Washington Report, March 2006, pages 54-55

Northern California Chronicle

Egyptian Dancers Dazzle in Benefit for Children’s Cancer Hospital

By Elaine Pasquini

EIGHT dancers from Egypt’s Al-Anfoushi dance troupe dazzled audience members at their San Francisco debut performance Nov. 25. In a lively folkloric style, and with energetic leaps and pirouettes, the dancers brought to life the local traditions and customs of their native Alexandria. Artistic director Alaa El Din Ahmed’s original and witty choreography—portrayals of a fish market along the sparkling Mediterranean, a rousing wedding party, and a celebration of the seventh day in the life of a newborn—delighted the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre audience.

“Tannourah” (colored skirt), a popular Turkish dervish dance from the Fatimid era flawlessly performed by Mohamed Nayel, drew a standing ovation after the breathtaking whirling ended.

Depicting the ancient Egyptian belief of mental healing through rhythm and dance, “El-Zar,” with its angular modern dance movements, was a crowd-pleasing dramatic conclusion to the ensemble’s presentation.

Since its creation in 1985, Al-Anfoushi, a troupe of 38 dancers, 25 musicians and a chorus, has entertained audiences in Europe, Asia and the Middle East with its unique blend of folk-
lore and modern dance extolling the culture and way of life of Alexandria and other Egyptian regions.

Al-Anfoushi’s performance was made possible through the efforts of Consul General Abderahman Salaheldin and the Egyptian American Society, with the assistance of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Life Dance Theatre artistic director Lorna Zilba, and Hala Dance Company director Hala Fawzi, among others. Event sponsors included Dr. Adel and Mrs. Amany Ghanem, Dr. Ossama Hassanein and family, Mr. Emile Kishek, the Razouk family and the Eltoukhy Family Foundation.

Proceeds of the event benefit the building of the first Children’s Cancer Hospital in Cairo, a project of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute. To make a donation, send a check to the Egyptian American Society, 10075 Tuzza Court, Elk Grove, CA 95757.

An Evening with Lenin El-Ramly

“Lenin El-Ramly is a visionary and someone who calls for enlightenment and the acceptance and respect of others,” said Consul General Salaheldin, introducing his guest of honor at the Egyptian Consulate Nov.17. The famed Egyptian filmmaker and award-winning playwright was in San Francisco to conduct a seminar in conjunction with ReOrient 2005, Golden Thread Productions’ annual festival of short plays exploring the Middle East which ran Nov. 11 through Dec. 4 at the Magic Theatre.

Noting that he had “never been employed by nor received funding from any governmental entity,” El-Ramly, through translator Mona El-Sherif, discussed the history of Egyptian theater and the problems facing writers and playwrights today, including the high rents and shortage of small theaters, and censorship of subjects dealing with religion and sex.

Due to his flair for modern comedy and penchant for taking risks, El-Ramly is a popular screenwriter and filmmaker. Guests enjoyed a screening of “The Terrorist,” his controversial 1994 film which is considered the first artistic challenge against terrorism in Egypt. Ironically, during the film’s run in Egypt armed policemen guarded the theaters, fearful of an attack against filmgoers.

S.F. Mayor Appoints First Arab American to Immigrant Rights Commission

On Nov. 17, surrounded by friends and family at San Francisco’s City Hall, Jamal Dajani was sworn in by Mayor Gavin Newsom as the first Arab-American member of the city’s Immigrant Rights Commission. The 48-year-old Palestinian Muslim from East Jerusalem is Link TV’s director of Arabic programming, and producer of the award-winning “MOSAIC” news show (see following item).

“This is an important appointment for the Arab-American and Muslim community,” Dajani told the Washington Report in a pre-ceremony interview. “For the first time, the City of San Francisco is having someone from our community on the commission and I look forward to contributing in a positive way.”

“M0SAIC” Celebrates 1,001st Broadcast

Link TV staff members, friends and viewers celebrated the 1,001st broadcast of ”MOSAIC: World News From the Middle East” at the station’s San Francisco studio Dec. 2. The news program, which debuted Nov. 11, 2001, received the Peabody Award for its broadcasts of unedited English-translated newscasts from Middle Eastern stations in 2004.

The 1,001st program featured France’s refusal to give Algeria maps pinpointing where landmines were planted during France’s occupation of Algeria, and AIDS in Lebanon, two subjects rarely covered by American television.

In another report, associate producer Jalal Ghazi expertly juxtaposed a Nile TV report on the high turnout of women voters in Egypt’s parliamentary elections against an Abu Dhabi report on police violence during the elections. For program scheduling visit <www.linktv.org>.

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Benefit

In December 2004, Hamza Jneidy was shot in both legs and arms by Israeli soldiers as he made his way home from school in Shujiya, a poor area of Gaza City. One year later the 13-year-old Palestinian boy, surrounded by new friends and well-wishers in Foster City, CA, was the honored guest at a fund-raising luncheon benefiting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), the organization that paid for his transportation from Palestine to the U.S. and arranged for his free medical treatment. Dr. Kyle Bickel, the San Francisco plastic surgeon specializing in micro-hand surgery who operated on Hamza’s paralyzed left hand, sat at the head table with his patient, along with Dr. Karim Canoun, Dr. Ziad Saba and Stephen Sosebee, founder and president of PCRF. Local Arab community leaders, including Hesham Alalusi, Nabila Mango, Rima Qaru and Dahlia Biazid, among others, coordinated the event.

“I firmly believe the road to peace in the Middle East—for Jews, Muslims, Christians, Arabs, Israelis—is to bring justice to the Palestinians,” Sosebee told the large audience. Helping injured children, however, is not a political issue, he pointed out, but a humanitarian issue regardless of religion or nationality. While PCRF’s missions to the area have helped many children, Sosebee said, some health problems are increasing, such as chronic malnutrition in Gaza, a condition which will detrimentally affect an entire generation of children.

Due to the numerous military checkpoints, traveling throughout Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has always been difficult, Sosebee noted, but Israel’s apartheid wall which cuts through the Holy Land is a major obstacle to medical teams trying to treat needy patients, because Israeli soldiers prevent some children from crossing through the wall.

Kaiser Permanente plastic surgeon Dr. Karim Canoun described his work last February in Jenin. There, Canoun recalled, working with one local physician, an anesthesiologist and the local hospital staff, his small team performed 36 operations on 32 children in five days.

Founded in 1991 to provide advanced medical care to Palestinian children, PCRF now also provides treatment for children throughout the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq. The organization is not supported by government grants or foundations, but instead relies on donations from individuals. Readers wishing to help may send tax-deductible donations to PCRF, P. O. Box 1926, Kent, OH 44240. For more information, call (330) 678-2645, e-mail < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > or visit its Web site, <www.pcrf.net>.

Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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