On The 20th of August and at exactly 9:00 p.m. the 7th
Cairo International Song Festival was officially opened under the
auspices of the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Mamdouh El Beltagy and the
guidance of Ambassador Salah Selim director of the Cairo
International Convention Center. The opening ceremony commenced with
an opera sung in three languages, Arabic, English and French. The
stage of the Cheops hall was beautifully decorated and the emblem of
the song festival was centered in the middle of the stage. Dancers
from the ballet schools performed while the three singers explained
in a beautiful ballad the reason why the tourists come back to
Egypt. The all-Egyptian performers were well synchronized in order
to present the introductory song of the festival.
After the introductory song, "What’s the Secret",
Ambassador Salah Selim spoke on the efforts spent to present a
successful ceremony. He stated that there is no better way to spread
peace except through the language of music. Ambassador Salah Selim
said that the an artistic ambiance would prevail through local and
international participants in the festival.
In a speech given by the
Minister of Tourism it was also pointed out that the art and
music are very important in the promotion of tourism because
of Egypt's cultural past. The minister considers the festival
one of the main items in the touristic agenda.
Following the minister’s speech, some leading Egyptian singers
were presented with trophies for their endless contributions to
culture. The head of the FIDOF (International Federation of Festival
Organization), Mr. Armando Marino, was also presented an honorary
trophy of the song festival.
has the ability to
dazzle his audience and leave them no choice but to sit
without blinking an eye. One feels compelled to jump on stage
and dance with them. Shimak has won endless awards for his
capabilities as a singer and a choreographer.
