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AGBU Cairo Concludes a Busy Calendar of Philanthropy and Events

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  • AGBU Cairo Concludes a Busy Calendar of Philanthropy and Events

    AGBU Press Office
    55 East 59th Street
    New York, NY 10022-1112
    Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
    Fax: 212.319.6507
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.agbu.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    Tuesday, May 6, 2008

    AGBU Cairo Concludes a Busy Calendar of Philanthropy and Events

    AGBU Cairo retired the year 2007 with some promising philanthropy,
    aiding in the funding of two very important and meaningful programs that
    will continue to prosper into 2008 and beyond.

    December 13, 2007 marked the inauguration of the Armenian Studies Center
    at Cairo University's Faculty of the Arts. To show their appreciation
    for the efforts of the faculty in the establishment and oversight of the
    Armenian Studies Center, AGBU Cairo Chairman Viken Djizmedjian and board
    member George Simonian paid a visit to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts,
    Ahmed Abdallah Zayed. The Armenian Studies Center will offer Armenian
    language courses, as well as courses on Armenian literature and history,
    and will organize conferences and lectures on Armenian culture and
    heritage.

    The first lecture took place that very day: Professor Nicolai
    Hovhanessian from the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia was
    invited to give a lecture on Armenian-Arab relations, which was attended
    by professors, students, and members of the Egyptian-Armenian community.
    The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Egypt, Ruben Karapetian,
    was among those in attendance, and has had a significant role in the
    creation of the Center. AGBU Cairo contributed 30,000 LE (approx. $5,500
    USD) to defray the center's expenses.

    Even the youngest members at AGBU Cairo gave of themselves, and for a
    great cause. On December 14, 2007, AGBU Cairo's Dziadzan children's
    choir performed for the children at the Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital
    in honor of "Armenian Day," along with Housaper's Dzaghgastan choir and
    members of the Sardarabad and Zankezour Armenian dance troupes. The
    children were delighted by the groups' cheerful songs and dances.
    "Armenian Day" was first initiated by the First Ladies of Armenia and
    Egypt in April 2007 during the President of the Republic of Armenia's
    first official visit to Egypt. The Armenian Embassy in Egypt and the
    Egyptian-Armenian community sponsored this cultural initiative in an
    effort to provide moral and material support to the Egyptian
    government's work in building this state-of-the-art hospital for the
    treatment of children with cancer. AGBU Cairo has donated 10,000 LE
    (approx. 2,000 USD) to the Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital.

    And now, as 2008 progresses, AGBU Cairo has continued its efforts in
    education and the promotion of Armenian culture, with a very exciting
    lecture, another performance by the Dziadzan children's choir and a
    presentation about AGBU's growing list of youth programs in Armenia.

    AGBU Cairo invited Hamlet Petrosyan, Professor of Archaeology and Senior
    Research Fellow of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the
    National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, to present the findings of
    ongoing archaeological excavations of the historical city of Tigranakert
    in Karabakh, built during the reign of King Tigran the Great, who ruled
    95-55 BC. Petrosyan gave two lectures: the first was held in Cairo on
    February 22 at the Belekdanian Hall, and the second in Alexandria at the
    Boghossian School on February 24.

    Petrosyan's riveting lectures were complete with comprehensive
    photographs and a DVD video presentation, affording the audience a sense
    of the magnitude of this long-term project. The massive excavations are
    being conducted by a group of archaeologists and scientists, and have
    thus far uncovered the ruins of the fortifying walls of the ancient
    city, as well as a cemetery, a church from a later period, and several
    housing compounds. Everyone in attendance was impressed and awed by the
    dedication and rigor shown by Petrosyan and his fellow scientists in
    their ongoing efforts to complete this project, despite practical and
    financial difficulties that have arisen.

    On March 13, the Dziadzan and Dzgaghgastan choirs joined voices at the
    Belekdanian Hall in Cairo in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the
    Karabakh liberation movement. Their performance was part of a cultural
    event organized by the local Armenian political parties. The program
    included a lecture on the history of the conflict by the director of the
    Armenian Institute of History at the Armenian National Academy of
    Sciences, Ashod Melkonian, a flute and piano recital by Maestro Zakar
    Keshishian and Gamila Keshishian, a dance performance from the Zankezour
    troupe, and a poetry recitation by Nora Koehnelian.

    Later, on March 30, AGBU Armenian Youth Program coordinator, Hermine
    Duzian, traveled to Cairo to speak about the menu of youth programs
    offered by the organization in the homeland. In addition to the
    established Yerevan Summer Intern Program and the annual Youth Trip to
    Armenia and Karabakh, this year will witness the launch of the AGBU
    Scout Camp and the AGBU Study Abroad program in coordination with the
    American University of Armenia (AUA). For more information about these
    summer programs, visit www.agbu.org/summer2008. The following day,
    Duzian traveled to Alexandria to speak to parents and youth about the
    Armenia programs.

    Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
    non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
    annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
    identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
    programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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