lead by example and be a supporter.

Empowering women is not just the right thing to do; it is a necessity to achieve empowerment and sustainable development.

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Opinion

Five Indicators of Egypt’s Attractiveness to Foreign Investors This past year has been a very successful one for the real estate industry.

JLL’s Country Head Egypt Ayman Sami identifies five strong reasons foreign investors will be eyeing Egypt’s real estate market in 2020.

By Ayman Sami

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his is an exciting time for Egypt’s real estate market, which saw a positive start to 2019 and has demonstrated healthy demand levels throughout the first half of the year. A lot of this positive movement can be attributed to the various measures taken by the government to boost the economy. New development projects underway and in the pipeline are not only playing a huge role in boosting confidence in future economic growth but are successfully driving investment into the country too. There are several reasons foreign investors are being drawn to Egypt’s real estate market.

Economic stability with a growing GDP The MENA region as a whole is attractive to investors but Egypt’s strategic geographical position, low labor costs, large population, skilled workforce and unique tourist potential make it particularly attractive. The country retained its position in 2018 as the largest FDI recipient in Africa, with investments amounting to $7.9 billion, which accounts for 7 percent of foreign investments. With the government actively adopting economic reform programs, we maintain a positive and strong economic outlook in the long term, and expect it to continue its upward trend.

Flexibility in conducting business The Egyptian government has been working toward improving the investment environment, a result of which is the new investment law. The new law has been designed to eliminate bureaucracy and promote new opportunities to a wider pool of investors and the government has recently further streamlined the processes through a one-stop shop at the General Authority for Investment & Free Zones. Tax incentives and the flotation of the Egyptian Pound in 2016 have gone some way, making Egypt more affordable for foreign investors.

The overall aim is to facilitate the ease of doing business as well as to secure the rights of foreign investors, ensuring the country is successfully moving into a more investor friendly environment.

Residency permits for foreign investors In an attempt to further boost the country’s booming real estate sector and attract foreign investment, the government has announced it will offer a three-year residency to those who invest $200,000, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000. This step comes as part of efforts to repair damage to the economy caused by the severe austerity conditions that came with a $12 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund in 2016. It marks an end to 10 consecutive years of residency naturalization rule, and is a sensible way to create new sources of demand.

Rentals are on the rise There has been a noticeable increase in rents across the submarkets we monitor as Egypt’s residential sector moves into the early upturn stage of its cycle. As per JLL’s latest Q3 2019 report, further growth in rents is anticipated in New Cairo over the next 12 months, while rents in Sixth of October are expected to remain largely unchanged. The increase in rent-

“Flexible offices may also emerge as an attractive option, especially for start-ups and companies looking to move out of central Cairo.” als, especially in New Cairo, can be partly attributed to more people moving closer to the workplace as office demand continues to grow in the area, with other tenants leasing units on a temporary basis awaiting the delivery of their off-plan units.

This is a very good driver for investment and reflects high demand for properties.

Separately, the government’s move to scrap the old rental law, considered one of several defects in the renting law in Egypt, is expected to boost further demand for office space in the new urban settlements around Cairo.

Limited supply of high quality developments There is great demand across offices, retail, hospitals and educational facilities for quality developments as existing prime developments are already at full occupancy. Flexible offices may also emerge as an attractive option, especially for start-ups and companies looking to move out of central Cairo.

New Cairo is still attracting the majority of multinational corporates, owing to accessibility and the availability of labor. The total office supply in Greater Cairo is about 1 million square meters, which, compared to other parts of the world, is very low, indicating the abundant opportunities that exist.

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Opinion

photography courtesy Bershka

et

It’s critical that we take action against climate change–but we also need to call out the camouflaged awareness platforms and their greenwashing techniques.

By Maria Fathy 54

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Opinion et

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ompanies are falling over themselves in the race for eco-friendliness, but their daily practices show otherwise as they create campaigns and activations camouflaged as awareness platforms. They partner with small companies launched to help save the climate, but their own corporate practices continue to damage the environment.

Plastic-bottled water companies are currently advertising their products on massive billboards along with celebrities posing right next to them. These celebrities may have been living in isolation and are unaware of the effects that climate change has had on the weather—it’s January, and while winter is here, the weather is still not as cold as it should be during the day and flooding rains bring the city to a grinding halt. This past year has seen a spate of climate horrors across the world: Venice has flooded, California and the Amazon burned, and the Artic has melted. Yet it’s appropriate to pose next to a single-use plastic bottle.

The Red Sea region has banned single-use plastic, yet one of the most sought-out destinations there recently partnered up with the biggest manufacturer of single-use plastic that is used to carry 330ml or a liter of beverage to sponsor a recent film festival.

At one of the events, guests were served mixers in single-use plastic cups, which were, of course, recycled. But we can’t all fall for the recycling scam. We can’t keep consuming and living our lives recycling everything. Recycling shouldn’t be our only hope; we need to take out the problem from the source. As of now, there is too much plastic, and only 9 percent of it has been recycled correctly.

One of the best sources of information we have regarding wildlife and the geographical world around us has also succumbed to greenwashing techniques, with a collaboration with the largest polluter in fast fashion, Inditex Group. It might seem hard to believe, but Bershka’s (ironic) sustainable label ‘Join Life,’ one of the group’s many fast fashion brands, recently collaborated with National Geographic on a collection. The press release for the collection says very vaguely that it’s “crafted from more sustainable materials and inspired by natural wonders,” which can be seen by the loud, yet beautiful photography printed on the collection items. The photos are from National Geographic’s very own team—shot off melted glaciers!

The collection includes puffa jackets, hoodies, crew neck sweaters, t-shirts, and cross-body bags. The images on the items are described by Bershka as “breathtaking glacial landscapes and intimate wildlife photography, including an arctic wolf and a red panda.” These animals risk extinction and one of the causes is thought to be the carbon emissions and greenhouse gases the fashion industry is responsible for.

The “puffa jackets are made using 100 percent recycled polyester padding; tees are 100 percent ecologically grown cotton, and hoodies are at least 65 percent ecologically grown cotton. The bum-bag and backpack include at least 25 percent and 50 percent recycled polyester, respectively.” All of this is great if this was the only way they were going to be making clothes from now on.

But nothing was ever mentioned about the factory workers making those clothes, their working conditions or product distribution around the world.

A good marketing department may have come up with the idea for this collaboration, and has fooled many on social media who see it as a do-good campaign, but on all levels it is all green-

washing. They just managed to get a credible collaborator.

The cherry on top for me was this message that they included in their press release: “The collection is designed to provide a more sustainable choice for outdoor apparel while also reminding us of the beauty of our precious natural world.” Something they forgot to mention was that “our precious natural world” is suffocating from all of the textile waste that is filling up 85 percent of landfills today. A full 10 percent of carbon emissions are caused by fashion.

The label goes on to argue the collection is “manufactured with technology that reduces water consumption in at least one manufacturing process.” But that’s only one; they could be talking about the fabric cutting process which uses no water. They claim to “Care for Planet” during manufacturing by using renewable energy in at least one process. Only one. One isn’t enough.

Why can’t it be applied in all of the methods? Why not use renewable energy in all factories?

Another example of greenwashing is when companies pay for content on cult-followed news websites and social media platforms. The latest example I saw was from one popular fast fashion company, which, as per the caption said, “specializes in organic, sustainable clothing.” This was only part of the caption that is promoting their online-store, which recently launched in Egypt. The caption then goes on to offer customers a 10 percent discount to buy more clothes—which they’ll wear one time, just to throw out after.

All of these greenwashing campaigns have not informed anyone about the dangers of climate change. They have only given the consumer one more thing to buy because it has been labeled as eco-friendly, which doesn’t mean much after you look at the fine print.

We need to ban the word “recyclable” from advertising; it only encourages consumers to buy more recyclable plastic products.

But by giving them the option to refill their re-usable containers, we can eliminate packaging waste.

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This past decade has seen a huge leap in Egypt’s fashion and design industry and as we usher in a new decade we introduce you to nine young upand-coming designers who have shown incredible talent and determination to make a difference in today’s design scene.

From tailored menswear to handmade jewelry, these determined creatives have found the gaps in our apparel and accessories market and decided to do something about it.

The designers were picked because they intrigued us this year on the red carpets and in editorials, their visuals being seen regularly online. Their designs have something to say, while tapping into their clientele’s needs and strategically walking the line between creativity and successful entrepreneurship.

esigners

To

Follow in

2020

By Maria Fathy

Feature et

onia Ashry Couture Donia Ashry fell in love with fashion at a young age; growing up, she decided to take her passion and turn it into her own business. “I have always loved fashion, and I’ve always been following haute couture designers and fashion weeks. When I decided to start my own brand, I fell in love with the process, and I felt so passionate about every single detail—starting with how I get inspired to the moment I see my design come alive, says Ashry who learned about fashion from its original creators in Italy, where she has completed several courses.

What does fashion design represent to you in 2020?

A way of expressing feelings, thoughts and self-exposure.

It’s much deeper than following certain trends or having certain restrictions. Fashion is [completely removed] from any restrictions or rules or trends.

What inspired your current collection?

The collection is inspired by our Arabic origins, shedding light on Arabic calligraphy, architecture, talismans and history. The collection is supposed to make you feel royal, nostalgic, authentic, and feminine, melding the lines between authenticity and modernity, [mixing] the classic with the edgy and the frilly with just plain fierce. It’s a whole fashion experience taking inspirations from our culture and exporting the whole experience overseas. This project is the kickoff of our culture reincarnation story base. The dresses are inspired by places around Cairo, history, and culture, yet the cuts and fabrics are modern and suitable for fashion-forward individuals.

I like using all fabrics, and I see the beauty in experiencing different fabrics.

Where do they see your brand going in the future, and what can we expect to see in your next collection?

I see my brand breaking the norm, getting more exposure, as it’s inspired by everything around us. I am also planning to revive tourism and export culture through fashion design.

Which trends would you like to bring back?

Feminine trends, classic gowns and handmade details. I’ve always disliked the trend of depending on overexposure to get attention instead of on the design itself and the story or inspiration behind it.

Ashry’s creations can be found at her atelier and on Instagram @doniaashrycouture and Facebook @DA-DoniaAshry

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Feature

arah Seif M

eet Farah Seif, the Egyptian girl who reinvented the power suit, making it more feminine and empowering both to whoever wears it and any woman who sees it.

What does fashion represent to you in 2020?

Fashion represents freedom and self-expression by continuing to challenge the status quo and redefining power suits for women in 2020. Additionally, it is vital to focus on the increase of environmental sustainability and the addressing ethical concerns within the fashion industry.

Which trends would you like to bring back? Which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

I’d like to bring back vintage suits, inspired by the 1960s and 1970s, and I’m definitely happy to see colorful tights go out of fashion!

When did you first fall in love with fashion?

I have been in love with fashion for as long as I can remember. I’ve always enjoyed styling myself, even as a kid. As soon as I graduated from high school, I knew fashion design was what I wanted to pursue. My inspiration for designing suits started in university, they have been a revolutionary statement for strong, independent women, and that’s what Farah Seif aspires to embody daily.

What is your background in fashion? Which fabrics do you prefer to use?

I studied haute couture in Paris for three years and did several internships at different luxury brands. I love linen, and I’ve recently really enjoyed designing with velvet for our upcoming collection.

Tell us about your current collection Growing up in a family of architects, I’ve always drawn inspiration from architectural designs as well as geometric shapes, and you can find pieces of both in all my designs so far. The collection will feature more defined geometric shapes. The focus is on having both style and warmth during the winter while continuing to inspire confidence in women through our bold yet timeless designs.

Find Farah Seif online www.farahseif.com and on Instagram @farahseif.official

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Feature et

l Tarzy

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l Tarzy founder Amr El-Mehy comes from a family that has fashion and tailoring sewn into their identity. In under two years he has managed to create a name for himself crafting elegant, unique and timeless tailored suits for both men and women.

What does fashion represent to you in 2020?

Fashion is about expressing your identity; it’s a very important tool to show who I am. It gives a glimpse into my personality.

When did you first fall in love with fashion design?

What is your background in fashion and tailoring?

Since I was a child, I was raised by a family that has a passion for fashion and tailoring. Our grandfather used to tailor almost everything by himself. He had a passion for this. So as a family who has a passion for tailoring and fashion, I decided to start my brand, El Tarzy.

Which fabrics do you prefer to use?

I prefer to use English fabrics the most.

What inspired your current collection? Where do they see your brand going in the future?

In the 19th century, Egypt was globally known for tailoring, people used to tailor all their outfits, and that’s what inspired me to revive this again in Egypt with a vintage collection. My main purpose is to revive craftsmanship that is dying in Egypt and providing Egypt and the global market with high-quality suits at a reasonable price with the possibility to customize and tailor any design that comes to your mind, both for men and women as well.

Which trends would you like to bring back, and which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

Tailoring, as Egypt was globally known for tailoring.

People used to tailor all their outfits, starting from the belts, wallets, shoes to suits. There was less variety for buying ready-made items!

Where are your items available for purchase?

For now, we only customize, our workshop is located in Nasr City.

You can find El Tarzy on www.eltarzy.com or on Facebook and Instagram @ElTarzy

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ariam M Daoud M

ariam Daoud is a theater lover and a storyteller.

Through all her collections, there is a unique story that she tells, molding her designs into wearable art.

Though she only opened her atelier this year, Daoud has dressed celebrities on the red carpet and had her photo shoots widely shared on social media platforms.

When did you first fall in love with fashion design?

The long story started from my school days and trying to find my passion at university where I studied fine arts. I moved from the decor department to theater, cinema and TV and eventually found my passion in designing costumes for historical theater pieces. After that there are too many courses to count in and outside Egypt, in fashion schools and online courses Which fabrics do you prefer to use?

I am in love with all the fabrics, every fabric has its own charm, and I use that to help me in designing.

What inspired your current collection?

It’s called “Time Travel.” As if we traveled to a historical era and are wearing those dresses with their majestic and royal look but with a modern touch.

Where do they see your brand going in the future, and what can we expect to see in your next collection?

I see my brand as an international brand; you can expect as usual unique outstanding designs.

Which trends would you like to bring back, and which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

I am so happy to see all the old trends returning as I am a vintage fan. That’s why my first collection was the “Rebirth of Fashion” inspired by the renaissance era, and the newest wedding collection is about time travel and inspired by royal wedding dresses of the time, so the old fashion is my favorite zone for designing.

You can visit Daoud’s showroom at Sheraton Heliopolis by booking an appointment 01205336064. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @mariamdaouddesigns.

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ri na Nakhla

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irna Nakhla is an accessories designer who has managed to showcase her identity through her pieces, be it a bag, shoes, or even a belt. She graduated with a bachelor’s in fashion design from Istituto Marangoni in Milan. Almost two years in business, she has managed to expand her brand into a men’s line, a client segment that has been paid little to no attention to in Egypt.

through my brand.

What does fashion and accessory design represent to you in 2020?

Fashion has always been a reflection of my own identity, and that is how I came up with the idea for the brand; to express myself through my designs.

What inspired your current collection?

The starlets of the golden era and the Italian Dolce Vita; icons such as Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor. In my mind, I can picture them carrying the bags and wearing the belts I designed.

When did you first fall in love with accessories and design?

I have always been into art generally, and my fashion journey started when I was seven or eight years old watching FashionTV alongside my mother. I remember I used to imitate the models and try to copy their walk, and I would sketch dresses and gowns. Growing up, my style evolved and matured, and I found myself expressing my identity

Where do you see your brand going in the future?

In 2019 we launched a line for men and expanded our range from bags and shoes to belts as well. Next year we hope to see our brand go global and be recognized in the fashion industry as I put my heart and soul into every piece I personally design. It’s a form of art rather than just commercial products.

Which materials do you prefer to use?

Essentially we incorporate engraved and carved goldplated brass metal with materials such as leather and denim.

We are expanding our range of products and experimenting with new materials.

What can we expect to see in your next collection?

It’s inspired by 1960s and the 1980s disco. I’ll just leave that here. This is just a glimpse of what we’ll be launching for F/W 19-20.

Which trends would you like to bring back, and which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

I’d love to see the graceful style of old Hollywood icons come back to life. Also, the bohemian free-spirited days of the 1960s and 1970s had every trend that I’m in love with.

You can find Nakhla’s designs online at www.mirnanakhlastore.com, on Instagram and Facebook @mirnanakhla. official.

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amla

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eem Hamed found her love for fashion and accessories while she was studying interior and architecture design in Italy where she was “introduced to the term Made in Italy, in food, furniture, vehicles, fashion, and was fascinated with the quality, styles, trends.” From there, RAMLA was born using Egyptian craftsmanship and organic, sustainable materials.

What does fashion and accessory design represent to you in 2020?

Fashion in 2020, for me, is all about art, mixing the right color combinations and not the traditional ones—daring ones for artistic minds.

What is your background in fashion and accessories design?

I studied interior and architecture design in Florence and in my last year, I got a project to do the retail design for Dolce and Gabbana, and this is where it all started. I did my master’s in Luxury Business at Salvatore Ferragamo school in Florence where I got to understand more about quality and what makes you different and unique

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from any other type of business.

Which fabrics do you prefer to use in designs?

We started by using only suede leather, and now we are using vegetable leather and suede along with fabric and organic materials. However, we will always remain unique in having the sole and outer sole and the lining all in leather, this is what makes RAMLA different.

What inspired your current collection?

Our Ramadan ‘20 collection and Resort collection is all about the use of natural, sustainable materials.

Where do they see your brand going in the future, and what can we expect to see in your next collection?

We have great plans for RAMLA, and can’t wait to share with our vision with the launch of our resort collection. Our main target is to remain loyal to our customers by having everything produced in Egypt. We always try to revive traditional techniques or help families in need, such as sirma, Tally, and make a collection or few pieces out of it. We are also working on a great collaboration.

Which trends would you like to bring back? Which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

I was really happy to see the puffy sleeves trend come back again. Hats I think should come back again, bucket hats, that would be nice. I can’t wait for shoes worn over pants to go away.

You can find RAMLA at Mounya Gallery in Zamalek and online www.ramlastore.com and Instagram: ramla_eg

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iyi

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ounded by Anne Marie and Ahmed Ragab just seven months ago, Tiyi has managed to open stores in some of the most popular malls in Egypt. Hailing from a well-known Egyptian fashion and textile family, Marie found her own way to fashion by creating beautiful pieces and has become many celebrities’ and stylists’ go-to designer.

What does fashion design represent to you in 2020?

Fashion, for me, it’s not just a pretty design. The backend of design is what I love. Garment making is one of the most labor-intensive industries, and I work to support this.

Specifically, in 2020, our collection focuses mostly on women’s empowerment, freedom and Egypt.

When did you first fall in love with fashion design?

When I was young, I really wasn’t into fashion. I loved soccer and was more of a tomboy! I went to an art summer camp at the age of 13, and there was one class where we had to create any product out of anything in front of us and ended up creating a dress out of newspaper, and I fell in love with designing. I was brought up in a family that was heavily involved in Egypt’s fashion and textiles industry. My grandfather is a chemist who founded a vertically integrated business that does everything from weaving, dyeing fabric and producing final garments.

My mom followed in his footsteps, creating her own brands, ‘BTM, Marie Louis, Marie Bishara’ among others. She and my family also manufacture and export garments for international high-end brands such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Our

Feature et family produces uniforms for luxury hotels and airlines.

The summer fashion summer camp was associated with Central Saint Martins, and they advertised about an Art Alevels boarding school in London, so I took my chances and applied when I was 15 without telling my parents. It was the year of the Egyptian revolution … I convinced my parents to let me travel. I graduated from the International School of Creative Arts, being one of only two students in my entire graduating class to be accepted into Central Saint Martins, also known as “The Harvard School of Fashion.” I am really grateful and lucky to have been among the very few students accepted every year!

What inspired your current collection?

The AW19 Collection is inspired by a journey down the Nile in Egypt. If I were to draw out a new Egypt or create that in a realistic dream, this is what people would be wearing.

You can find TIYI in; Mall of Egypt, City Stars and online at www.tiyi.com.eg Instagram: @tiyi.official Facebook: @tiyi.official1

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asmin Mansour

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asmin Mansour has managed to create beautiful couture gowns, and it is no surprise that she has been featured in many local, regional and international magazines dressing celebrities.

am also aiming to bring my brand to the Haute Couture Fashion Week. In my upcoming collection, you will be seeing more colors, evening dresses, jackets, elaborated sleeves and crystal embroidery.

What does fashion represent to you in 2020?

In 2020 we will witness lots of colors, so many prints—especially floral prints—more embroidery, oversized silhouettes, and endless volume trends.

Which trends would you like to bring back, and which ones are you happy to see going out of fashion?

I would like to bring back the 1950s style. I am obsessed with it; it was classic, feminine and sophisticated. There is no trend I would like to see going out of fashion.

When did you first fall in love with fashion?

I was born to create, dream, imagine and to turn these dreams into reality. I was obsessed with movies when I was young; I used to contemplate the dresses and styles. I fell in love with the history of couture when I started to learn more about fashion designers. I can say that the history of designers such as Coco Chanel made me decide to study fashion.

Tell us a bit about your background in fashion.

I studied fashion design at the Italian Institute of Fashion in Egypt. It was the perfect platform for me, not only for the chance to learn about fashion but also for having the freedom to experiment and turn my ideas and imaginations into reality.

Which fabrics do you prefer working with?

I love working with tulle a lot; it is a lightweight, extremely fine, soft and a delicate fabric that comes in a variety of colors.

What inspired your latest collection?

My latest collection, “The Dream,” was inspired by a dream. The colors, designs and fabrics all depict a dreamy image.

The collection is made with luxurious tulle and silk, featuring voluminous dresses with hand-embroidered sequence, using a rose pink and black color palette.

Where do they see your brand going in the future, and what can we expect to see in your next collection?

My vision for Yasmin Mansour is to be recognized around the world. I want women all across the world to wear Yasmin Mansour. I

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You can purchase Mansour’s collections via www.yasminmansour.co and Instagram @yasminmansourofficial

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AGH

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ounded five years ago by Riham Zaghloul, ZAGH has managed to use jewelry to raise awareness about political and cultural situations around the world. In a sense, Zaghloul has found the beauty in chaos.

What will jewelry design represent to you in 2020?

2020 is offering a lot of experimentation with jewelry through color, statement pieces and asymmetry. Designers this season will be daring. I am happy to see bib necklaces go out of fashion; they were too restrictive and uncomfortable. As a woman who spends a significant portion of her day out and about, I must be comfortable, and if I am not, I am unhappy. That is why I take weight and ergonomics into account, even in the early phases of prototyping.

Tell us a bit about your background in fashion I am a software engineer with a degree in business and worked in the software industry for almost 18 years. I was interested in computer-aided design and graphics software, which came in very handy later on when I started pursuing a career in jewelry design. When I established ZAGH Jewellery in late 2014, I decided to continue education and study jewelry design in L’Arte Orafi in Florence.

can we expect to see in your next collection?

I would like to see ZAGH moving into international retail and to include home accessories in my range of products. In my next collections, my customers will be seeing new materials combined with precious metals and further commentary on cultural themes through design.

Which trends would you like to bring back?

I’m liking the comeback of two trends this season: integration of vibrant color and the comeback of pearls. Color in jewelry should be sourced from nature rather than plastic and synthetics. Nature is rich with stones and materials that are underused, and my mission is to find them. As for pearls, my passion for them never ends. Nothing says “woman” more. I am very excited now because I am working on two unique pearl pieces in my high-end collection that I am very excited to launch.

You can visit the ZAGH showroom at 6 Al-Sharifa Dina St. Maadi. Tel: +2 0223598780 / +2 01066696968. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @zaghjewellery.

Which materials do you prefer working with?

I only work with precious metals, namely 18 karat gold and silver. I also like to integrate them with unique materials; I have used wood with gold, black diamonds, unusual agates, and ruthinized quartz. My philosophy is to seek unique beauty in the “unusual” because that is what makes it interesting rather than “mainstream” beauty that is available everywhere.

What inspired your latest collection?

The changing reality of the Middle East’s political scene.

Through an observing and loving eye, I see an opportunity for a promising tomorrow. The Saba© collection distracts the audience from a challenging situation in Yemen and reminds them of the old Saba© kingdom. The Organized© Chaos earrings encourages its wearers to observe the beauty in chaos found in the big cities like Cairo and learn from it. And the Tribute-to-Zaha© earrings pay tribute to Zaha Hadid, who offers hope as a successful talent that was born and influenced by this fabulous region.

Where do they see your brand going in the future? What JANUARY 2020

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Contemporary Egyptian artists have been exploring experimental approaches and new media art over the past few decades. The listed names are just a few of the new generation artists exploring interdisciplinary art and producing pieces such a kinetic sculptures involving mechanics, research-based projects, 3D mapping, experiential installations, projections and video art.

Artists To

Follow in

2020

Art D’Egypte shares their picks of experimental artists to keep an eye on this year.

By Art D’Egypte Images courtesy MO4 Network

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Amir Youssef Amir Youssef is a visual artist based in Alexandria focusing on media archaeology and robotics.

He works with a variety of media, including video, installation and sculpture, always exploring aspects of movement and kineticism. Since childhood, he has always taken great pleasure in inventing moving objects and transforming the form and functionality of toys. He sees many parts of his current practice as an extension of this curiosity for understanding how things work, altering their function and meaning.

This process has enabled him to experiment with different kinds of materials and ideas. He assisted American artist Theaster Gates in 2012 on his Huguenot House, a project on the occasion of DOCUMENTA 13, and worked as art director for artist Wael Shawky’s film AlAraba al-Madfuna, Part II in 2013.

In 2015, he joined the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Alexandria as a teaching assistant.

Floating Spaces “This piece is a three-dimensional kinetic sculpture that mingles the form of the tanoura dancer with a spinning top to produce a poetic, kinetic atmosphere by engaging with the surrounding spaces, and using the element of reflection as a way to reveal the adjacent monuments. This vision came to me when I realized that the distinctive feature of contemporary large cities is the disappearance of local, neighborly relations, and the consequent loneliness, alienation, and atomization of the residents. Thus, Floating Spaces reveals the hidden design of public spaces and the values of social inclusion and integration.”

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Islam Shabana Islam Shabana is a multidisciplinary artist and digital media designer based in Cairo. Shabana’s practice is an open study of the digital as a transcendental medium.

His research relates the digital image to the mental image, programming languages (coding) to magic diagrams, and digital processes to alchemy. Shabana’s work oscillates between different mediums, but his more recent work focuses on audiovisual performances. His work has been featured in several group exhibitions and festivals in Egypt and Germany, including Berlin Art Week and Cairotronica: the Cairo Electronic and New Media Arts Symposium. In 2017, his audio-visual collaboration project, C31S39, was featured on Boiler Room as part of MASAFAT festival in Cairo. He was also part of MusicMakers Hacklab, where he worked on a collaborative audio-visual performance using machine learning technologies and performed live at CTM Festival 2018 in the HAU theatre, Berlin.

The Gate

How can we tell the story of this Gate and what it has witnessed for centuries? Can we let the Gate tell its own story, in a way that connects with us on a deeper level? This project is about letting Qalawun’s Gate tell its own story as an object and a witness to a history that we haven’t seen ourselves. Moreover, the project is a way to connect with the Gate and its façade as a living entity, where the digital image relays its spirit. Using 3D projection mapping technology, we are taken on a journey through ‘time and space’ from the Gate’s perspective. This project aims to experiment with how a physical and a non-physical medium blend together, completely shifting the human perception.

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Bimaristan Qalawoon gift shop The site-specific multimedia installation is part of an ongoing series that explores the space between object and history. The sculpted reproduction of 17th- and 18th-century ivory anatomical eye models from the Pharmazie-Historisches Museum in Basel, Switzerland placed on glass shelves in the form of mass-produced souvenirs at a museum gift shop and located inside Bimaristan Qalawun integrates links between the history of Islamic ophthalmology in Egypt and Western pharmaceutical artefacts, through the observation of the current anatomy of Qalawun’s eye hospital, as well as the history of scientific studies that have been used for the development of medicine and of the pharmaceutical object industry, and how it is affected by Egypt’s political and economic changes.

Yasmine El Meleegy Yasmine El Meleegy is a multidisciplinary artist based in Cairo. Born in 1991, she studied multimedia at the Ecole supérieure des beaux arts de Nimes in France and was part of the 2016 MASSALEX programme for contemporary arts in Alexandria. She uses sculpture, video, multimedia installation and interdisciplinary approaches to probe existential questions and personal emotional triggers, investigating the ways in which renovation attempts will inevitably result in reconstructions. Her displays form a meeting point between herself and others, a space between her memories and emotions and theirs, where they might share the same questions or new ones.

El Meleegy’s approach is playful, explorative and introspective as she reconstructs objects from daily life that embody various questions. Her hands-on studio process mirrors her central themes. An artist who thinks with her hands, her process is steeped in materiality, following an intuitive exploration through rigorous production and the handling of different mediums. From plaster to glass, wax to cement, the medium will tell the story alongside the object in its space.

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Marianne Fahmy Born in 1992, Marianne Fahmy earned her BA in painting from Alexandria University and studied at Mass Alexandria, an independent art program in 2016. Fahmy works with installation and film and her current project revolves around the history of water in Egypt and the intriguing story behind the establishment of oceanography and marine science education in Alexandria. Her work is based on archival material she collects as well as on texts and books. The conversations she has with scientists and urban planners add a layer of believability to the fabricated narratives she creates. She finds possibilities for creative additions that transform prescribed conventional narratives into artworks unbounded by time, creating immersive environments that provoke awareness of our future.

Fahmy was the recipient of the Mophradat grant in 2018 and undertook an art residency at Atelier Mondial supported by the Swiss council in Basel, Switzerland. She also took part in the 13th Havana Biennale in 2019 and the Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Senegal, 2018. Her films have been screened at Kino der Kunst film festival in Munich; the Nßrnberg Contemporary Art Museum and the Freiburg Museum for Modern Art in Germany; Contemporary Image Collective in Egypt; and Postmasters Gallery in New York.

Atlas Series The project sheds light on environmental consciousness, as well as how new structures of sustainability and social development can generate fresh artistic narratives and methodologies. The artist works with acrylic sheets and 3D prints in her installation, where she applies thermoforming techniques to shape the acrylic into fabricated objects inspired by water graphs and charts.

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Evasive Eternit The khelwa of the Qalawun complex is a location used by Sufi disciples to connect themselves with a reality that is more real than daily life, something not found anywhere while also being everywhere, a mind humbled by wonder. This dark, unassuming room— without the decorative splendor of the rest of the complex—does not need earthly grandeur; it is a gateway to witness the bedazzlement of the universe and beyond.

Seeking within, the student pulls away the curtains of reality to reach greater depths, greater connections, the spiritual treasures within and without. “This I feel is more relevant than ever, in a modern world where we hardly encounter serene moments of self-reflection, we are more likely to receive scattered information rather than get a chance to gaze back at our inner selves and the vastness that lies there.”

Marwan Elgamal Marwan Elgamal, born in 1990, received his BA from the American University in Cairo in 2012 and later his MFA in painting at the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen, Netherlands. His interdisciplinary practice spans painting, animation and text with a particular interest in the loss of the familiar through imagined storytelling and alternate remembrance, seeking to explore coherent narratives of identity of the self and society by disrupting these anchor points of recognition. He is interested in the drivers of culture and how images, stories and traditions instil identity. He draws from history, mythology, pop culture, archetypes and personal memory and allows for fluid interchangeability between them. Invoking the mysterious, the uncanny and otherworldly, his work depicts realms outside of recognizable locations and times, alternative maps for the viewer to experience novel connections with themselves and the world. The work seeks to place an indefiniteness to events, where change is constant, addressing contradiction and resolution, familiarity and foreignness. His work has been exhibited in Egypt and the Netherlands.

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FOOD TODAY

Winter Warmers

Three hearty soups to ward off the cold this winter season.

By Maggie’s Little Kitchen

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Food Today | Main Course et

Vegetable Soup: A Cure for Every Ailment Winter season sniffles are the worst. You can’t tell if it’s only an allergy or if you’re laden with pathogens, but either way, I’m sure we can all agree that the feeling is beyond atrocious. While I won’t pretend that this is a substitute for medication, I’m still a little old-school when it comes to sickness; nature has the cure to everything, and there’s nothing like old-fashioned soup to help you along the way to recovery if you feel unwell.

I’ve added a modern twist to the old recipe here though; my mother (and everyone’s mother, I’m sure) would’ve tried to cure me with chicken soup and, while it got the job done, it isn’t the most practical thing if you’re in a hurry in this day and age. I’m sticking to veggies here, no butter, no oil, and a few good spices, just to make the soup easy on the digestive system. My other belief—which, to my smug delight, is actually scientifically proven—is that while you’re unwell, you should feed your body something easy to digest, so your energy is focused on healing, rather than digesting. Vegetables, with the absence of excessive fat and proteins, make the ideal food in this case because of the easy digestion process.

That’s one less discomfort to worry about!

So, why the focus on spices? Well, spices have a world of properties lingering in them; anti-inflammatories, expectorants, natural anti-fungals, anti-bacterials, anti-virals, and a range of minerals and some vitamins. The list of properties for each spice goes on and I’m particularly focused here on turmeric, cumin, garlic, and fresh ginger. Together, they’re a flu-fighting force, and coupled with the fresh lemon juice that goes into each serving, it’s a makeover for your body— but on the inside. If your throat is sore, the relief is almost immediate. My advice? Have a hot bowl of this with a generous squeeze of lemon before you sleep. You’ll thank me in

the morning.

Ingredients

500g fresh vegetables (ideally a combination of carrots, zucchinis, potatoes, peas, and celery). You can opt for frozen for speed and convenience with this recipe 1 large purple shallot or red onion 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley ½ tsp chopped fresh ginger ¾ tsp turmeric ½ tsp cumin ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp smoked paprika 4 cups water or broth Salt, to taste 1 large (or 2 small) lemon

Instructions

•In a pot on the stove, pour water or broth over your frozen vegetables, and with the heat on high, wait until it boils.

•Add shallots or onions, minced garlic, parsley, ginger, and spices. Stir until incorporated and leave the heat on high until everything is boiling together.

•Reduce heat to medium, and leave to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are soft, and water starts to reduce. Add salt to taste. (I like my soups thick, but feel free to add extra liquid if you like yours runnier).

•Serve hot with the juice of a lemon. I also like to leave a few slices of lemon floating around in my soup for extra tang.

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Food Today | Main Course

Onion Soup without the French French onion soup is my favorite whenever I go to a restaurant. But when making it at home, I find it’s too fiddly to make it with the soup-soaked bread and melted cheese.

And given that onions are great for those with a cold, flu, and fever, this recipe was developed as a means to: a) help mop up a cold real quick, and b) be ‘relatively’ fast and fussfree (the recipe takes about an hour and a half to make, but is definitely worth it), and c) put you to sleep—onions tend to do that.

There are a world of benefits to making this soup —not only is it anti-bacterial and helps immunity by protecting against infections, onion soup can also avert anemia by boosting the strength and health of the blood cells because of the high iron content. If you can tolerate peeling and finely chopping a kilo and a half of onions, this is definitely a win-win recipe for you.

Ingredients

1 to 1.5 kilograms onions, preferably yellow, peeled and sliced into half-moons 3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 pinch ground pepper 1 tsp sugar 6 cups broth of your choice (heated) 3 tbsp flour

Instructions

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat.

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• Once the butter and oil start to bubble, add the onion slices, and toss with wooden spoon to coat.

• Cover the pan and leave onions to simmer and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.

• Remove the lid. Onions should be wilted by now. Season with salt, pepper and sugar (sugar helps the onions caramelize).

• Turn up heat to medium and leave the onions uncovered to cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Onions should start turning into a deep brown color—if you feel they’re browning too quickly or sticking to the pan, turn the heat down a notch. The browning is meant to come through slow cooking and “caramelization,” rather than burning.

• Once the onions are deep brown in color, add the flour and stir for about a minute.

• Slowly start adding your broth, raising the heat and bringing it to a boil.

• Cover and reduce heat, leaving to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

• Taste and add any extra seasonings if needed.

• Blitz with a hand blender until half-creamy; and serve.

• If you really, really want to keep the French side of this soup, you can take a little extra time to toast 6 to 8 slices of baguette. Divide your soup between oven-safe bowls, and top each with a slice of baguette, and sprinkle grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese on top in a thick layer. Bake the bowls in the oven for about 20 minutes, and then turn on the broiler, allowing the cheese to brown. And viola!

Food Today | Main Course et

30-Minute Cream of Broccoli Soup Broccoli is one vegetable I was never fond of as a child, and well into my adult years too. But it was one woman’s broccoli pasta that changed the way I look at this strangely pretty and mini-tree-like veggie. Given its remarkable health benefits, I slowly began to adapt to its taste, and eventually, kind of liked it! It’s quite amazing how, as time progresses, tastes change. While I’m still sometimes picky about the way my broccoli is served, I must admit that this is one of the loveliest soups I’ve made at home, not to mention one of the simplest and most comforting. I make it in batches that last around 3 days, but if you’re feeding a family, it can easily get wolfed down in one day. Not to worry though, all it takes is about 30 minutes on a boil, and with a hand-blender to blitz it into creamy green perfection, you’ll have soup on the table in no time at all.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion chopped

2 tbsp minced garlic 500g fresh broccoli, washed and chopped 1 large potato, peeled and diced ¼ tbsp nutmeg ½ tsp freshly ground pepper Salt to taste 4 cups of water or broth 1 tbsp cooking cream (optional)

Instructions

•Fry onions and garlic with olive oil in a large pot until tender.

•Throw in potatoes and broccoli, then stir and water or broth. Leave to boil on high heat over the stove for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

•Blitz soup with a hand blender until it becomes a creamy puree.

•Add salt to taste, plus pepper and nutmeg.

•Serve hot with a dollop of cooking cream.

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TRAVEL TODAY

Making History The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to reposition Egypt's status as an international destination.

Plus:

Hilton celebrates centennial year, Somabay launches city app and Steigenberger ALDAU promotes sustainability

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Travel| Passport

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GEM `

Travel| Passport et

Egypt s Gift to the World in 2020 With the final touches being put in place, the new Grand Egyptian Museum is set to usher in a new dawn for Egypt and for international travellers all around the world.

E

By Angy Essam

gypt, and indeed the whole world, is holding its breath in anticipation of the Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled to open in early 2020. Dubbed “Egypt’s Gift to the World,” GEM is expected to transform Egypt into the single most important destination for both Egyptologists and culture tourism.

Located between the ancient Great Pyramids and the modern city of Cairo, at the junction between dry desert and

the fertile floodplain, the Grand Museum is a portal to the past. Rising two kilometres away from the Giza Pyramids Necropolis, which was nominated by UNESCO as world Cultural Heritage sites, the museum complex is built on a plot of land approximately 480,000 square meters in size and will be dedicated solely to Ancient Egyptian civilization.

For the first time ever, the treasures of Tutankhamun, numbering some 5,398 in total, will be displayed together in one place. Among the most dazzling of these is one of the Boy King’s

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three coffins, portraying the golden king as the god Osiris. The coffin, whose outer ark is made of gilded wood, was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. The hands are clipped with gold foil, crossed across the chest and holding royal decals inlaid with blue and red glass beads. The coffin measures is 223.5 cm in length, 86.8 cm in diameter and 105.5 cm in height. The ark has silver handles on both sides that were used to move the lid.

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Other dazzling treasures visitors will be looking forward to seeing are the statues of King Ramses II, Sekhmet and Seti, a monumental pink-granite statue of Ramses VI, an alabaster statue of King Khafre in addition to a colored limestone statue of the priest Kay. The latter depicts the priest sitting on a seat with a half backrest, beside his left foot is a small statue of his wife and a sarcophagus of King Senusert I. Earlier last year, the Ministry of Antiquities announced

Travel| Passport et

the discovery of the largest cache in the cemetery of El-Assasif by the Egyptian archaeological mission. A total of 30 coffins dating back to the 22nd Pharaonic Dynasty were discovered and placed in a warehouse before being transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum.

GEM will also include a children’s museum, an educational center, a handicrafts center and a museum dedicated to sun boats, in addition to the first field for a hanging obelisk.

At press time, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Anany announced that about 94.5 percent of all work on the largest museum in the world had been finalized and revealed that a staggering 49,603 artifacts had already been set up on the museum grounds.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is expected to inaugurate the upcoming opening ceremony to which royals, dignitaries and heads of state from all over the world will be invited.

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Travel | Snapshot Steigenberger ALDAU Resort Aims to Lead in Sustainable Contributions

Grand Nile Tower, Venue for Matchless Events Egypt has a long storied history of being a meeting place for the people and cultures of the world. With that history comes a need for unforgettable venues for events and activities. Located in the heart of Cairo, Grand Nile Tower is beloved by all for both its stellar location and wide array of banquet halls and restaurants, ensuring a memorable event for any gathering, large or small.

Grand Nile Tower banqueting facilities include three grand ballrooms that can accommodate up to 1,750 conference delegates in total. The landmark hotel also features several state-of-the-art board rooms to facilitate any number of meetings and functions, with full business amenities and WIFI to ensure that conferences and teleconferences flow smoothly, and uninterrupted. For those seeking the grandeur of high art and music, Grand Nile Tower also features an exclusive and lavishly outfitted 885-seat multi-purpose auditorium which offers a perfect venue for conferences, lectures, theatricals performances, concerts, and special film showings.

Grand meeting spaces aren’t the only features on offer.

Grand Nile Tower hosts over seven restaurants on site, offering selections from across the globe for those not looking for spicy debate, but for savoury culinary delights instead.

Grand Nile Tower’s team of conference and banqueting specialists provide a full range of professional services for any kind of gathering or event, including simultaneous or consecutive translation, audio-visual support, and worldclass catering from flexible and diverse banqueting menus to suit all tastes and occasions.

With breath-taking views, spacious, flexible exquisitely appointed facilities, and superb support services, Grand Nile Tower is the ideal venue for any event, large, medium, or small. From conferences, press conferences and product launches to gourmet feasts and gala dinners; from seminars and exhibitions to board meetings and roundtable discussions to wedding celebrations to themed parties; Grand Nile Tower is “the” meeting venue in Egypt.

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Steigenberger ALDAU Resort, a grand complex of three deluxe resorts dedicated to offering guests the best value and quality. Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel, Steigenberger Aqua Magic, and Steigenberger Pure Lifestyle. The luxurious resort is one of the leading properties of ALDAU Development in Hurghada that has not only been keen on creating a classy, exclusive, and lively community for its guests, but it has also been taking continuous actions into giving back to our beautiful planet from one substantial method to another.

The best-in-class hospitality division of ALDAU Development has previously successfully installed fully-operational solar stations in October 2019 on the roofs of the deluxe Steigenberger ALDAU Resort to reduce the electricity annual consumption rate, and after replacing all plastic utensils with other materials, adding metal branded straws that are efficiently sterilized after each use.

Authentic Italian Flavors and Extraordinary Ambiance Are What Alfredo Restaurant Is All About at Marriott Mena House, Cairo Set within elegant, intimate seating arrangements, and breathtaking views of the landscaped gardens, Alfredo restaurant where all Italian goodies are mastered, offers a unique dining experience of Italian authentic cuisine.

Guests can enjoy the delicious dishes while being entertained with live guitarist performance during evening time.

Whether it is a pizza or a more elaborated dish that you are craving for, any occasion at Alfredo restaurant is meant to be an exquisite gastronomic experience embraced by an elegant atmosphere.

Travel | Snapshot et For the first time in the Egyptian real estate market Somabay launches its city app digitizing all facility management and services For the first time in the Egyptian real estate market, Somabay has launched the first phase of Somabay app in collaboration with I-Community. The app offers further integrated services in Somabay’s residential facilities that allow residents to connect with services all over their community for a variety of needs.

Through the first phase, Somabay app is offering its new digital services to more than 500 homeowners featuring a wide range of services from hospitality and facility management that include maintenance, customer relation, housekeeping, laundry, limousine booking, hotels reservation, outlets and activities (spa, golf, and restaurants), concierge services as well as discounted rates for Somabay residents. The app will further enhance security systems for the residents over several phases including sending gate access to visitors using QR codes. The app also features an online marketplace “STAYr” in which publics and residents can use for lodging, primarily homestays, or tourism experiences.

The Somabay app supports the company’s plans for digitizing residents’ experiences using trending technologies in the country. The service provides information about community alerts, events, new offers, discounts, and payments in participating outlets in and around the area, offering the maximum entertainment value with the least hassle in addition to facilities secured by the newest technologies.

Somabay app powered by I-Community, a community management platform and private social network founded in 2016 that connects residents, real-estate developers, and facility management all in a single, unified, extensible solution.

The app is available for Android and iOS devices.

Hilton Celebrates Centennial Year and Gears up for Promising Years to Come As one of the world’s hospitality leaders, Hilton has one of the industry’s fastest-growing pipelines, with plans to expand to nearly 20 additional countries by 2020. There are already more than 2,400 hotels in Hilton’s construction pipeline, and approximately one of every five hotel rooms under construction around the world is a Hilton.

Hilton has an ambitious development plan for Egypt that includes bringing new brands to the market while expanding on existing brands. With 16 hotels in Egypt currently, the company is targeting 40% growth in the number of hotels in Egypt over the medium term. The expansion plan includes entering new regions within Egypt such as El Gouna, Ain Sokhna, Damietta, Portsaid, Maadi and New Cairo. Scheduled over the coming five years, the plan will introduce new brands to Egypt including DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, as well as expand on the presence of the Hilton Hotels and Resorts brand.

Hilton is also focusing on maintaining high standards at its existing hotels in Egypt by commissioning a significant renovation plan across several of its long-standing hotels, including the Ramses Hilton, Hilton Pyramids Golf, Hilton Hurghada Resort, Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza and Conrad Cairo.

“During our 100 years of hospitality, we’ve successfully achieved remarkable milestones. Hilton was named the second World’s Best Workplaces by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work for 2019. We’ve also launched The Hilton Effect Foundation, which aims at investing in both organizations and people having a positive impact on the communities where we operate,” said Mohab Ghali, Vice President of Op-

erations, Egypt and North Africa, Hilton. “At Hilton, we work to make the world a better place; driving positive social and environmental change across our operations, our supply chain and our communities. We look forward to what the next 100 years will bring.”

In Egypt, Hilton’s legacy of driving innovations that change the hospitality industry continues, most notably under Travel with Purpose, the company’s overarching corporate responsibility strategy to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally.

Under this program, Hilton hotels in Egypt continue to be active players supporting local communities. The depth and breadth of initiatives undertaken by Hilton hotels are dynamic and diversified, covering different geographical areas across the multiple communities in which we operate.

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FASHION TODAY

Bold Statements Turn heads with these striking shades and accessories.

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Back to the Future with these 90s looks

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Fashion | Guide

Geometric patterns and boxy, loose fitting tops are a throwback to the 90s and in fashion again in 2020

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Fashion | Guide et

e r u Fut 2020 is here, and in the fashion world the 1990s are back in full force. Attempting to capture that aesthetic visually, The 1995 Project pays homage to the Egypt of the 1990s, with all its radness and its golden memories.

Written and styled by Maria Fathy

Art direction and photography byTarek Hakeem/@tarek_hakeem.

Stylist: Maria Fathy/@mariainthelayout. Model: Maha Fazary/ @ mahayrazaf. Apparel: shirts by Spectrum Outlet/@spectrumoutlet

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Fashion | Guide

Flashy accessories and baggy, androgynous clothes that defied gender classification three decades ago are being seen on runways again today.

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Fashion | Guide et

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t was the decade of raves, grunge and hip-hop, the decade satellite TV and the internet changed our lives forever. In the fashion world it was all about radical change: flashy accessories, oversized androgynous clothes that defied gender classification, Doc Marten’s and of course signature shoulder pads. For those of us growing up three decades ago through to the generations finessing their look today, the 1990s represent a watershed decade, one that was such a special time for a lot of people, even the generations that didn’t grow up in it.

This month we look ahead at fashion trends in 2020, and take a look at how the “underrated decade” of the 1990s continues to influence and shape the fashion industry today. Styled by our own Lifestyle Coordinator Maria Fathy, The 1995 Project pays homage to Egypt in the 1990s, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the iconic era.

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Fashion | Guide

Signature 90s shoulder pads and unisex looks have made a huge comeback.

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Fashion | Trends

Avalanche

Opio Ramla

Paul Smith

WinterStatements L B Jewellery

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et’s face it; while the cold has truly set in, the weather is still unstable. It feels like winter in the early morning, spring or even summer in the afternoon, and at night the temperature plummets once again. Layering will be your best friend as you get through the day and be sure to add some accessories from our go-to local designers for a bold statement. Bright overcoats or dresses add a dash of color and nicely offset the dreary browns and dark shades of your winter wardrobe.

B Jewellery

Fashion | Trends et

Born In Exile

Doodle Factory

Indira Jewelry

Pellame

Nile Eyewear

Dawn The Chameleon Experience

Up-Fuse

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Around Town

Marriott Egypt Global Customer Appreciation Week!

Hamid El-Shaeri concludes Cairo Design Award ceremony with a dazzling performance Superstar Hamid El Shaeri gave an astonishing performance, today, concluding the Gala dinner on the last days of the third edition of the Cairo Design Award (CDA), with a playlist of some of his distinctive songs engraved in his fans’ memories. The event surprised everyone with a spectacular duet between El-Shaeri and the renowned star Hisham Abbas of “Ainy” song.

The Cairo Design Award team celebrated Hamid El-Shaeri’s birthday in the presence of mega stars, well-established designers, and creative manufacturers, after honoring the winners of the award.

The ceremony welcomed the great comedian Ahmed Helmy as the award’s guest of honor, who expressed his interest in supporting artistic and creative talents in the design industry. In his speech, Helmy highlighted the vital role of architectural designs, as well as handicraft in our daily life, and the dissemination of Egyptian culture and artistic identity on regional and global levels.

During his closing speech, Hisham Mahdy, founder and CEO of Mahdy Group, praised the tremendous success of CDA’s third edition as its mission to award the excellence of the Egyptian design industry and give wider regional and global recongition to its growth and accelerating development.

Hassan Ghanem appointed Chairman of the Board of City Edge Developments The Board of Directors of City Edge Developments announced today, the appointment of Mr. Hassan Ghanem as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, succeeding Muhammad Al-Alfy, who had resigned recently.

Mr. Hassan Ghanem is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Housing and Development Bank. Ghanem also has extensive banking experience of more than 33 years, during which he occupied numerous leadership positions, with escalating responsibility, in the banking sector.

Ghanem assumed the role of Vice-chairman and Managing director of the Housing and Development Bank in January 2018.

Among his priorities, since then, has been to become one of the top 10 leading banks recognized as a commercial bank that provides complete banking services to its customers.

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GCAW is a globally celebrated week among Marriott hotels worldwide showing appreciation for our top customers in unique ways, this week has become a cultural pillar of our global sales team and hotels from all brands across the world. During this week, executives from all levels of leadership partner with associates from all sales channels to engage in thanking our customer for their business.

Day One began with all Marriott Sales and Marketing associates gathering for a kick off breakfast at The Westin Cairo Golf resort & Spa, Katameya Dunes followed by viewing a video from Neal Jones (Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for MENA region). By noon, our sales teams from all Marriott hotels in Egypt visited to our loyal accounts thanking them for their business.

Day Two featured a brunch for luxury Marriott brand sales teams and their luxury travel accounts where they had the chance to connect on a more personal level at Sheraton Cairo Hotel.

Day Three started with a breakfast for the intermediary accounts with our sales team at Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar El Khayyam Casino followed by a brunch with Marriott Egypt top corporate accounts at Le Meriden Cairo Airport Hotel.

On Day Four, Our Marriott Egypt sales team continued vising our top accounts all over Cairo to state their appreciation for all the efforts they did with Marriott through the past years.

On the last day, Marriott Sales and Marketing associates paid a visit to National Cancer Institute to formally hand over funds raised as part of the Spirit to Serve event.

Around Town IKEA Hosts Sustainability Competition in the Egyptian Schools

FCM commemorates their 6th anniversary with a grand Hamaki concert Cairo Festival City Mall (CFCM), the top entertainment and shopping destination for Cairene families, hosted the superstar Mohamed Hamaki in one of their biggest concerts commemorating their 6th anniversary.

The concert welcomed an enormous attendance of around 10,000-15,000 of the superstar’s fans, who came to witness a heart-throbbing live performance of Hamaki’s newly-released album ‘Kol Yom mink da’. Being Hamaki’s first live concert in New Cairo in a long time, Cairo Festival City Mall (CFCM) ensured an efficient organization of the whole concert utilizing new technologies and employing international experts to set up a world-class stage, visuals and sound system.

Heba Abdallah, Head of Marketing at Cairo Festival City Mall, expressed her delight with the event’s huge success, attributing it to the popularity and size of the mall, which can accommodate huge numbers of visitors and audiences, in addition to its privileged location that makes it easily reachable from anywhere in Cairo. She added that in its sixth year, the mall is keen to share most enjoyable entertainment times with tens of thousands of shoppers and give them unique shopping and entertainment experiences.

AbdAllah added that the mall is keen on maintaining their position as a prominent entertainment hub in Cairo.

For the first time, IKEA initiates its “Let’s Play” campaign this year in collaboration with Egyptian schools under the theme of “Recycling”. The campaign launches an educational interactive competition between 17th of November to the 4th of December 2019, including awareness workshop to the teachers and students. Additionally, a competition will be held between students to produce the most creative project assembled from recyclable items.

As part of its CSR program, IKEA continuously contributes to the improvement of the environment in which children live and develop, “Let’s Play” initiative this year aims to educate and empower the children to become the agents of sustainability. IKEA Family Manager Doaa Hashim Said “At IKEA, we are very committed to our role in attaining sustainability through getting together in a collaborative way. IKEA is very active in this area through developing many products that would preserve the environment and many of our products are also made from sustainable materials. And It is very crucial to educate future generations on the importance of preserving the environment as well as clarify their role in a way that would make them want to participate in the process”. She added “We aim to educate our children around the fact that there are diverse methods of playing rather than being in-prisoned in technology. It is also important to highlight to children that we can always have a good space to play by recycling plenty of our waste.”

Eng. Amgad Hassanein appointed CEO of City Edge Developments The Board of Directors of City Edge Developments has announced today, the appointment of Eng. Amgad Hassanein to the position of CEO to succeed Amr ElKady who has resigned his position.

For the past two years, under the leadership of Amr ElKady, City Edge Developments has become one of the best-performing companies in its sector, with a Trademark that is trusted by customers in Egypt and Abroad.

Hassanein draws upon a lifetime of hands-on expertise and a name that has played a pivotal role in building the industry in Egypt and the Gulf. Over his career, Hassanein has founded and held leading positions in a number of renowned Real Estate Development Companies. In addition to his extensive achievements in the corporate world, Hassanein occupies the position of Vice Chairman of The Real Estate Development Management Chamber and Board member of the Real Estate Investment Chamber at the Ministry of Trade & Industry.

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A Unique Egyptian Experience by Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel and Spa Le Meridien Pyramids hotel and spa arranged a special Egyptian night with Egypt’s Indiana Jones Dr. Zahi Hawas for the Marriott Bonvoy Loyal Members. The Moment was a private luxury candle light dinner with Dr. Hawas, the famous archeologist and former minister of antiquities, overlooking the pyramids. Hawas revealed the secrets of the Grand Pyramids of Giza, the one and only surviving Seven Wonders of the ancient World, to the Marriott convoy members who won this special moment through Marriott bonvoy website. The event’s theme was Pharaonic and cultural at the same time where guests dined in a special designed tent with live Harp Entertainment where they shared a lot of great memories and ancient secrets with Dr. Hawas that money cannot buy.

Explore the World of VOX Cinemas at City Centre Almaza The region’s leading cinema entertainment brand made its official debut at City Centre Almaza, with an exclusive event that allowed viewers to truly explore the universe of VOX Cinemas.

Rolling out the first IMAX screen on the East of Cairo, VOX Cinemas at City Centre Almaza will feature 16 new screens including Gold, Kids and 4DX, offering a range of exclusive screening experiences to meet every movie goer’s needs. But that’s not all! Leading the region in cinema entertainment, VOX Cinemas goes beyond the traditional, to create an exceptional and unforgettable cinema experience unlike any other in the market, and from the moment you step into the universe of VOX Cinemas, you will know why!

Go first class and pamper yourself at GOLD, where VIP treatment is standard and enjoy an ultra-luxurious experience with wide reclining seats, a waiter staffed gourmet menu and private lounge. Immerse yourself in the movie, with the unforgettable IMAX experience, where each movie moment is bigger and better than ever before.

On the first anniversary of its launch in the Egyptian market. An introductory seminar for realme for youth at Cairo University

Sip, Sway, And Savour The Winter Season With The Debut Of La Fête By Le Méridien On December 18th Le Meridien Cairo Airport welcomed the holiday season in style by reveling the art of entertaining with the launch of La Fête by Le Méridien.

Media, bloggers and influencers were invited to enjoy matchless moments and experience a chic holiday gathering over festive cookies, cocktails and music.

To sweeten the night, the celebration started with Cookies workshop guided by Hotel’s pastry Chef, followed by gift wrapping workshop where guests were invited to to wrap their freshly baked box of cookies with La Fête gift-wrapping paper and customize La Fête post cards with their personalized handwritten notes Le Méridien Cairo Airport is embracing the glamour of winter and inspiring travellers to revel in the chic style of the 1950s and 1960s with the launch of La Fête by Le Méridien.

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Realme held an introductory seminar at Cairo University to celebrate the overwhelming success the young brand achieved in its first year in the Egyptian market, and to emphasize its slogan ‘’Dare To Leap.”

Realme announced that the number of its users in the Egyptian market has exceeded half a million users, and this is in less than a year since the launch of the brand in Egypt, as it ranked sixth with a market share of 4.6% in the reports of September 2019.

The seminar took place as a part of the campaign “Creativity ... Your Way to Success”, in which realme is participating, and it was not the first, as the campaign was launched at Ain Shams University last October, and its objective is to spread the culture of creativity in the field of information and communication technology. Also, motivating young people and small and medium-sized companies to launch their innovative projects and ideas.

Around Town Warm up this Winter over Brunch at the Palace!

Mansour Mobilizes to Phase Out One-Use Plastic Bags The Mansour Group is proud to continue its environmentally friendly efforts by selling reusable, locally produced shopping bags at its Fresh Food Market stores.

The new waterproof eco-friendly bags are large, durable, and produced in partnership with the Degla Community Development Foundation, an organization that employs and empowers over 65 skilled female bread earners.

These efforts are a result of roundtable discussions between Mansour, the Ministry of the Environment, and The Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe. The aim is to reduce Egypt’s reliance on plastic bags and move to safer alternatives.

Mansour’s environmental initiative aims to reduce reliance on plastic bags. We encourage our shoppers to buy our locally produced bags instead of using plastic bags. We are also planning to implement these changes at all of our Metro and Kheir Zaman stores.

Steigenberger Alcazar Sharm El Sheikh Hosts the World Youth Forum 2019 Media Celebrities The luxurious Steigenberger Alcazar Hotel was honoured to host, and for the third time, the Egyptian media delegate and a number of celebrities, VIPs and public figures who arrived at Sharm El Sheikh to attend the 3rd World Youth Forum from 14 to 17 December, 2019.

In a welcoming ambiance with red roses’ gesture, guests arrived at the hotel where the whole stuff was very keen to ensure everyone was enjoying a pleasant stay and a superb quality of service from a splendid accommodation, comfort-guaranteeing facilities and one of a kind culinary experience.

The hotel is well known as one of the best family getaways in Egypt offering amazing private accommodation preferences as swim-up rooms and private villas with pools, range of water activities, entertaining night life and mind-blowing number of restaurants and bars tailoring the finest local and International creations.

A warm winter welcome to the Palace for guests, family and friends to enjoy the cozy weather over brunch at the Cairo Marriott Hotel’s Omar’s Café and Garden Promenade.

Enjoy the most scrumptious dishes at Omar’s Café brunch buffet from savory to sweet exquisitely prepared by Cairo Marriott’s specialized chefs. Multiple mouthwatering stations are available for guests to pick their favorite dishes, from grilled oriental food like Shish Kabab, Chicken Tikka, BBQ specialties and grilled veggies, to a fresh fish station for those who love to choose their favorite catch. Also, a sushi station is available to delight in the Japanese seafood rolls. For an Italian taste nothing beats the pasta station with the different types and tempting sauces cooked right in front of you. Don’t forget to indulge in the most delicious desserts with a special mix of oriental and French pastries.

Landmark Sabbour Signs Agreement With Marriott International To Open W Hotel In Newly Launched 1-Ninety In New Cairo

Landmark Sabbour, developer of premium-quality real estate, announced that it has signed an agreement with Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) to bring the W Brand’s bold design, signature Whatever/Whenever® service and innovative programming to Cairo, underscoring the growing demand for luxury in Egypt.

Expected to open in 2024, W Cairo will be situated in 1-NINETY - a 300,000 sqm mixed-use development in the emerging New Cairo district featuring retail space, commercial and residential components. Landmark Sabbour have invested EGP 28 Billion ($1.75 Billion) in its 1-NINETY development.

Landmark Sabbour works with a vision that is not only based on leading through expansion, but also through collaboration.

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TECH TODAY

Intelligent Connectivity OPPO plans $7bn R&D push to build a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity

PLUS:

Recommended daily allowance for a balanced musical diet revealed and Emerson simplifies asset monitoring

Tech | Today et New scientific study reveals ‘Recommended Daily Allowance’ for a balanced musical diet Nutritional experts across the globe agree that our bodies require a balanced diet of nutrients to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But can our music listening habits also influence our wellbeing? Global music streaming service Deezer recently commissioned scientists at the British Academy of Sound Therapy (BAST) to uncover the musical ‘Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)’ for a healthy body and mind.

The scientific study explored the relationship between music and mental and physical well-being by examining how listening to different styles and genres affects mood. Over 7,500 people across eight countries including the UAE, Sau-

di Arabia and Egypt, participated in the survey. The experiment concluded that in order to experience the emotional benefits, the average listener requires14 minutes of uplifting music to feel happy (18% of musical RDA), 16 minutes of calming music to relax (20.5% of musical RDA),16 minutes of songs to overcome sadness (20.5% of musical RDA), 15 minutes of motivating music to aid concentration (19% of musical RDA), and 17 minutes of music to help manage anger (22% of musical RDA) The study revealed that relaxation was the most common emotional benefit gained from music (90%), followed by happiness (82%) and overcoming sadness (47%).

OPPO plans $7bn R&D push to build a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity

OPPO recently held its OPPO INNO DAY 2019 in Shenzhen under the theme of Create Beyond Boundaries, revealing its insights and initiatives for the era of intelligent connectivity. At the event, OPPO also showcased a variety of smart devices including smart watches, smart headphones, 5G CPE, AR glasses along with key technological break-

throughs in areas such as flash charging, 5G, imaging and software optimization.

The event served as a platform for industry experts, partners and key opinion leaders to elaborate on the future of technology. To introduce, in his keynote speech, Tony Chen, Founder and CEO, OPPO said, “as the adoption of 5G and AI ramp up, intelligent connectivity is increasingly within reach. We believe the concept of connection is just the foundation, whereas the integration and convergence of things will be the future. The concept of intelligent connectivity consists of four key parts, including the convergence of technology and service, the convergence of organization, the convergence of culture and the convergence of technology, arts and humanities.”

Chen also said that, “OPPO has been more than just a phone maker from the outset. In fact, smartphones have simply been a gateway for OPPO to deliver a diverse portfolio of technological services. For OPPO and even the entire industry, there won’t be any company solely focusing on smartphones.”

Emerson’s New Easy-to-Deploy Vibration Sensor Simplifies Asset Monitoring Emerson has introduced the AMS Wireless Vibration Monitor, a low-cost, easy-to-deploy vibration sensor that performs prescriptive analytics on vibration data using native software to automatically identify failure modes and prevent potential problems involving rotating assets. The new compact device makes it economically feasible to fully monitor motors, pumps, fans and other critical plant equipment to reduce downtime and achieve more reliable operations.

Many organizations lack the analysis expertise to translate vibration data into asset health. The AMS Wireless Vibration Monitor provides a solution by collecting and contextualizing vibration data to generate actionable information. By applying Emerson’s patented PeakVue™ Plus technology, the device not only identifies when and how assets will fail, but also why. Technicians—regardless of expertise—can quickly and clearly identify and prioritize common mechanical issues such as bearing defects, gear wear, under-lubrication and pump cavitation, enabling them to focus more on oper-

ations-critical tasks. “Thanks to the embedded prescriptive analytics, plant managers can add wireless vibration monitoring to their maintenance toolbox without having to train current staff to perform complex analysis,” said Robert Skeirik, director of machinery health solutions product management with Emerson’s Automation Solutions business.

Users of Emerson’s Plantweb™ Optics asset performance platform allows can conveniently receive machinery health alerts anywhere with a mobile device. These alerts can also be aggregated with data and asset health information from other sensors and systems, allowing users to run analytics on all types of assets from a single application. This provides a more complete picture of the operation’s overall health while generating specific alerts when processes or performance are at risk. Plantweb Optics is part of Emerson’s Plantweb digital ecosystem, which leverages IIoT technologies, software, and services to expand digital intelligence throughout a workforce.

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Tech | Today

realme

A New Era for a New 2019 Smartphone Leader The fresh brand took markets by storm when it was launched last year. We look back at the waves realme’s been making and ahead at innovations to come.

By Maria Fathy

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019 was full of new and innovative smartphones with folding phones, flip phones, quad-camera phones, and most importantly, it introduced us to realme, which was dubbed a dark horse in the industry worldwide. After its launch, sales overtook the market worldwide. It was like a shining beacon of hope in a sea of overpriced retrogrades with high-end expectations that don’t always reflect on its functionality.

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We thought that we had seen it all, and we even began to associate all low-cost phones with low-quality hardware.

And then, realme joined the race and blew everyone away with the release of realme 2 Pro in January 2019. The Egypt launch was welcomed with a high volume of sales, through Jumia their exclusive online distributor, and other retail outlets. Amazingly online sales records reached more than LE 9 million in just 80 minutes flat: We can’t remember the last

Tech | Today et time that happened with an unknown, android device hitting the market.

With its successful first launch proving realme a real contender in the market, clients are certainly keeping the brand on their radars for 2020.

The specifications of realme smartphones offer customers a high-quality front camera with HDR 16 MP, f/2.0, and two back cameras, one 16 MP, and the second with a 2 MP depth sensor. As for the system memory, it comes with a massive 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM internal memory, which isn’t something we’re used to seeing from mid-range, flagship smartphones.

With all the changes happening in tech and smartphones, realme has strategically decided to keep the headphone jack, as it’s a more convenient option for mass segments.

In 2019 we saw that most of the realme models which were released had the crown-jewel notch on the front screen or the pop-up camera, which allows you more screen real-estate than other phones with a 90% screen to body ratio, that we didn’t get to see with most high-end smartphones in 2019. realme’s sleek dewdrop design and signature 15-layer laminated technology give a crisp mirrored finish to the back of the phone, and having the fingerprint scanner in the middle makes it more convenient to grab without accidentally unlocking it when you’re holding it. here it’s worth mentioning the high speed of the fingerprint scanner and facial recognition sensor as it takes just milliseconds to unlock your phone.

The Quad camera changed the game for the realme 5 series, as it brought waves through the industry. Priced at LE 2,000, consumers, flocked to buy it and realme ate up 4.6% of Egypt’s smartphones market and became the first Qualcomm smartphone with 48MP quad-camera with a price tag of 3,000 EGP. It’s again proving to the industry that quality can equal value.

With its massive success at the beginning of 2019, realme launched realme 3 back in April and the realme 3 Pro in June. Aimed at photographers and gamers, the Pro carries a 16MP+5MP AI rear camera that uses a Sony IMX519 flagship image sensor, 25MP AI front selfie camera, with Ultra HD 64MP photos and video. It also shoots in 4k resolution, and EIS speed shot rate. This quality and the realistic price tag have made realme a frontrunner by offering equally priced hardware that matches its customers’ needs, which resulted in its impressive sale of over 2000 units in the first 15 minutes.

Never slowing down, realme came out in November with the XT. It was a worthy successor for the realme 3 Pro with 64MP ultra clarity flagship-level sensor camera, snapdragon 712, 10nm | up to 2.3GHz, FHD+ super AMOLED display, gorilla glass 5, AI Quad camera, and of course the much talked about VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge taking you from zero to 100 within 30 minutes, with the 3500 milliamp battery. realme ranked seventh globally as the fastest growing brand, as it reinforces its position in the Egyptian market, on the heels of its cult following in India and throughout Asia. The high-end specs, sleek design, and innovative hardware have consolidated realme’s standing as a leading market competitor and undisputed disruptor.

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Parting Shot

Mohamed Salah: Our Man of the Year With a number of new titles under his belt and a stunning year on the pitch, for Egypt Mohamed Salah has been a source not only of joy and pride, but also of inspiration and of hope.

This month we end our dedicated “2020 Looking Ahead� edition to the Egyptian Pharaoh and look forward to more accolades in 2020 and a new decade of success.

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