Tag: Egyptian Records

EGYPT : SHARJAH, U.A.E : Sharjah Ruler honours Egyptian literary Mohamed Salmawy at 44th SIBF opening

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair on Wednesday, where he honoured Egyptian writer and playwright Mohamed Salmawy as the Cultural Personality of the Year.

The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).

In his keynote address, Sheikh Sultan welcomed guests and the delegation from Greece, this year’s Guest of Honour, noting that Sharjah is marking 100 years since the establishment of its first library, a milestone he said reflects the emirate’s enduring commitment to knowledge and culture.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Sultan honoured Egyptian writer and playwright Mohamed Salmawy, naming him the Cultural Personality of the Year in recognition of his distinguished literary career and contributions to Arab theatre, fiction, and cultural life.

In his acceptance speech, Salmawy expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying: “Sharjah honoured me and all Arab intellectuals when it first honoured the written word over four decades ago by founding this book fair as a celebration of thought and knowledge. It honoured us again when it built museums, hosted exhibitions and conferences to celebrate our heritage and contemporary arts. Sharjah chose to embrace culture and has rightfully become one of the most important beacons of cultural enlightenment in the Arab world.”

“Our gathering here at the Sharjah International Book Fair is a renewed call to continue along the path of faith in culture and ideas—through words and books. It is a call to believe in the unity of the Arab human spirit—from Egypt to the UAE, from Yemen to Morocco, from Syria to Somalia. This meeting reminds us of the role of the Arab intellectual—not as a mere observer of his time, but as an active, influential force responsible for lighting the way amid the darkness some would impose upon us,” he added.

The ceremony also saw the presentation of the Turjuman Award to Dr Ondřej Beránek for his Czech translation of The Mission of Ibn Fadlan, published by Academia Publishing House in the Czech Republic. Organized by the SBA, the AED 1.4 million prize is the world’s most valuable award for the translation of an original Arabic work into another language.

The Ruler of Sharjah also announced the completion of the first phase of the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, which aims to document Arabic and Islamic sciences, literature, and the humanities, including biographies of scholars, philosophers, writers, linguists, poets, rulers, and thinkers from the dawn of Arab history through the Islamic civilization.

He said the team, working under the supervision of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, has completed 44 volumes covering linguistic and religious sciences, with the second phase, focused on the humanities, expected to be finalized next year.

Representing Greece, Guest of Honour, Deputy Minister of Culture Jason Fotilas expressed deep gratitude to Sheikh Sultan, highlighting the centuries-old cultural ties between Greece and the Arab world and thanking Sharjah for choosing Greece for this year’s edition.

In a related event, the Egyptian General Book Organization (EGBO) will host a special book signing for Salmawy on 6 November at 4pm at its pavilion within the fair. Organized by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture, the event will honour one of the Arab world’s most distinguished literary figures and celebrate his lifetime achievements.

A distinguished gathering of Arab and Egyptian writers, intellectuals, and media figures will attend the ceremony, where Salmawy will sign several of his notable works published by EGBO, including The Fairy, Beyond the Moon, The Last Station, and his memoir My Journey, which chronicles his rich literary and cultural life.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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EGYPT / SHARJAH, U.A.E

SAUDI ARABIA : King Faisal Prize winners announced for 2026

Pioneering scientist behind revolutionary weight-loss drugs, global scholars, innovators among winners.

The King Faisal Prize 2026 winners were announced at a ceremony in Riyadh on Wednesday night.

The event honored pioneering scientists, global scholars and innovators for their transformative contributions to medicine, science, Arabic language, Islamic studies and the service of Islam.

Prof. Svetlana Mojsov was named winner in the medicine section for her groundbreaking discoveries that are now reshaping how we treat obesity.

Prof. Carlos Kenig was announced as science laureate in the field of mathematics for helping to revolutionize understanding of nonlinear partial differential equations.

Mojsov, the Lulu Chow Wang and Robin Chemers Neustein research associate professor at The Rockefeller University in New York, pioneered research on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that has fundamentally transformed how obesity and diabetes are treated.

She discovered and characterized the biologically active form of GLP-1, a natural intestinal hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite, and identified its receptors in the human pancreas, heart, and brain.

Through cutting-edge biochemistry and physiological studies, Mojsov demonstrated that GLP-1 powerfully stimulates insulin secretion while reducing hunger and managing glucose levels.

Her groundbreaking work enabled the development of an entirely new class of medications that mimic this natural hormone, sparking a paradigm shift in obesity treatment.

These therapies today provide life-changing benefits for hundreds of millions of people worldwide living with obesity and its complications — a global health crisis affecting 890 million adults and 160 million children and adolescents in 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization.

Mojsov’s groundbreaking contributions have earned numerous prestigious honors, including Time magazine naming her one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2024.

Kenig was honored for his groundbreaking contributions to mathematical analysis. His work has transformed understanding of nonlinear partial differential equations — the mathematical equations describing how things change and move in the physical world — and provided researchers with a now-ubiquitous set of techniques. His insights have opened new research frontiers with applications spanning fluid mechanics, optical fibers, and medical imaging.

Kenig, the Louis Block distinguished service professor at the University of Chicago, is recognized for applying harmonic analysis techniques across different areas of partial differential equations.

His work on free boundary problems — determining unknown boundaries such as where ice meets melting water or how fluids flow through soil — has been particularly influential.

Kenig has spent three decades figuring out how complex waves behave over long periods of time, especially in tricky situations where they could either spread out peacefully or build up dangerously.

This matters for understanding everything, from ocean waves to light pulses in fiber optics and to how energy moves through different materials.

His work helps explain phenomena in quantum mechanics, optics, and ocean waves. By combining different mathematical techniques, he has solved longstanding problems that had puzzled mathematicians for decades.

In addition to medicine and science, the King Faisal Prize recognized the achievements of outstanding thinkers and scholars in the field of Arabic language and literature, Islamic studies, and exemplary leaders who have played a pivotal role in serving Islam, Muslims, and humanity at large.

Pierre Larcher, an emeritus professor of Arabic linguistics at Aix-Marseille University and emeritus researcher at the Institute for Studies and Research on the Arab and Muslim Worlds, won this year’s King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature on “Arabic literature in French.”

His novel presentation of Arabic literature to French readers has earned widespread acclaim from critics and specialists, while his rigorous scholarly approach to classical Arabic literature has made it accessible and appropriate for French culture.

His critical translation project of “Al-Mu’allaqat” and rigorous study of pre-Islamic poetry demonstrate exceptional scholarly depth.

For this year’s Islamic Studies Prize, Abdelhamid Hussein Mahmoud Hammouda, the professor of Islamic history and civilization at Fayoum University, and Mohamed Waheeb Hussein, the professor of archaeology and history of art at the Hashemite University, were announced as co-laureates.

Hammouda’s work encompasses the trade routes across the Islamic world — the Mashreq, Iraq and Persia, Arabian Peninsula, Greater Syria, Egypt, Sahara, Maghreb, and Al-Andalus. This expansive scope delivers coherent understanding of Islamic trade trajectories across history, serving as an authoritative reference for both specialized research and broader scholarship.

Hussein’s groundbreaking work uses archaeological surveys, GPS documentation, and analytical mapping to systematically correlate Qur’anic texts with geographical data. His research offers definitive scholarly interpretation, significantly advancing documentation of early Arabian Peninsula trade routes.

Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Fozan and Dr. Mohammad Abou Moussa were announced as co-laureates in the Service to Islam Prize.

Laureates’ names were announced by Prince Turki Al-Faisal and the King Faisal Prize’s Secretary-General Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail.

Selection committees included experts, specialists, and scholars who met in Riyadh and examined the nominated works. They selected the laureates in an objective and transparent manner, in accordance with the rules and regulations.

The KFP was established in 1977, and was awarded for the first time in 1979 in three categories: service to Islam, Islamic studies, and Arabic language and literature. Two additional categories were introduced in 1981: medicine and science. The first medicine prize was awarded in 1982, and in science two years later.

Since 1979 the KFP has given awards to more than 300 laureates who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes.

Each prize laureate is endowed with $200,000, a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a certificate inscribed with the laureate’s name and a summary of the work that qualified them for the prize.

source/content: arabnews.com (headlines edited) 

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King Faisal Prize laureates’ names for 2026 were announced in Riyadh on Wednesday night by Prince Turki Alfaisal and the Prize’s Secretary General Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail. (Supplied)

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EGYPT / JORDAN / PALESTINE / SAUDI ARABIA (*Arab)

   

EGYPTIAN Islamic scholar and geologist Zaghloul El-Naggar dies aged 92

Egyptian Islamic scholar and geologist Zaghloul El-Naggar, a leading figure in the field of scientific interpretation of the Qur’an, has died at the age of 92.

El-Naggar passed away in Amman, Jordan, after a battle with illness, according to statements released on his official social media accounts on Sunday.

His funeral prayer will be held on Monday at Abu Aisha Mosque in Amman, followed by burial at Umm Al-Qutain Cemetery.

Born on 17 November 1933 in the village of Mashal in Egypt’s Gharbia Governorate, El-Naggar showed an early passion for science.

He graduated with honours in geology from Cairo University in 1955, earning the Mustafa Baraka Award in Earth Sciences. He obtained a PhD from the University of Wales in 1963 and became a full professor in 1972.

El-Naggar’s career spanned decades of teaching and research at universities in Egypt, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, and the United States.

He chaired the geology department at Qatar University, taught at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and served as a visiting professor at UCLA.

He also directed Al-Ahqaf University in Yemen and later taught at the World Islamic Sciences and Education University in Jordan.

He became one of the Arab world’s most recognised voices on the relationship between science and faith, authoring numerous books and delivering hundreds of lectures on what came to be known as the “scientific miracles of the Qur’an and Sunnah”.

His popular TV programme Ayat Bayyinat (“Clear Verses”) aired across Arab channels, exploring Quranic descriptions of natural phenomena.

El-Naggar was a member of the International Commission on Scientific Signs in the Qur’an and Sunnah and was honoured several times for his contributions to promoting scientific understanding within an Islamic framework.

source/content: newarab.com (headline edited)

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El-Naggar passed away in Amman, Jordan, after a battle with illness [Al-Araby Al-Jadeed]

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EGYPTIAN scientists pioneer low-cost COVID-19 treatment: Study

Amid the global race to find effective COVID-19 treatments, an Egyptian research team has achieved a breakthrough that could reshape how middle- and low-income countries combat the virus.

The study, titled EVERST, was published on 20 October in Scientific Reports, a leading international journal under the Nature group.

According to the study, Egyptian scientists reported promising results in treating moderate COVID-19 pneumonia with safe, locally available, and affordable drugs.

The research, led by Professor Dr Mohamed Abdelsalam El-Gohary, brought together a multidisciplinary team of doctors and scientists from Egyptian and international institutions.

Over two years, the team evaluated the safety and effectiveness of four treatment regimens combining repurposed antiviral drugs — Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir, Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir, Ivermectin, and Hydroxychloroquine — in 310 Egyptian patients with moderate COVID-19 infections.

“Our goal was to find a practical, homegrown solution that saves lives without overburdening healthcare systems,” Professor El-Gohary told Ahram Online. “Egypt produces these medications locally, which means they are accessible and affordable for millions.”

The findings showed that two specific combinations —Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir with Ivermectin and Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir with Hydroxychloroquine —helped patients recover faster, shortened hospital stays, and provided remarkable protection of lung tissues on CT scans.

Patients treated with these regimens returned home significantly earlier than those who received standard care.


“This reduction in hospitalization time has major implications,” El-Gohary explained. “It not only improves patient recovery but also reduces pressure on hospitals and public health budgets, a critical factor during pandemics.”

The new combination regimen also showed improved CT scan results for pneumonia, a crucial step in preventing post-COVID complications, a growing concern worldwide.

Equally important, the study confirmed that the new treatment combinations were safe and well tolerated, with no major side effects compared with existing protocols. The only factor linked to higher mortality was advanced age.

The EVERST study, which underwent extensive international peer review before publication, reinforces Egypt’s growing role in global medical research and innovation. It also highlights the potential of repurposing affordable antiviral drugs to address emerging diseases.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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Dr Mohamed Abdelsalam El Gohary

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EGYPT

EGYPT announces Winners of ‘State Cultural Awards 2025’

The Supreme Council of Culture (SCC), headed by Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hano, has officially revealed the recipients of the 2025 State Awards.

The announcement, made via an official statement on the Ministry of Culture’s Facebook page on Tuesday, follows a comprehensive voting process that recognised individuals for their profound impact on Egypt’s cultural and intellectual spheres.

The distinguished awards include the Nile Award, the State Appreciation Award, the Excellence Award, and the Encouragement Award.

The selection process involved a meeting attended by leading intellectuals, academics, heads of cultural institutions, and representatives from professional unions.

Nile Award

The prestigious Nile Awards were granted to:

  • Arts category: Architect Dr. Saleh Lamai
  • Literature category: Dr. Ahmed Darwish
  • Social Sciences category: Dr. Ahmed Zayed
  • Nile Award for Arab Creators: Palestinian artist Suleiman Anis Mansour

Appreciation Award

The State Appreciation Awards were granted to:

  • Arts category: Theatre director Shaker Abdel Latif, visual artist Abdel Wahab Abdel Mohsen, and cinematographer Samir Farag.
  • Literature category: Poet Ahmed El-Shahawi, critic and writer Dr. Khayri Douma, and writer Fatma El-Maadoul.
  • Social Sciences category: University professors Dr. Anas Gaafar, Dr. Mohamed Sameh Amr, Dr. Mona Haggag, and Dr. Nevine Massad.

Excellence Award

The State Awards for Excellence were granted to:

  • Arts category: Artist Nazli Madkour and, posthumously, the late internationally renowned Egyptian pianist Dr. Moshira Eissa.
  • Literature category: Poet Masoud Shoman and Dr. Khaled Abou El-Leil.
  • Social Sciences category: Dr. Samah Fawzy, Dr. Atiya El-Tantawy, and Dr. Nahla Imam.

Encouragement Award

When it comes to the 2025 Encouragement Awards, 32 creatives were honoured across arts, literature, social sciences, and legal/economic studies.

Arts Category (8 prizes; 6 awarded, 2 withheld)

  • Piano Performance: Naghamaya Safwat for her rendition of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
  • Film Script: Mahmoud Zein for Wala Azaa’ Lil Sayedat.
  • Children’s Book Illustration: Heidi Fawzy for Ta’aqqal… Ya Marah.
  • Theatrical Scenography: Nehad El-Sayed for Shatat.
  • Digital Media & Architecture: Mostafa Salem for an awareness series on heritage preservation.
  • Painting: Dr. Islam El-Reihany for The Music of the Body.
  • Withheld: Prizes for “E-marketing for handicrafts” and “Fiber Art”.

Literature (8 prizes)

  • Historical Novel: Doaa Gamal El-Bady for Crows That Don’t Eat the Dead.
  • Short Story Collection: Ahmed Yasser Fathy for A Very Lonely City.
  • Classical Poetry: Mohamed Refai for The Cry of a Coin.
  • Colloquial Poetry: Ibrahim Abou Samra for Balta Shi’r.
  • Computational Linguistics: Marwa Mostafa Amin for Functions of the Electronic Dictionary.
  • Narrative Criticism: Aly Kotb for Singing and Music in the Literature of Naguib Mahfouz.
  • Translation (Turkish-Arabic): Sousana Sayed Mohamed for A Strange Woman by Leyla Erbil.
  • Translation (Arabic to Asian/African languages): Shared by Dina Mohamed Bayoumi (Suspense and Horror Between China and Egypt) and Mohamed Abdelrahman Farag (Al-Mukhtasar Al-Shafi fi Al-Iman Al-Kafi).

Social Sciences

  • History, Archaeology & Heritage (shared):
    • Dr. Ahmed Ma’arouf for Walls with Gates: Political Borders in Islamic Historical Heritage.
    • Dr. Sherif Imam for Saad Zaghloul in Gramsci’s Mirror.
  • Geography & Environment: Dr. Shaimaa Mohamed Wehba for research on water pollution and income inequality in Egypt.
  • Philosophy & Anthropology: Irene Samir Hakim for The Many Faces of Female Genital Mutilation.
  • Educational Sciences: Dr. Mohamed Abdel Khaleq for Dimensions of Global Education in Stoic Philosophy.
  • Media: Student team (Ramaj Osman, Gharib Reda, Farah Abdelkarim, etc.) for the film Hayy Falasteen, directed by Martina Wagdy.
  • Administrative Sciences: Dr. Islam Abdel Bari for Decoding Buy Now, Pay Later in Egypt.
  • Documentation & Publishing: Dr. Alaa Jaafar Al-Sadiq for research on local journal indexing.
  • Digital Culture: Dr. Ahmed Magdy for How AI Has Changed the Film Industry.

Legal and Economic Sciences (6 prizes awarded, 2 withheld)

  • Inflation in the Egyptian Economy: Dr. Gehan Abdel Salam Mahmoud for Tackling Inflation amid Global Crises.
  • Climate Change: Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Okasha for Climate Change and Economic Sustainability.
  • Russian–Ukrainian War & International Relations: Shared by Dr. Raghda El-Beheiry, Dr. Adnan Moussa, and Mr. Mahmoud Kassem.
  • Geopolitical Shifts: Ahmed Abdel Fattah Askar for Strategic Transformations in the Horn of Africa (2020–2024).
  • Right to Privacy: Dr. Mohamed Mesbah El-Naghy for Constitutional Guarantees for Genetic Privacy.
  • Cultural Diversity Management: Dr. Mahmoud Hussein Abou Seif for The Principle of Non-Refoulement in European Human Rights Law.
  • Withheld: Prizes for “Personal Data Protection under Cyber Law” and “Citizenship Through Investment”.

Minister Hano emphasised that these awards represent one of the highest forms of recognition granted by the Egyptian state, describing them as the culmination of long and distinguished careers marked by creativity and dedication.

Hano reaffirmed the state’s continued commitment to supporting intellectuals and creators who contribute to strengthening Egypt’s cultural identity and promoting values of diversity, openness, and awareness, the statement pointed out.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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EGYPT

EGYPT : Youssef Wahbi: The Man Who Transformed Arabic Theatre & Cinema

He played the Devil, challenged shame, and made Arab cinema speak. On his birthday, we revisit Youssef Wahbi – the man who dared to redefine the rules of the screen and stage.

Youssef Wahbi broke every mould – actor, director, and pioneer of Arabic cinema. On his birthday, we honour a legend who shaped generations of stage and screen.

Wahbi’s love for acting started when he first watched the Lebanese artist Salim Al-Qardahi’s troupe in Sohag. Since then, he started delivering monologues and performing theatrical acts at Al Ahly Club and at school. But at the time, acting was seen as shameful, and his father disapproved. Refusing to bend, Wahby fled to Italy and studied acting under the Italian actor Cantoni. He didn’t come back until after his father’s death in 1921 and used all his inheritance to establish a theatrical troupe named Ramses, which was also the name given to him during his stay in Europe.

In 1923, the troupe premiered with a successful play called ‘Al Magnoun’. But Wahby wasn’t done breaking ground. Later, in 1930, he established his film production company, Ramses Film, which produced the very first speaking film in the history of Arabic cinema, ‘Awlad El Zawat’. The movie was adapted from one of his successful plays, as he wrote the script and starred in the film.

Throughout his prolific career, Youssef Wahbi wrote, directed, or starred in over 300 theatrical plays and contributed to more than 60 films. Among this vast body of work, a few standout titles have become milestones in the history of Arabic drama and cinema…

Awlad El Zawat (1932)

‘Awlad El Zawat’ tells the story of Hamdi, who marries a French woman only to discover she’s cheating on him. In a powerful scene, he confronts her with the line: “You woman of all men… you garbage of history.” In a rare interview, Youssef Wahbi revealed that he insisted on making ‘Awlad El Zawat’ as the first Arabic-speaking film to defend the image of the East, after Western narratives described the region as barbaric and trivial, particularly during the trial of a woman who had murdered an Egyptian young man.

Safir Gohannam (1945)

‘Safir Gohannam’ follows Abd Elkhallak, a humble professor worn down by life’s hardships and became a bitter and resentful man. His shaky faith opens the door for the Devil (played by Youssef Wahbi) to lead him astray, tempting him with a false paradise to ruin his life, destroy his children, and tear his family apart. The film marks the first-ever portrayal of the Devil in Egyptian cinema.

Bayoumi Effendi (1949)

‘Bayoumi Effendi’ is considered one of Wahbi’s most powerful socially driven films, tackling the issue of children born out of wedlock. The film calls for compassion toward these individuals, emphasising that they should not be treated as criminals for a sin they did not commit.

Hayah Aw Mout (1954)

‘Hayah Aw Mout’ – one of the most famous films in Egyptian cinema – follows the story of a man who suffers a heart attack and sends his daughter to fetch his medicine, only for the pharmacist to realise he accidentally gave her poison. As the police, led by Wahbi’s character, race to save him, a dramatic city-wide radio broadcast becomes his only hope. This is the film that gave us the famous line: “لا تشرب الدواء الذي أرسلت بنتك لشرائه…الدواء فيه سم قاتل.” (“Do not drink the medicine your daughter was sent to fetch;  the medicine contains deadly poison.”)

Esha’et Hob (1960)

‘Esha’et Hob’ is one of the most memorable comedy films in Egyptian cinema. Starring Omar El Sherif, Soad Hossny and Youssef Wahbi, it follows the story of Hussein, a shy young man in love with his cousin Samia, who prefers her charming cousin Lucy ‘Ibn Tante Fakeeha’. To help him win her heart, Hussein’s uncle Abdel Qader comes up with a clever plan: spread a rumour about a love story between Hussein and the famous actress Hind Rostom.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT

EGYPTIAN Student physicist Kerolos Mousa’s Quantum Breakthrough Featured in Top Science Journal

Egyptian physicist Kerolos Mousa played a role in a Harvard breakthrough using metasurfaces to control light at the photon level, which may pave the way for major advances in quantum technologies.

Kerolos Mousa, an Egyptian PhD student who hails from Minya, has contributed to a breakthrough in quantum physics at Harvard University, where a team of physicists developed a device capable of controlling the shape and path of individual photons with unprecedented precision.

The innovation is based on metasurface technology, engineered materials that can manipulate electromagnetic waves, and represents a major advancement in the way light is handled within miniature optical environments. Mousa led efforts to design the nanostructures critical to regulating photon behaviour.

The research, conducted at Harvard’s Applied Physics Lab and supported by leading US scientific institutions, was published in Nature, a top US science journal, and Science, a leading British publications. It was also featured on the university’s official channels.

The advancement is hoped to significantly impact fields such as quantum communication, quantum computing, and the development of next-generation smart optical devices.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT : Remembering Amal Farid: The face of innocence in Egyptian golden-age cinema

19 June marks 7th death anniversary of Amal Farid (1938-2018), an iconic Egyptian actress who captured hearts with her elegance and innocence.

Amal Farid was born on 12 February 1938 in Cairo’s Abbassiya district.

Farid’s career was launched at the hands of Baba Sharo (Mohamed Mahmoud Shaaban) in the early 1950s, when she was hired to work on his children’s radio show.

She was recommended by writers Mostafa Amin and Anis Mansour to appear in her first movie Mawed Maa El-Saada (A Date with Happiness), with mega star Faten Hamama in 1954.

This was soon followed by roles alongside the greatest stars of her time—most notably Abdel Halim Hafez, with whom she shared the screen in the classic film Layali El-Hob (Nights of Love, 1955), marking beginning of a connection that stirred rumors of a relationship between the two.

The starlets for whom Abdel-Halim sang in movies were very few. Amal Farid was among them, however, and she was envied by almost every girl in the Arab world for decades after Abdel-Halim sang Kefaya Norak Alaya in the film, where he and Farid danced in an iconic romantic scene.

Farid said in interviews that it was Abdel-Halim who asked for her by name to star alongside him in the movie.

Farid, who was known for her elegant and convincing acting style, worked most frequently alongside Ahmed Ramzy and the famous comedian Ismail Yassin.

She was fortunate to find directors who were able to utilise her talent in various roles. Such directors include Fateen Abdel-Wahab, Salah Abou Seif, Kamal El-Sheikh and Hussein Helmy El-Mohandes.

Farid was not always the main starlet in movies, but her presence was always felt, and she always made her mark with her convincing performance.

Director Henry Barakat brought Farid out of the pure girl role in Banat El-Yom (1957), where she embodied the personality of a spoiled, selfish girl. In the film, she provokes the hatred of the audience when she tries to spoil her sister’s love affair a nobleman played by Abdel-Halim, whom she accuses of trying to rape her out of jealousy.

The role was a surprise when the movie came out in 1957, but critics appreciated her performance and recognised the talented, capable and credible actress.  

Farid’s filmography includes Banat El-Yom (1957), Seraa Maal Hayat (1957), Min Agl Emraa (1959), Ismail Yassin Fil Tayaran (1959), Banat Bahri (1961), Zekrayat El-Talmaza (1965), and Geziret El-Oshak (1968).

Farid gave up on her acting career in the late 1960s and moved to live with her husband in Moscow. She returned to Egypt a decade later and received a number of smaller roles, but her film career never picked up with the same strength.

Farid spent her final years in a home for the elderly in Cairo, and went through surgery months before her passing on 19 June 2018 at the age of 80. 

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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EGYPT : Hesham Nazih to Compose Score of Marvel’s New Series ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

The Egyptian composer is once again working with Marvel Studio following his score on ‘Moon Knight’.

News of a second season of ‘Moon Knight’ may be scarce, but it doesn’t mean Marvel Studios has stepped away from tapping Egyptian talent to tune up their work. Award winning composer Hesham Nazih has been selected to write the score for Marvel Studios’ newest animated series ‘Eyes of Wakanda’.

Nazih’s score for the 2022 live action series ‘Moon Knight’ received international attention for incorporating elements of Egyptian musical heritage into a modern orchestral framework, and has received multiple nominations and awards, including Best Original Score for a Television Series at the 2023 International Film Critics Award.

He also composed the music for Egypt’s Pharaohs’ Golden Parade in 2021, and has worked on a number of Egyptian blockbusters including ‘Kira & El Gin’, ‘Welad El Rizk’, ‘The Blue Elephant’, ‘The Originals’, and ‘Ibrahim Labyad’. He was the first composer to have ever received the Faten Hamama Excellence Award by the Cairo International Film Festival in 2018.

‘Eyes of Wakanda’ is part of Marvel’s animated expansion and is a spin-off from the Black Panther franchise. The series follows Wakandan warriors throughout history as they search for vibranium artefacts across the globe, and is scheduled for release on August 6th, 2025 on the Disney+ streaming platform.

source/content: cairoscence.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT : The Prayer of Anxiety wins IPAF 2025 amid acclaim and controversy

On 25 April, Egyptian author Mohamed Samir Nada was awarded the 2025 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his novel The Prayer of Anxiety, a darkly allegorical tale set in a secluded village in Upper Egypt.

This marks the third time an Egyptian writer has won the prestigious literary award, following Youssef Zidan’s Azazel in 2009 and Bahaa Taher’s Sunset Oasis in 2008.

Nada’s novel, published by the Tunisian press Masciliana, was chosen from a six-title shortlist.

In a televised interview earlier this year, Nada revealed that he had turned to Masciliana after three Egyptian publishers declined to print the manuscript.

Set in the fictional hamlet of Nag’ Al-Manassi — literally “the village of forgetfulness” — the novel unfolds in a reality suspended in misinformation and fear.

Its inhabitants believe a minefield surrounds them and are still at war with Israel decades after the 1967 conflict.

Their only contact with the outside world is Khalil Al-Khoja, a local authority figure who produces the village newspaper, controls access to goods and maintains the illusion of unending war.

When a mysterious object falls from the sky, triggering an illness among villagers, the local sheikh responds by creating a new ritual prayer—The Prayer of Anxiety.

The plot evolves against the backdrop of national icons, culminating in the 1977 death of Abdel-Halim Hafez, a singer synonymous with the era of Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

Told through eight character “sessions,” each beginning with a nightmare and dreamlike awakening, the novel functions as both a dystopian fable and a meditation on collective delusion.

Nada’s characters offer confessional narratives haunted by guilt and helplessness. The result is a richly layered text that explores how fear and propaganda can distort memory and shape reality.

Mona Baker, chair of this year’s IPAF judging panel, praised the novel for “transforming anxiety into an aesthetic and intellectual experience that resonates with the reader and awakens them to pressing existential questions.”

Yasser Suleiman, Chair of the IPAF Board of Trustees, highlighted the novel’s “gripping poetic language” and its “clever use of symbolism,” calling it a powerful reflection on life under tyranny and the mechanisms that uphold it.

Yet the novel’s success has not gone without controversy.

Some critics have criticized its handling of Egypt’s modern history, especially its allusions to Abdel-Nasser’s legacy.

Literary critic Reda Attiya publicly dismissed The Prayer of Anxiety as “poorly structured” and accused the prize committee of rewarding a novel that “takes aim at Nasser,” calling it a “conspiracy against Egypt.”

Others pushed back. Novelist Mohamed Mawafai likened such attacks to the 1994 stabbing of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz by a young man who admitted to never reading his work.

“Both are acts of incitement,” Mawafai said. “There is no difference between one and the other.”

Nada’s novel joins a growing wave of dystopian fiction in the Arab world.

In a recent study of the genre, Syrian novelist and critic Shahla Al-Ogaily argued that dystopian literature has gained traction in post-2011 Arab societies to confront painful political and social realities.

“This genre represents the inability to forgive,” she wrote, “and a confrontation with the hallucinations and phobic fears that emerged after the revolutions failed to deliver on their promises.”

Al-Ogaily traced the rise of Arabic dystopian writing to the translation of authors like Franz Kafka and George Orwell, whose works explored the horrors of surveillance, repression, and modernity.

The influence is evident in Nada’s novel — from Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, echoed when a village sheikh wakes up to find his head missing, to Orwell’s 1984, in the depiction of total narrative control and a fearful, manipulated public.

At its heart, The Prayer of Anxiety critiques political, religious, and media-driven systems that manufacture obedience and stifle thought.

Through poetic language and surreal events, Nada lays bare the quiet complicity that enables authoritarianism.

One of the novel’s characters voices the core dilemma:

“How many shooting stars must fall before we gain a new memory?
How many men must die in war for old women to tell a different story?”

Despite occasional tonal inconsistencies—particularly between the elevated language and the characters’ rural backgrounds—the novel’s literary ambition, conceptual depth, and striking imagery have resonated widely.

The IPAF, launched in 2007 with support from the Emirates Foundation, awards $50,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each shortlisted author. This year’s judges included Said Bengrad, Maryam Al Hashimi, Bilal Orfali, Sampsa Peltonen, and chair Mona Baker.

With The Prayer of Anxiety, Nada has delivered a novel that provokes, unsettles, and — crucially — invites deeper engagement with the structures of power that shape the Arab world’s past and present.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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