{"id":7722,"date":"2016-06-15T00:17:36","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T00:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.creativecitiescairo.org\/conference\/?page_id=7722"},"modified":"2024-09-14T00:56:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T00:56:12","slug":"opening-remarks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7722","title":{"rendered":"Opening Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221; bg_override=&#8221;ex-full&#8221; enable_overlay=&#8221;enable_overlay_value&#8221; overlay_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; overlay_pattern=&#8221;08.png&#8221; overlay_pattern_opacity=&#8221;30&#8243; bg_color_value=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1477801266256{margin-top: -40px !important;margin-bottom: -90px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 90px !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Lisa_Anderson&#8221;][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;Opening Remarks&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8016&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Lisa_Anderson&#8221;]<div class=\" ubtn-ctn-center \"><a class=\"ubtn-link ult-adjust-bottom-margin ubtn-center ubtn-normal \" href = \"#Lisa_Anderson\" target='' ><button type=\"button\" id=\"ubtn-9718\" class=\"ubtn ult-adjust-bottom-margin ult-responsive ubtn-normal ubtn-no-hover-bg  none  ubtn-center   tooltip-69e331af23dbd\"  data-hover=\"\" data-border-color=\"\" data-bg=\"#011a29\" data-hover-bg=\"\" data-border-hover=\"\" data-shadow-hover=\"\" data-shadow-click=\"none\" data-shadow=\"\" data-shd-shadow=\"\"  data-ultimate-target='#ubtn-9718'  data-responsive-json-new='{\"font-size\":\"desktop:16px;\",\"line-height\":\"\"}'  style=\"font-weight:normal;border:none;background: #011a29;color: #ffffff;\"><span class=\"ubtn-hover\" style=\"background-color:\"><\/span><span class=\"ubtn-data ubtn-text \" >Lisa Anderson<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8019&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Nathaniel_Bowditch&#8221;]<div class=\" ubtn-ctn-center \"><a class=\"ubtn-link ult-adjust-bottom-margin ubtn-center ubtn-normal \" href = \"#Nathaniel_Bowditch\" target='' ><button type=\"button\" id=\"ubtn-3090\" class=\"ubtn ult-adjust-bottom-margin ult-responsive ubtn-normal ubtn-no-hover-bg  none  ubtn-center   tooltip-69e331af23de5\"  data-hover=\"\" data-border-color=\"\" data-bg=\"#011a29\" data-hover-bg=\"\" data-border-hover=\"\" data-shadow-hover=\"\" data-shadow-click=\"none\" data-shadow=\"\" data-shd-shadow=\"\"  data-ultimate-target='#ubtn-3090'  data-responsive-json-new='{\"font-size\":\"desktop:16px;\",\"line-height\":\"\"}'  style=\"font-weight:normal;border:none;background: #011a29;color: #ffffff;\"><span class=\"ubtn-hover\" style=\"background-color:\"><\/span><span class=\"ubtn-data ubtn-text \" >Nathaniel Bowditch<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8018&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Riham_Arram&#8221;]<div class=\" ubtn-ctn-center \"><a class=\"ubtn-link ult-adjust-bottom-margin ubtn-center ubtn-normal \" href = \"#Riham_Arram\" target='' ><button type=\"button\" id=\"ubtn-6078\" class=\"ubtn ult-adjust-bottom-margin ult-responsive ubtn-normal ubtn-no-hover-bg  none  ubtn-center   tooltip-69e331af23df8\"  data-hover=\"\" data-border-color=\"\" data-bg=\"#011a29\" data-hover-bg=\"\" data-border-hover=\"\" data-shadow-hover=\"\" data-shadow-click=\"none\" data-shadow=\"\" data-shd-shadow=\"\"  data-ultimate-target='#ubtn-6078'  data-responsive-json-new='{\"font-size\":\"desktop:16px;\",\"line-height\":\"\"}'  style=\"font-weight:normal;border:none;background: #011a29;color: #ffffff;\"><span class=\"ubtn-hover\" style=\"background-color:\"><\/span><span class=\"ubtn-data ubtn-text \" >Riham Arram<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8020&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Omar_Nagati&#8221;]<div class=\" ubtn-ctn-center \"><a class=\"ubtn-link ult-adjust-bottom-margin ubtn-center ubtn-normal \" href = \"#Omar_Nagati\" target='' ><button type=\"button\" id=\"ubtn-6528\" class=\"ubtn ult-adjust-bottom-margin ult-responsive ubtn-normal ubtn-no-hover-bg  none  ubtn-center   tooltip-69e331af23e07\"  data-hover=\"\" data-border-color=\"\" data-bg=\"#011a29\" data-hover-bg=\"\" data-border-hover=\"\" data-shadow-hover=\"\" data-shadow-click=\"none\" data-shadow=\"\" data-shd-shadow=\"\"  data-ultimate-target='#ubtn-6528'  data-responsive-json-new='{\"font-size\":\"desktop:16px;\",\"line-height\":\"\"}'  style=\"font-weight:normal;border:none;background: #011a29;color: #ffffff;\"><span class=\"ubtn-hover\" style=\"background-color:\"><\/span><span class=\"ubtn-data ubtn-text \" >Omar Nagati<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8014&#8243; img_size=&#8221;496*331&#8243; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; img_link_target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7916#Lisa_Anderson&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iC-Rk_x5s2g&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1481222945473{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}&#8221;]<strong>The conference was inaugurated by The American University in Cairo\u2019s President Lisa Anderson, who referred to the role AUC has played in building up a community around its Downtown campus in the past, and welcomed the conference as an opportunity for the institution to reflect on its evolving role. President Anderson reflected on the role that AUC can play in supporting and participating in the increasingly vibrant arts community Downtown. The campus\u2019 prime location, overlooking Tahrir Square on the intersection of Muhammad Mahmud, Qasr al-\u2018Aini and Shaykh Rihan streets, means it \u201cowns some of the most valuable real estate in Cairo, which makes it some of the most valuable real estate in the world.\u201d How should AUC be using this property? And how can AUC think about the university\u2019s evolution in the context of its neighborhood? How will changes that will happen, and that have already happened (AUC moved most of its student body to the New Cairo campus in 2008) affect the surrounding small businesses and residents? President Anderson spoke of the new Neighborhood Initiative that AUC is developing in collaboration with the American University in Beirut, to think about the roles that universities play in enhancing and sometimes inhibiting the flourishing of their own neighborhoods. She further addressed the question of government, asking what the government envisions for the area, and how AUC can play a constructive role in the re-envisioning of Downtown Cairo, \u201cstripped as it may be of the ministries and government functions that have shaped the streets that surround us.\u201d<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;Nathaniel_Bowditch&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;7743&#8243; img_size=&#8221;469*331&#8243; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7916#Nathaniel_Bowditch&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0Vd-4anmhbY&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1481223011330{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}&#8221;]<strong>Following President Anderson, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nathaniel Bowditch spoke of the importance of the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, challenging the prevalent mode of hyper-specialization.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;Riham_Arram&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;7751&#8243; img_size=&#8221;469*331&#8243; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; img_link_target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7916#Riham_Arram&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rKukF5IQe3A&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1481223188409{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}&#8221;]<strong>Riham Arram, Executive Director of the newly founded Cairo heritage preservation unit, spoke of the importance for Cairo governorate to participate in this conference that \u201cincludes all the disciplines with different and diverse views on how to preserve the heritage of Cairo and promote it as a creative city: addressing current challenges facing the city\u2019s development, and how we may contribute from different positions.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>She related the preservation unit\u2019s goals of preserving heritage as a means to safeguard cultural identity, provide an environment to encourage future creativity, and an economic asset to promote tourism. Arram cited the creation of the Cairo Heritage Preservation Unit two years ago as evidence of the renewed interest in Downtown\u2019s heritage, and the need to protect this heritage. According to Arram, there are over 300 buildings that are listed as protected by the Cairo Governorate, and part of the preservation unit\u2019s work is to develop a map, and plan, for repurposing some of these heritage spaces by the state.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;Omar_Nagati&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;7754&#8243; img_size=&#8221;469*331&#8243; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; img_link_target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7916#Omar_Nagati&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tGNbxQwA6K0&#8243; align=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1481223274982{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #dddddd !important;}&#8221;]<strong>The final remarks were given by CLUSTER\u2019s own Omar Nagati, who referred to downtown\u2019s history as a center for contemporary art and innovation, and warned against gentrifying the heart of the city, effectively turning it into a lifeless open-air museum. We must derive lessons from the past experiences of others, he said, and take into consideration the unique identity of Cairo, while also involving different stakeholders; business-owners, architects, residents, and especially artists, in the process of reimagining downtown Cairo.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221; bg_override=&#8221;ex-full&#8221; enable_overlay=&#8221;enable_overlay_value&#8221; overlay_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; overlay_pattern=&#8221;08.png&#8221; overlay_pattern_opacity=&#8221;30&#8243; bg_color_value=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1477801266256{margin-top: -40px !important;margin-bottom: -90px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 90px !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Lisa_Anderson&#8221;][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=&#8221;Opening Remarks&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8016&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Lisa_Anderson&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8019&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Nathaniel_Bowditch&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8018&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Riham_Arram&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8020&#8243; img_size=&#8221;200*200&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; link=&#8221;#Omar_Nagati&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=&#8221;black&#8221; border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;8014&#8243; img_size=&#8221;496*331&#8243; onclick=&#8221;custom_link&#8221; img_link_target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/?page_id=7916#Lisa_Anderson&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_video [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7722","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7722"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7722"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8707,"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7722\/revisions\/8707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/creativecitiescairo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}