Chocolate – A True Super food?

By Marcus O’Neill

In recent years, the news media has promoted the idea that there are numerous health benefits associated with eating chocolate.  While this certainly seems convenient for chocolate lovers, how much truth is there to it?  Is chocolate really a super food?

The idea that chocolate can be healthy largely stems from raw cocoa’s high flavonoid content.  Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that have been shown to help repair damaged cells, which may reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.

Keep in mind that not all chocolate is created equal. Due to its lack of processing, raw cocoa and dark chocolate (60% cocoa or greater) have the highest flavonoid content and thus have the potential to provide the most health benefits. On the other hand milk and white chocolate contain very few flavonoids so their positive impact on health is probably limited.

Let’s take a look at some of the alleged health benefits of chocolate and examine whether there is any truth to them.


Lowering blood pressure

A recent scientific review found that eating cocoa can result in a small but significant reduction in your blood pressure. By no means should chocolate be your first (or only) line of defense for combating hypertension, but eating small amounts regularly can help you get your blood pressure back to a healthy range.

Prevention of dementia

Eating chocolate has been shown to increase blood flow in the brain. Based on this idea, a research group from Norway examined the role of dietary chocolate on the cognitive ability of seniors. They were able to show that people who ate more chocolate performed better on a range of cognitive tests, suggesting that chocolate may help to prevent dementia. While these early results are encouraging, more evidence is needed before recommendations can be made to the general public.

Weight loss

The claim that chocolate causes weight loss comes from a recent study that linked chocolate consumption with body mass index (BMI).  The researchers showed that people who eat the most chocolate tended to have the lowest body weights. Unfortunately, just because eating chocolate and body weight may be correlated, it doesn’t mean one caused the other. More research is still needed to fully understand why this link might exist.

Bottom line

While it may be a little early to label chocolate a “super food”, it does appear to have promise in the treatment and/or prevention of some diseases.  Despite these potential benefits, it’s important to remember that chocolate is also high in fat, sugar and calories.  For maximal benefit with the smallest downside limit your chocolate intake to 1-2 small pieces, 3-4 times per week and choose dark chocolate whenever possible.

This Book Will save your life

This Book Will save your life

By A.M Homes

Living alone can cause you to become accustomed to the isolation it creates. A.M. Homes’ very funny and engaging novel, This Book Will Save Your Life tells the story of one man’s realization of his own urban isolationism and his attempts to rejoin society.

Richard Novak spent his life accumulating a vast amount of wealth, which he continues to monitor through Internet day trading from his mansion in the Los Angeles hills. He is visited daily by a personal trainer, a nutritionist, and a maid who all keep him healthy and vigorous. He is completely oblivious in his Bose noise canceling headphones to the fact that he hasn’t left his house in months. After a health scare he starts noticing the people around him and performs a few random acts of kindness of his own: he buys his cleaner a hip operation, lends his Mercedes to the man behind the counter at Anhil’s doughnut shop, and air-lifts a horse from a sinkhole. When he finds an exhausted and unappreciated housewife weeping in an organic food store, he packs her off to a luxury hotel. She ends up walking out on her husband and children and living off of Richard instead. As Richard begins to reconnect with the world, he slowly finds himself becoming a Good Samaritan, either because he is paying more attention to the world around him than most people or because it is the man he always was but had suppressed for so long. In the end, Richard is also brought back in touch with his family, his aging parents, his brilliant brother, the beloved ex-wife whom he still desires, and finally, before the story’s breathtaking finale, with his estranged son Ben.

The pleasure of reading This Book Will Save Your Life derives from how subtly the story sneaks up on you. The adventures and situations in which Richard Novak finds himself are, at times, absurd but come across as quite ordinary in the context of Los Angeles. Novak’s attempts to begin to embrace the joys of life could come across as cheesy, but Homes manages to express Richard’s personality shift as a logical, natural progression rather than a caricature. Although it may not save your life, A.M. Homes’ This Book Will Save Your Life deserves a spot in your life.

Samih Sawiris Candid and Uncut

Samih Sawiris

A Business Legend, An International Man of Humor, and A Humble Proud Egyptian

Interview by Shorouk Abbas & Francesca Sullivan

Samih Sawiris breezes into Left Bank café, Zamalek on a busy holiday afternoon in a casual sweater and pants, with the relaxed air of a man comfortable in his own skin. Fortune and its accompanying fame (patriarch Onsi Sawiris and his three sons are all on the Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest men) have made him recognizable, yet his affable manner, plus an innate sense of courtesy make him easy to talk to. Accumulating money may be a serious business, but behind those twinkling eyes a joke never seems far from the surface. Indeed, last year Sawiris was awarded the Annual Humour Award in Switzerland, his part-time adopted home of recent times, an accolade which may seem surprising for an entrepreneur. “They gave it to me for my ability to keep laughing despite life’s adversities,” he says with a slightly rueful smile.

Switzerland is the location for Andermatt, the Alpine holiday resort he has created to equal El Gouna as a dream destination for the European travel market. It has also provided something of a refuge during the turbulent political times in Egypt over the past two years. His latest European venture, Lustica Bay in Montenegro, is under construction and will include 1500 residences and hotels, as well as two marinas and an eighteen-hole golf course. But Sawiris, though he may be an international mover and shaker, has not forgotten his hopes and dreams for his own country, and is about to launch an extraordinary and ambitious plan to build one thousand new schools across the nation in a bid to challenge the ongoing problem of illiteracy. A family man with a social conscience as well as ambition, Sawiris claims he is less of a thrill-seeking risk taker than his brothers. Nevertheless, success on such a grand scale suggests a fascinating degree of both temerity and drive. Cairo East Magazine went to find out more.

CEM: What do you consider Egypt’s best assets and opportunities for economic growth and social development?

S.S.: Its location, its accessibility, relatively cheap work force and good climate, these are all things that make Egypt ideal for building. Factories, hotels, whatever the infrastructure, it all makes for a leaner investment. Plus it has all the ingredients for an amazing touristic destination: there’s no seasonality, it works all year round, there are no extremes of weather, it has beautiful scenery, beaches, history – we have it all! But there is an urgent need to unleash all these opportunities and allow people to use the natural wealth of the country and its labor force to develop investment, foreign currency generation and growth. The ratio of young people to old is huge compared to many developed countries where the aging population represents a potential threat to their economies; there is really no limit to what we could achieve here.

How would you compare your own personal aspirations pre-2011 and now?

Well before 2011 I was aware that the situation in Egypt had to change, and that the tension between those who wanted change and those who refused to accept it was bound to grow and one day explode. That’s why in 2008 I had already moved my company’s headquarters outside Egypt (to Switzerland) so as not to be at the mercy of the unknown. The regime was feeling less and less accountable and no longer listening to the voice of the people. The way things are now it’s far too early to judge. What we have is a change of guard – albeit a good guard – but I sincerely hope that everyone realizes this not enough; the whole system needs a complete shake-up, not only the rulers. An entrenched system developed over fifty or sixty years cannot be fixed in the same number of days or months. Above all, any government in power needs to be more sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the population. Never underestimate the power of angry people! What gives me hope is that the rulers from now on, whoever they may be, will know that if the people are not happy then they cannot succeed.

What is your opinion about the way the international press has covered political events in Egypt over the past two years?

It has not been fair by any means. I have spent much of the past two years living abroad, so I’ve seen first-hand the way political events in Egypt have been dealt with by the foreign press. But then the media is not really about honest reporting, and we ourselves in Egypt are not professional in the way we approach the media. Others are, so they win, we lose. In my opinion if you don’t present yourself properly to others, you cannot blame them for misrepresenting you! Although you’ve always been a strong supporter of Egyptian development you have also branched out with international projects.

Can you tell us more about your new resort project in Montenegro, and why you chose that location?

Orascom has been and continues to develop many projects outside Egypt over the past fifteen years, and geographically we need to be in a place central to all our other interests – in the UK, Switzerland, Jordan, Morocco, the UAE, Romania. Montenegro is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places on the Mediterranean. It has everything going for it as far as investment is concerned: an extremely stable government, a refreshing lack of bureaucracy and an open attitude to business. Small countries are more efficient because everyone knows everyone. If I want to meet with the ministers of tourism, finance and housing, for example, I can invite them all for coffee at the same time and get things done! The site we have chosen for development has extraordinary touristic potential with a stunning natural environment and easy access to all of Europe. Both France and Italy, for example, are only an hour away.

Being a pioneer in the region also gives us the edge. Not many European real estate developers have the size and scope of Orascom. It goes without saying that we have strong environmental priorities in terms of development – something we have proven in El Gouna, which is working towards being the world’s first town with a carbon neutral footprint, with the help of both the Egyptian and Italian governments.

Tell us more about your ‘1000 Schools’ project in Egypt?

Without education Egypt will always remain poor. Everyone knows that a professional, educated engineer earns more than an illiterate person of the same age; you cannot create wealth in an illiterate population.

The road to education starts by making it available, and that means the infrastructure: build more schools. People talk a lot in this country about the quality of education, but I am a pragmatist. There’s no sense in discussing the quality of a meal if you’ve no money to buy it. Even if kids are jammed 80 to a classroom, at least their fundamental right has been covered. All over Egypt kids are walking an hour or two just to get to a crowded classroom where there is just one school between three villages, for example. So my project aims to reduce the commute for children as well as the numbers in the classroom. If it were up to me, I would close half the universities and spend the money on elementary schools. I am a great believer in respecting sequences in life! In this country we often fail to do anything because we are trying to do everything at the same time. As the famous quote goes, “A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.”

My new project is literally to build 1000 new schools in locations all around the country. We will begin by formally fundraising abroad – and I will be putting in a substantial amount of my own money to encourage other investors.

In terms of the quality of education, realistically it cannot take less than eighteen years – the time for a prospective teacher to pass through the education system – to re-educate teachers. There is also another problem: it’s difficult for the teacher to learn from his student. Egypt feels it taught the rest of the Arab world, so now, even though countries like Jordan and the UAE have a much better education system, we are too arrogant to take advice from them!

You’ve always been an innovator and forward thinker when it comes to creating new projects. What inspires you?

I am at a point in my life in which I don’t need to build a career – I can leave that to younger men. What excites me are single individual projects and challenges that take my imagination.

Is there any one person who has had a strong influence on your life?

Dr. Fathi Eskander, who was my father’s closest friend.

Do you have any regrets?

None whatsoever. If I had my life over again I’d do everything just the same! I have always followed my gut feelings and I don’t believe in setting goals and following them relentlessly – adjust the target to suit the life you are living, and keep it flexible. I’ve seen too many people wasting their lives following a target, neglecting their health, their families; the things that are ultimately important. I would never aim for a target that involved giving up the things I enjoy! The thing about money is that it’s all too easy to let it take control of you – and that happens to a lot of people.

What are you most proud of?

Of staying happy throughout my life, despite some very rocky times in the past couple of years.

I can also recall a particular moment that made me very proud. Twenty years ago the Minister of Tourism visited the El Gouna project in July, while it was still under construction. When he asked when it would open I told him, “In October”. He assumed I meant the following year, and asked me “Why do you need so much time?” When I told him I meant in that October he made a bet it couldn’t be done. He lost!

What qualities do you wish to see in your children as they carve out their own lives and careers?

The most important thing to me is that they live happily. I don’t need them to achieve success or fame; just to be proud of themselves and to have empathy for others. And to earn what they spend!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

When doing business, always make sure that the other is guy is getting a good deal. That way you generate respect and something to build on – they will keep coming back.

If you could have had another career, what would it have been?

A musician; or better still a composer. One person I met in my life who made me feel totally humble was Yehudi Menuhin.

If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

The Prophet Mohamed, Jesus Christ and Moses – we could have a very interesting discussion!

What’s your favorite meal?

Knuckles, brain and tripe. Ah, I see from your reaction we won’t be eating together any time soon!

The last book you read?

Eskendereya fe Gheme by Ibrahim Abdel Megid, plus the autobiography of Warren Buffet.

Feeling at Home in Cairo

Feeling at Home in Cairo

 

Cairo East Magazine chats with Mrs. Dagmar Bock,wife of the German Ambassador

By Hilary Diack

After having spent four happy years in Cairo Mrs. Dagmar Bock, wife of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany H.E. Mr. Michael Bock, knows Egypt better than many newcomers. When we met on a crisp Cairo winter morning at her comfortable Zamalek residence we immediately fell into animated conversation about the myriad things to do and places to visit around town. Bock has the wonderful ability to put any guest immediately at ease, there is no excess formality, although as wife of an ambassador she handles a hectic social calendar which involves meeting people from many walks of life.

CEM: What is your typical daily schedule?

DB: I always get up early and join my husband for breakfast at 7.10 am, as it gives us a chance to spend some quality time together. This is a must, even if we have had a late night entertaining guests the previous day. I generally follow up with a walk, and a workout or yoga session. Then I have to check my mail to see what official engagements are lined up, we entertain regularly, and I approach this as creatively as possible, always bearing in mind that our guests should not only spend a comfortable evening, but also leave with a sense of contentment.

What are your favourite locations in Egypt?

I feel truly privileged to live so close the Nile, it is really special. You can’t beat the appeal of a leisurely felucca cruise at sunset. I also have great memories of a Nile trip with close friends from Munich, we took an eight-cabin dahabeya and spent some beautiful days together. The White Desert is a magical place for me as well.

What other postings have you enjoyed?

My husband’s first posting was in Venezuela, my home country, and that was when we met. That was followed by Bonn, Bangkok, Amman, back to Bonn, and then on to Madrid. We then spent six years back in Berlin at the Ministry before coming to Cairo. Although we have lived in many locations it has always been paramount in my mind that my responsibility to our two daughters was vital, so I ensured that we maintained a good family environment.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, what is your most romantic memory?

Without a doubt that goes back to the time we were in Bonn, waiting to see if our next posting was to be Warsaw or Madrid. One night I had a very clear dream of a lemon tree, and told my husband it had to be a sign that Madrid was the answer. I was right, and the very first gift he gave me when we moved there was a beautiful lemon tree. That was a moment I will always treasure.

Quick Questions:

Favorite cuisine?

Thai as a first choice, followed closely by Indian, Italian and Spanish. I love spices and robust flavors. I enjoy trying out new recipes and ideas, so our guests often become our tasting panel.

Favorite style of dress?

Soft fabrics and unstructured lines, with a focus on bright, rich colours and dramatic jewellery.

Favorite genre of music?

South American! Merengue, salsa… I love to dance in the kitchen while I am cooking and even have a cookbook of my favourite recipes that I give as a gift to friends with the title Dance While you Cook.

Best advice you have ever been given?

Be 100% present in whatever you do.

The best movie you have seen recently?

I saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on a recent visit to see my daughters and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Favorite Application?

Undoubtedly Skype, that way I can see my daughters as well as hear them when we chat, I feel as though we had breakfast all together.

Any pet peeve?

I can’t stand injustice and can fight against unfairness with a passion.

Your best habit?

A glass of hot water before breakfast, with a dash of lemon or cider vinegar.

Worst habit?

Being continually connected to technology, it is only when I am with my family that I can switch it off.

Your favorite perfume?

At present I wear L’interdit , but I tend to switch perfumes when a major change occurs in my life, like a new posting.

Your hobbies?

Anything creative like writing and painting, as well as reading when I have time. A lot of my time goes to giving training sessions in Facial Harmony, a holistic therapy, with any proceeds going to local charities.

Happiness is…?

My family.

What can’t you live without? Hugs. I love giving and receiving long, warm hugs!

Distinguishing Features

The key to creating a standout style by Design Point

Designing your home might be a personal ambition of yours, but when actually faced with the task, it can seem quite daunting. Where do you begin? What style or combination of styles will be your inspiration? Where are the best places to buy or make furniture? All these questions and many, many more may turn what you thought would be a chance to release your creative flair into a design nightmare.

Enter Desgin Point. Founded in 2004 by head designers Karim El Hayawan and Nehal Leheta, Design Point is an interior design studio that provides full design consultation, coordination, and supervision service for turnkey design and space solutions.

Already established as a leading and unique interior design studio and consulting firm for high-end residential and commercial projects, Design Point offers a wide and flexible range of concepts and designs, in addition to specialized consultation services for products available in today’s market.

If you are keen on a comprehensive design for your home, office, or commercial space, there is no better highly energetic and dynamic team than the team of specialized and experienced architects & interior designers at Design Point. The team members take on every new project as a chance to challenge themselves, and to draw from the clients’ character and individuality to make each project stand out with its unique identity.

Designing your home or office space is about meeting your needs, and accommodating your lifestyle, so the talented designers at Design Point make it their mission to acquire a meticulous understanding of those needs. Resulting in something that is tailor-made especially for you, but that is also the most practical and efficient solution for your space.

Frugal Travel Live Like a Local

Frugal Travel Live Like a Local

Exploring New Trends in Travel

By Hilary Diack

What do you do when your credit cards are still recovering from your New Year’s holiday, but you have the “back to work blues” and are desperate for a break? Follow the example of thousands of smart travellers around the globe who have latched on to the hot new trend for frugal travel options. While we all enjoy the pampering that is on offer at high end hotels, we know that a weekend can set us back a tidy penny. Imagine spending a full week in a great location for half that price.

If you don’t object to the thought of camping out in someone’s backyard, (a summer option we hope) , or hunkering down on the couch in their sitting room or study, there are some bargain deals available through www.couchsurfing.org, www.airbnb.com and campinmygarden.com. As couchsurfing so aptly puts it, “You have friends all over the world, you just haven’t met them yet.” There are pros and cons of course; you relinquish your privacy to a large extent, but gain through the experience of having a local host who can give insider tips on where to go and what to see. Another great site to check out is www.bewelcome.org, you will find comprehensive information on accommodation around the globe.

Safety concerns are important, but there are comments posted by both travellers and hosts on all websites, so it pays to check out recommendations before proceeding. You need to use your common-sense when home sharing, so read up on the local culture and customs and the part of town that the host lives in. A great resource for this can be downloaded as an app for your smartphone, try www.fieldtripper.com.  Solo female travellers should be very selective, but this should not stop them from finding a great holiday host, just look for family situations or other female housemates to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Obviously a couch can only accommodate two people max, so a family or group of friends might want to look for other options like self-catering rentals. There is no shortage of great websites worth browsing; you can find everything from houseboats, gites in the rural French countryside, stylish studio apartments in the liveliest cities around the globe, luxury beachside villas, and golf-course bungalows. Prices vary according to location, season, facilities and size of property, but to give an idea we found the following:

On www.airbnb.com we found a spacious, modern apartment in Paris with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower. It accommodates two people, with a possible third on the sofa bed. And the price per night? A mere USD 112, Wi-Fi included. Anyone who knows Paris will agree that this is a bargain.

Trip Advisor has always been a great resource, and now that it has expanded to cover self-catering  options, it is even better. The feedback from other travellers is invaluable, and it gives good updated destination guides as well. We found a modern loft apartment overlooking the Acropolis in Athens for USD 129 a night. It accommodates six people, and is perfectly located for a culture packed visit. Check out www.tripadvisor.com.

Some more offbeat options are available on www.responsibletravel.com include houseboat rental in Devon. A boat accommodating four to six persons can start from as low as GBP 385 per week in low season, and even at GBP 750 in high season it doesn’t stretch the budget too much. What about a traditional stone farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany? It accommodates up to seven and can be rented for as little as GBP 600 per week in low season. High season rates jump to GBP 1120 per week, but for such an idyllic location it would be worth it.

UK based company Holiday Lettings, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, is easy to search with, and they offer PayPal facilities as well, so you can book and pay in advance before leaving home. If you are in the mood for a little luxury you can find a modern stone villa with an infinity pool, 3 ensuite double bedrooms and all mod-cons in the lovely coastal city of Paphos. It is only five minutes from a lovely beach, and also within very easy reach of restaurants and high end shopping. The price? It starts from a reasonable GBP 735 a week. Smaller properties in Cyrus can be found for less than GBP 200 a week in low season, and the climate is much the same as Alexandria.

A tip for people who simply don’t have time to do their own research before travelling to a new location, if you want to really get to know the place like a local you must take a look at www.tourhq.com. They have listings of recommended local guides for every destination you can think of. Having a guide could make things much easier, letting you enjoy your stay to the maximum.

If you are totally out of pocket and have good English language skills there is always the option of spending time as a guest in someone’s home for free in exchange for conversation!

Drawing for Children

Drawing for Children

Nurturing Artistic Skills in the Early Years

By Hilary Diack

Many families have their kitchen walls plastered with colourful drawings that their children have proudly brought home from nursery or school, but where do they go from there? Cairo East Magazine chatted with Ahmed Nadim, one of Cairo’s leading art teachers, to find out how parents can go a step further in developing their little one’s skills in drawing.

 

CEM: Tell us how you became interested in art; did you start from an early age?

AN: I studied architecture at Cairo University, but my interest in drawing and the arts really started from my very early years. Two aunts and an uncle played an important role but my mother above all was the key influence, we used to draw all the time and listen to music. This resulted in my developing an appreciation of colours, form and texture when I was a child; they had all completed their education in Fine Arts and gone on to become artists.

What inspired you to start teaching drawing to children?

That goes back to 2008 when I started working as a volunteer art teacher with a group of ten children at Nahdet El Mansoureya Community Centre, (where I am still working as a volunteer art teacher in various contexts). Over the course of a year it was gratifying to see the development of their skills and sense of accomplishment they attained. The transformation that took place at all levels of their lives in terms of self –esteem, confidence and appreciation of their own potential was really rewarding so I decided to continue offering drawing lessons to children on a broader scale.

Where are your classes available, and how much does a course cost?

Classes are held in several locations in Cairo, I teach in Zamalek, Maadi and Sheikh Zayed. Of course, if a pupil cannot get to any of the centres I am happy to arrange private tuition. Classes outside schools and art centres are formed also as groups. The fees depend on location and all materials are included, so there is no added expense.

At what age should a child start drawing lessons?

Children exhibit an interest in expressing themselves through art at an early age if given the chance, and it is great for parents to make art materials available at home for them to play with. When it comes to actual lessons I recommend that they should wait until they are four for my curriculum but in general I encourage them starting an art activity much earlier.  The classes are two hours long, so younger tots may not have the attention span required.

How do children generally benefit from receiving drawing tuition?

Tests have shown that children who are introduced to art have improved brain activity with a better understanding of other subjects  as well. Art offers an outlet for their creativity and inventiveness. It has been proven that if you draw what you are learning about, you will learn it much faster and retain the information much longer.

Our classes are configured to develop visual learning skills alongside drawing skills, resulting in improved perceptual and analytical abilities. They offer children a way to relax and have fun as well, as during every session we learn something new about the subject we are drawing.

What is included in a course?

Part I consists of 20 hours in total, divided into 10 sessions/ 2 hours once a week. In Part I, the children become familiar with the basic elements of shape; how these elements are placed in the environment; and learn how to draw from references (still life and photos). Children will also learn some relaxation techniques to enhance the learning process.

Some of our objectives in Part l are to develop the children’s drawing ability and enrich their visual observation of the world as well as  improving their perception of their environment. The course aims at giving children the freedom to appreciate the fact that in drawing – and life – you may set out for one result and actually end up with an entirely different one. By the end of Part 1, children will be given a project to apply what they have practiced.

Part II also consists of 20 hours in total, divided into 10 sessions/ 2 hours once a week. In Part II, children tackle projects that are more advanced: they learn to use shading and produce volume in drawings, and will be introduced to new media such as charcoal and soft pastel. By the end of Part II children are given a new project to apply what they have practiced throughout Parts I & II.

Skills acquired here would include understanding the importance of composition, organization, and placement of multiple objects in a drawing and the introduction of basic elements and principles of design. We would also cover figure drawing; with an emphasis on anatomical construction, true proportions, and expressive actions of people, as well as portraiture. The children also learn how to deal with indoor environments and outdoor scenes, and to consider every scene and element suitable for a drawing project.

Part I and Part II form what I call “Stage I,” then I move with them into more challenging programs which include more still life drawing, advanced techniques and aspects of drawing.

Have any of your young pupils had their work exhibited?

I organized an exhibition for my students’ artwork last April and it received excellent reviews. Most of my students also have their online gallery on Artsonia.com: the most recognized student online art gallery, showcasing projects from around the world. Last November, I submitted the works of 12 of my students to the Space Foundation International Student Art Contest (2014) and we are looking forward to the results, which will come out soon. I am also very excited about the few coming weeks as we are preparing for the submissions for the Cairo International Biennale of African Children’s Art. The work of my students was also featured in the professional magazine Zambalita.

I am very proud of every one of my students.

 

www.facebook.com/DrawingInCairo

 

Anouar Brahem, Tunisian Jazz Oud

Anouar Brahem, Tunisian Jazz Oud

By Salma Karim

The music of Tunisian oud virtuoso Anouar Brahem is conceived as a tribute to freedom. Hailing from Halfaouine in the Medina of Tunis, he sought other inspiring musical temptations without forgetting where he came from. Brahem is one of the first artists who radically changed the traditional role of oud by modernizing and mixing it with jazz.

Brahem is a musician and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. Performing primarily oud for a jazz audience, he fuses Arab classical music, folk music and jazz and has been recording since 1991, after becoming prominent in his own country in the late eighties.  Brahem began his studies of the oud at the age of 10 at the Tunis National Conservatory of Music, where his principal teacher was the oud master Ali Sriti. In the early eighties, Brahem spent several years in Paris, returning to Tunisa in the late eighties he was appointed director of the Musical Ensemble of the city of Tunis, he toured in the USA and Canada and then signed with ECM Records with whom he has recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums.

Since the mid-nineties, Brahem has captivated European audiences with the notes of his oud. Over the years he worked with the best musician of the label ECM, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen, Richard Galliano, but especially the saxophone clarinetist John Surman and bassist Dave Holland with whom he realized the sublime Thimar, the critically acclaimed and successful album introduced him to a larger public.

The delicacy, refinement and elegance of Brahem’s music remind us that the Arab world is the proud home of a treasure of cultural wealth. Brahem is devoted to detailing a beautiful melody with precision and contemplation, and the musicians he always collaborates with all use minimal instrumentation to maximum effect.

Brahem’s music is an ode to his roots and a wink to modernity. The perfect balance between old and new.  A light wave of change in the sea of oud.

Discography :

1991 : Barzakh

1992 : Conte de l’incroyable amour

1994 : Madar

1995 : Khomsa

1998 : Thimar

2000: Astrakan Café

2002 : Charmediterranéen

2002 : Le Pas du Chat Noir

2006 : Le Voyage de Sahar

2009 : The Astounding Eyes of Rita

 

 

www.anouarbrahem.com

 

Tossing up the Sand

a difference of 37 seconds

By Brian Wright

As 2013 has come to a close, the Egyptian rally circuit saw one final event in November for its local teams. And although many were upset to hear about the delay of the Pharaons Rally to mid-2014, the El Farouki Challenge stepped up to the plate and stunned not only the public but the participants as well for its strong organization and creative track design.

 

This is the first year of the El Farouki Challenge, named in honor of Azzam El Farouki who passed away after a long battle with chronic disease. As one of Egypt’s biggest names in the rally circuit, El Farouki dedicated his life to the promotion of this sport and is one of the main reasons that many of the current teams and events are so successful today.

 

Held over the course of two days, the El Farouki Challenge began at the foot of the Pyramids and headed into the depths of the Western Desert, wrapping around the oasis of Bahreyya and ending back in Cairo after sending teams through over 500km of dunes, rocks, and other forms of challenging terrain. This is but one of a number of local events held throughout the year in the local rally circuit that also includes the El Gouna and Desert Challenges, leading up to the major international event the Pharaons Ralley.

 

As an extra treat this year, the opening of the Challenge was preceded by a prologue event held on the construction site of the New Giza Compound. Attended by local media, television, and many of the country’s elite, the event was designed to give the Egyptian public an insider’s look into the world of the rally and show off how well-developed the sport has become.

 

Cairo West and Cairo East Magazines sponsored the second place-getter, Youssef Marzouk, and were delighted to see him come in a scant 37 seconds behind the winner, something normally only found in Formula One events. To find out more about the El Farouki Challenge, Cairo East Magazine spoke with participants Hani Omar, Hani Madbouly, Hossam Zayat and Yara Shalaby from the Al Rahhala racing team and Youssef Marzouk from Desert Cruise.

CEM: How did you feel about the El Farouki Challenge overall?

 

Hani Omar:  It was great and I think that on the overall we are seeing a general trend in improvement. Each event the level seems to be getting better with the participants, the organization, and even the public awareness and support.

 

Hani Madbouli: The track was the best for me and it seems that the planners did a fantastic job and made it especially rough for the co-pilots! For example, if I look at a dune and see the right side of the dune would be the best way to get across, you find that the GPS waypoint that you have to go to is on the left side!

 

This was the first time to hold a prologue for an Egyptian event. How was the response?

 

Youssef Marzouk: It was great to see everybody around and get some amazing exposure. It is hard for the media and the public to be right next to you during the race for what can sometimes be a number of long hours to finish a particular stage. When it is all shortened into a quick presentation everybody enjoys and I think that this will really help get us more sponsers and support in the future.

 

Yara Shalaby: This was my favorite part by far! It was an amazing social event and shows how far the sport has come and is a great indication for the future. There are so many new young drivers around and new teams that are starting to come together that I can tell any local races coming in 2014 as well as the international Pharaons Rally will see Egyptians performing better than ever.

 

What was the best stage for you?

 

Hossam Zayat: Without a doubt the first day. As a co-pilot I found it to be very challenging with a lot of different types of terrain. You have to negotiate, change strategies, and do a lot of planning quickly and deal with any sudden differences, the whole day really kept me on my feet.

 

Hani Omar: As a driver, and especially if you have a really fast car, the second day was also a lot of fun because there was a long part where you had nothing in front of you except a flat open stretch. We could run all the way up to 150kmph and just cruise through that part!

 

Were there any major challenges?

 

Hani Madbouli: On the second day we were having problems with our exhaust system, and every time you pushed on the gas too much the engine would shut off. We handled it thorughout the day but right before we got to the finish the engine cut and we couldn’t get it started again. We actually ended up rolling through the finish line, which was great because the line was at the top of the hill and if what was left in the car couldn’t get us up the hill there was no way that we could push it.

 

Yara Shalaby: This was the first time for me to encounter an accident on a course. When we were going over the dunes, I went up in the air and put on the breaks on the way down. This is something that you don’t do but I wasn’t aware at the time, and when the wheels hit the traction caused the car to flip over. It was a serious problem and took over an hour and a half to get back in and I didn’t end up finishing that How do you work together as a team?

 

Hossam Zayat: As a co-pilot my job is navigation, checking in with the organizers, and making sure that everything moves smoothly so the pilot can only focus on driving and handling the terrain. The most fun that I have is when you run through a really rough area, which means that I am constantly watching the maps and trying to plot out the best strategy to get through. The opposite is when we are on a flat terrain where we are just running at top speeds. This is really boring for me because there isn’t much to do, but this is where the drivers really get to enjoy the track the most.

 

Youssef Marzouk: During this race we ended up having the top three cars together most of the time, which requires a lot of careful planning. Less mature drivers would try to make moves to get ahead which can be dangerous, but everybody was really professional and it really showed how much more developed this sport is becoming.

 

And a special question for Yara, how is it as a woman in the rally circuit and how would you encourage more women in Egypt to take up the sport?

 

Yara Shalaby: I really don’t understand because it is not something new on the international stage and there are a lot of women that race around the world. I even know a lot of women that love to go out and drive in the desert on vacation but have never taken the step to go professional. For me it is a lot of fun and a great learning experience to find out new things, explore new terrain, and work with all the great people involved.

 

If I wanted to give advice, I would focus on setting up a car. The big fear that everybody has is that if they have a good car that they use on a daily basis they don’t want to enter it into rallies because they are afraid that something might happen and they won’t be able to use it the following day to do their daily routine. If they have a second car that they can dedicate to the races then that would be optimal, and you can fit it with all of the extra required equipment. Then it is just a matter of joining the circle, getting introduced, and then off you go!

 

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