{"id":46970,"date":"2021-11-19T13:24:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T13:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=46970"},"modified":"2021-11-19T13:24:53","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T13:24:53","slug":"us-works-to-keep-its-forces-in-iraq-syria-to-help-fight-daesh-pentagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=46970","title":{"rendered":"US works to keep its forces in Iraq, Syria to help fight Daesh: Pentagon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tCAIRO: Egypt, the land of Tutankhamun, Cleopatra, Naguib Mahfouz and Ahmed Zewail, is witnessing a renaissance in its arts and cultural scene. A few weeks ago, the 4,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site of the Giza pyramids was transformed into a platform for contemporary art at \u201cForever Is Now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe exhibition, organized by Art d\u2019Egypte, showcased the work of 10 international artists for the first time in the historic setting.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe renewal movement is backed by the government, institutional players, independent patrons, artists and curators who are pushing the cultural scene in two directions: The revival of a prolific past and the celebration of a promising future.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tJR\u2019s Installation \u2018Greetings from Giza\u2019 – Credit: Hesham El Sayfi – Courtesy of Art d\u2019Egypte. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tNadine Abdel-Ghaffar, the founder of arts and heritage consultancy Art d\u2019Egypte, said: \u201cThe world knows Egypt\u2019s artistic and cultural past. However, they are not aware of the present, the contemporary. We aim to educate, raise awareness, and bring opportunity to these places by activating spaces and involving the surrounding community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cForever Is Now\u201d\u00a0presented artistic installations against the backdrop of the pyramids, and featured Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn and French artist JR \u2014 the latter accompanied by his friend and supporter American record-producer and singer Pharrell Williams.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe exhibition sought to establish a dialogue between the ancient past and the present,\u00a0 and to \u201cquestion time as a continuum that both separates and unites civilizations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAbdel-Ghaffar told Arab News that the display, which ended on Nov. 8, \u201csucceeded in its mission of democratizing art by making it accessible in public spaces, attracting 20,000 visitors a day from schools, universities and people from all walks of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tContemporary Art displayed in old Downtown Cairo. (May Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn April this year, the world watched in awe as the \u201cGolden Parade\u201d of 22 mummies (18 kings and four queens) traveled in decorated carriages through the streets of Cairo from the Egyptian museum in Tahrir Square to their new home of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.<\/p>\n

\n\tNMEC now showcases selections from the artifacts of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, highlighting their contributions, such as the invention of writing and mummification.<\/p>\n

\n\tRoyal mummies carefully displayed in temperature-controlled glass cases include Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great; Thutmose III, once described as the Napoleon of Egypt; and Queen Hatsheput, one of the few women who ruled ancient Egypt.<\/p>\n

\n\tPreserving the past is central to today\u2019s thriving Egyptian cultural scene, and lends itself to architectural restoration. Al-Ismaelia, an Egyptian real estate investment company, has joined partners in efforts to restore the capital\u2019s 150-year-old architectural legacy established by the Khedive Ismail in the 19th century.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tEgyptian Guide Hiba leading a tour Inside the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. (May Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cBreathing life into design magic,\u201d the company set out to preserve iconic buildings such as La Viennoise, a 125-year-old landmark built in 1896 by English architect La Viennoise, and Cinema Radio Complex, built in 1932 as the center of Cairo\u2019s theater and performance arts scene. The center has hosted performances ranging from Umm Kulthum in the 1920s to recent acts by Bassem Youssef and Abla Fahita.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn the pursuit of reviving a district and building of a community, some opt for politics and others opt for football. We opted for art and culture,\u201d Eman Hussein, deputy CEO of Al-Ismaelia, told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\n\tAiming to transform the downtown area into an inclusive district, Al-Ismaelia linked restoration projects with a range of art and culture exhibitions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen you uplift one aspect of the community, the whole ecosystem is uplifted,\u201d said Hussein.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tA close exchange between French Artist JR and his friend, musician Pharell at Giza. (May Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tToday, the company owns 25 properties in downtown Cairo, many of which have been transformed as co-working spaces, rental accommodation, retail outlets and offices.<\/p>\n

\n\tAl-Ismaelia\u2019s plans were put on hold amid the turmoil surrounding the 2011 Egyptian uprising before the projects resumed in\u00a0collaboration with the government.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cRestoration has challenges in every step,\u201d Hussein said. These range from acquiring the building from as many as 90 different owners all the way to licensing, infrastructure issues and operational limitations such as power supply.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, she is pleased with the outcome, and said the district is benefiting from an authentic revival of the past, a contemporary flair, plus strong support for art, culture and homegrown concepts.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tViews inside the late Egyptian Sculptor Museum Adam Henein. (May Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe movement to revive the past is accompanied by a strong contemporary cultural agenda. Today, the historic old Cairo district is home to pop-up galleries and contemporary art exhibitions.<\/p>\n

\n\tPerhaps one of the most intriguing showcases is Ai-Da, a three-legged robot that responds to the Riddle of the Sphinx with AI-generated messages and AI-informed drawings. Ai-Da\u2019s arrival in Egypt caused controversy after the robot was briefly detained by authorities who feared that it was a spying device.<\/p>\n

\n\tCairo\u2019s affluent Zamalek district is also home to established contemporary art galleries, including Zamalek Art Gallery, Art Talk Gallery and the Ubuntu art gallery.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe three-story Adam Henein Museum in the Giza district includes a sculpture park owned by the late artist Adam Henein (formerly known as Samuel) and managed today by Inas Luca, who, as the Adam Henein Foundation director, has been \u201centrusted with his treasures,\u201d as she puts it.<\/p>\n

\n\tHenein, who died in 2020, founded the annual Aswan International Sculpture Symposium. The museum is dedicated to displaying his drawings, paintings and sculptures, including a collection previously displayed in the Metropolitan Museum in 1999-2000.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tLorenzo Quinn\u2019s Sculpture \u2018Together\u2019\u00a0at Forever Is Now – Credit: Hesham El Sayfi – Courtesy of Art d\u2019Egypte. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tWhat is next for Egypt\u2019s cultural scene? The country is patiently awaiting the outcome of the latest expeditions of Zahi Hawass, the archaeologist, National Geographic explorer and former minister of state for antiquities<\/p>\n

\n\tHawass has partnered with Netflix for a five-episode docu-series to be aired next year that will unlock the mystery of the death of Tutankhamun.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe world is also eagerly awaiting the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which promises to be another momentous occasion.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor a country of 105 million people and an ancient civilization that continues to influence literature, film architecture and fashion, it is evident that there is no shortage of human capital and intellectual wealth, and that Egypt is ready to enchant the world once again.<\/p>\n

\n\t————<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMay Barber is an architect and brand management consultant focused on sustainability and purpose-driven projects.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAIRO: Egypt, the land of Tutankhamun, Cleopatra, Naguib Mahfouz and Ahmed Zewail, is witnessing a renaissance in its arts and cultural scene. A few weeks ago, the 4,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site of the Giza pyramids was transformed into a platform for contemporary art at \u201cForever Is Now.\u201d The exhibition, organized by Art d\u2019Egypte, showcased…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46970\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}