Culture Min. Inaugurates 9th Edition of "Hikkawi" Festival for Children

By Ali Abu Dashish

CAIRO, Mar. 11 (SEE)- Dr. Enas Abdel Dayem, Minister of Culture, and Sir Jeffrey Adams, Ambassador of England in Cairo, inaugurated the 9th edition of "Hikkawi'' International Festival for Children's Arts.

The festival was held in "Al-Hanager" Center for Arts, which carries the name of the late puppet artist Naji Shaker.

This edition is organized by the 'Afka' Foundation and is held in three governorates:- Cairo, Alexandria and Al- Menya.

The ceremonies were attended by Mohamed Al Ghawy President of the Foundation and the director of the festival, the delegations of participating countries and representatives of some embassies in Egypt.

The minister said that the festival is one of the fruits of the contributions of civil society organizations in the field of children's arts.

She clarified that the event represents an artistic forum that brings together those who are interested in these arts from around the world.

She stressed the support of the Ministry of Culture for all associations and civil institutions that seek to participate in the implementation Egypt's developmental plans.

It is worthy of note that the minister dedicated to Mrs. Vera, the widow of the late Naji Shaker, the shield of this edition. This was followed by inspecting an exhibition of the posters of the participating shows.

Also, she watched some extracts of spectacles presented by the participating troupes , including the famous puppet show "The Big Night," which is a milestone in the history of the Egyptian and Arab theater.