Sixth Edition of Cairo Int’l Forum for Arabic Calligraphy Celebrates the Pioneers

Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Sixth Edition of Cairo Int’l Forum for Arabic Calligraphy Celebrates the Pioneers

Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The sixth edition of the Cairo International Forum for the Art of Arabic Calligraphy is celebrating pioneers in the field.

These pioneers have laid the technical foundations of this art form in several Arab and foreign countries.

“Teach by the Pen” is organized by the Cultural Development Fund of the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Egyptian Association for Arabic Calligraphy, the Fine Arts Sector and the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector.

Held at the Palace of Arts, it will run from June 1-7.

At total of 153 artists from 18 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, China, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Tanzania, Lebanon and Egypt will participate in the forum. This year’s event will feature workshops, scientific seminars, documentaries and art exhibitions.

The forum bears the name of the great Arabic calligrapher Yusuf Ahmed, who is considered among the pioneers of Kufic calligraphy in the modern era.

A documentary film dedicated to his lifelong contributions to calligraphy will be screened, and his paintings will be exhibited. The forum will also honor Emirati calligrapher Fatima Al-Baqali, Jordanian calligrapher Ibrahim Abu Touq and Egyptian artists Ahmed Al-Masry and Mustafa Al-Omari.



'Anti-government' Samosa Theft Prompts India Police Probe

Missing samosas sparked a police probe in India with five officers facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate intended for a senior politician - AFP
Missing samosas sparked a police probe in India with five officers facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate intended for a senior politician - AFP
TT

'Anti-government' Samosa Theft Prompts India Police Probe

Missing samosas sparked a police probe in India with five officers facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate intended for a senior politician - AFP
Missing samosas sparked a police probe in India with five officers facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate intended for a senior politician - AFP

Missing samosas sparked a police probe in India with five officers facing disciplinary action for allegedly eating a plate of the savoury treats intended for a senior politician, media reports said Friday.

Samosas -- pockets of meat or vegetable filling cooked inside a blanket of deep-fried pastry -- are a mainstay of Indian snack cuisine, served on train carriages and street corners around the country.

They are also a staple of government receptions, including one staged last month by police in Himachal Pradesh for an official visit by the northern state's chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

According to AFP, the resulting high-level enquiry culminated in a report by the state's Crime Investigation Department that dubbed the affair an "anti-government act".

"The report added that all personnel involved acted according to their own agenda, raising concerns about intentional misconduct," the Economic Times reported.

The Indian Express newspaper said the five police personnel accused of feasting on the chief minister's samosas had been served notices demanding they explain their conduct.

They were now in the process of recording their final statements before a senior officer expected to recommend strict disciplinary action.