Presentation of the book

"Alexandria Beyond the Myth"

Archaeology Architecture Urban Change

edited by Luisa Ferro and Cristina Pallini

13th February 2010 - Alexandria

Bibliotheca Alexandrina - Auditorium, h. 7 p.m.

Welcome to Participants

H.E. Claudio Pacifico The Italian Ambassador in Egypt

Rosanna Pirelli Director, Italian Archaeological Centre

Presentations

Mohamed Awad Director, the Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Centre

Maurizio Boriani Director, Department of Architectural Design, Milan Polytechnic

Attilio Petruccioli Director, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Bari Polytechnic

Angelo Torricelli Dean, Faculty of Civil Architecture, Milan Polytechnic

The book presentation will be attended by Luisa Ferro, Cristina Pallini (Milan Polytechnic), Paolo Gallo (Turin University), Cécile Shaalan (CEAlex)

The book is a collection of research studies and projects by architects, planners and archaeologists, seeking to give a more definite shape to the vast amount of knowledge acquired and to map out the future prospects of Alexandria, a town at a crossroads between East and West.

The significance of “Beyond the Myth” lies in a projection of its immanence, an idea of reconstruction and repopulation of the city, and its relations to the various geographical scales. With unprejudiced eyes, by assuming that identity is based on the patiently acquired ability to understand and see beyond the surface of things and beyond the limitations of commonplace dualities such as local and global, city and megalopolis, old and new.

Contributors to the book are Yasser Aref, Angelo Torricelli, Cecile Shalaan, Luisa Ferro, Lola Ottolini, Harry Tzalas, Paolo Gallo, Cristina Pallini, Annalisa Scaccabarozzi, Mariangela Turchiarulo, Francesca Bonfante,  Vincenzo Donato.

“Disaster Risk Reduction:

mechanisms and methodologies in Civil Protection”

First PPRD South (Programme on Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters) workshop for high-level officials - Sonesta Hotel – Cairo, Egypt, 10-11 February 2010. Chaired by Mr. Agostino Miozzo, Director General of the Volunteer, Institutional and International Relations Office, Italian Civil Protection Department. 

Solidarity with Overland 12

 The Italian Foreign Office, through the Italian Development Cooperation, has decided to support a project to enhance health for mothers and children and for the prevention and cure of some of the principal diseases that hit the African continent, by supporting the "Overland 12: in Black Africa's Heart" expedition which will cross Africa from the 4th of January until the 20th of May 2010.

The expedition will leave from Morocco and, by crossing thirty countries, it will cover the continent from the west coast to the south and then return upwards through the center of the continent so as to finalize the journey in Egypt after traveling more than 42 thousand km with 6 Iveco vehicles. The cooperation project that is intended to be carried out through the Overland expedition aims to reduce motherhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and to prevent and cure the main diseases that plague the African continent such as Aids, malaria, cholera and leprosy. This will be possible through the involvement of a doctor (who will provide sanitary assistance and training to the personnel of sanitary infrastructures) and an operator responsible for the screening of educational healthcare and social documentaries (by using the model of the CinemArena project in as many countries possible).

The participation in Overland's 2010 expedition offers a great opportunity: the expedition will pass through many of the sites where the Italian Cooperation is already present and many others where no sort of assistance has ever been developed. These places are rural areas, away from the capital cities, where the population has usually no access to the information diffused on radio, television and internet. It will be like this how it will be possible to reach a large part of the african population whose life is characterized by poverty, diseases and indigence.

To prevent the spreading of the main diseases that affect the continent, these being Aids, malaria, cholera and leprosy, it has been decided to use the principles of the Italian project "CinemArena", which brings the italian and international cinema in the isolated areas of Africa. Therefore, an operator will be travelling with Overland so as to organize the screening of movies, preceded of a short clip which promotes the prevention if these diseases. Based on the past experiences in Mozambique, Morocco, Lebanon, Angola and Ethiopia, hundreds of people who usually do not have access to information come to see these screenings attracted by the power of the images.

Recruiting of a Consultancy Company to support the “Italian Egyptian Debt for Development Swap Programme Phase 2” Communication and Visibility Activities. Deadline: 09/09/2009, h. 3:30 p.m.

In the framework of the project “The Redesign of the Egyptian museum, Midan Tahrir”, financed by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Embassy of Italy in Cairo -Development Cooperation Office, have the honor to invite You to the Opening Ceremony of the training Courses for Egyptian Curators and Conservators in the field of Museology and Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

The ceremony will be held in Cairo on the 4^th of May at 11.30 a.m. at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, 3, el Adel Abu Bakr St., Zamalek.

The ceremony will be introduced by Prof. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Prof. Giuseppe Proietti, Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, H. E. Claudio Pacifico, Ambassador of Italy. Reception to follow.

13 Italian firefighting vehicles to the

Alexandria Civil Defense and Fire Brigade

In the frame of the Commodity Aid Programme of the Italian Cooperation, the Alexandria Civil Defense and Fire Brigade received a grant for the purchase of 13 firefighting vehicles made in Italy, which amount is € 2.1 Million. At this regard, the day 28/11/2007, in the premises of the Ministry of International Cooperation, the supply contract was signed by Mrs. Zahia M. Abu Zeid, First undersecretary for European Cooperation Sector of the Ministry of International Cooperation, by General Atef Hassan Zaki Gad, Director of the Civil Defence Department in Alexandria, and Mr. Annibale Angelozzi, the Italian Expert of the Commodity Aid Programme in Egypt.

The Italian – Egyptian Commodity Aid Programme, started on 1994 with a current budget of € 36 Mio., is an important Programme that provides soft loans for the purchase of essential Italian-made goods and related services, including spare parts and row material. It is primarily, but not exclusively, targeting the sectors of agriculture, irrigation, energy, industry, public health, and environment. The funds are provided to the public and private sector. 

Participation of “The Other Egypt” to the Focus Group

with the Egyptian Prime Minister H.E. Ahmed Nazif. (Milan, 17 of July)

On behalf of the Director, we all are very pleased to inform you about the results of the Focus Group “Mediterranean Tourism Cooperation” held in Milan with the Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif and the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Zoheir Garanah, and the Minister of International Cooperation, Mrs. Fayza Mohamed Aboulnaga. It was a very important Meeting with the selected participation, besides “The Other Egypt”, of the most important Italian and Egyptian Tour Operator and Travel Agencies focused to improve the tourism cooperation between both countries. After the presentation of H.E. Ahmed Nazif, the speech of the Director of “The Other Egypt” Project, Arch. Vincenzo Valenti, was mainly focused:

• - to express the excellent work realized in strong cooperation with the Governorates of New Valley, Minya, Matrouh, Red Sea, Fayoum involved in our Project;

• - to underline the importance of promoting and developing new tourist destinations inside the mentioned Governorates in a sustainable approach extending and improving  the traditional and present Egyptian tourist offering;

• - to inform about the concrete results of our activities (conferences and workshops, training activities, agreements which have been signed, implementation of the “Tourism Development Centres”, new tourist itineraries and packages, the web-site www.theotheregypt.net, etc.);

• - to inform about the promotional activities of “The Other Egypt” towards the Italian tourist market;

• - to underline the strategic role of the training activities for the local tourist development  promoting new courses for the incoming year 2008.     

Considering that in Egypt the Italian tourist flows are growing in the year 2007 probably becoming again the top international country market, a lot of other important matters have been discussed with the Prime Minister during the Meeting including:

• - Airport situation and planned development;

• - flight connections with Matrouh, Kharga, Minya, etc.;

• - highway connections in the direction not only from north to south but also from east to west;

• - new Nile Cruises from Cairo to Minya and Luxor;

• - new tourism training Centres;

• - strategic importance of environmental and cultural heritage protection; 

• - new advertising campaigns in Italy;  

• - etc.

While considering the current main tourism destinations in Egypt (Cairo, Sharm, Luxor, Assuan, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Abu Simbel), the Director Arch. Vincenzo Valenti strongly appreciated the Prime Minister also mentioning during his speeches Matrouh, New Valley, Fayoum, Minya tourist potential confirming the Governmental strategy focused to promote and develop these areas as new tourist Egyptian destinations in the international market.  

Thank you for your attention and best regards.

Dr. Vincenzo Valenti