UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1939-01-27_Page-032

1 201 DIVISION OF EXTENSION THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AT CAIRO REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1937--38 The President The American University at Cairo. Sir, I beg to submit herewith the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Division of Extension. The past year has been marked by two new experiments which, it is hoped, may eventually develop into new spheres of influence for the Division. In spite of the fact that the Secretary, Hanna Effendi Rizk, has been on leave of absence to study in America, the work has gone forward and the new experiments conducted even though certain of the well established aspects of the work have been slightly reduced. These experiments were the educational talking pictures and the cultur-al classes, both of which will be described in detail below. The usual number of lectures in Arabic, two per week, was reduced by one-half in order to allow time for the educational cinema. From the point of view of the Egyptian setting, the situation has not been as satisfactory as during the previous year. From early in December until the middle of April tole political pot was boiling. Before the dismissal of the Waf-dist Cabinet on December 30th, there were some days of uncertainty in which oc-curred a considerable number of demonstrations by supporters of the V:'afd and others. During January all public attention was focussed on the royal wedding, after which the campaign for the election of members of Parliament got into swing. This meant a multiplicity of political meetings in clubs, cafes, etc., which constantly attracted large numbers of the educated classes. The partisan press also kept matters stirred up. While there were fewer demonstrations and less obvious public excitement than in previous years, yet this very fact seemed to stimulate newspapers and leaders to greater efforts to interest the public in tine campaign. This general situation reacted considerably on our own program, as reflected in the fact that the average attendance at Arabic lectures has been the lowest since the opening of Evart Memorial Hall in 1928, not even excepting the year of the boycott, 1933-34. The situation may also have been reflected in the fact that the average attendance at the cinema was 417, whereas we had hoped that it might be in the neighbourhood of 600. Furthermore, our attempt to interest the Arabic-speaking public in cultural classes was not a success. As far as attitudes toward the University are concerned, we have cause only for rejoicing. There has been no evidence of hostility, but rather the opposite. We have had more attention by the Arabic press than in any previous year; in fact, 50 per cent better than the preceding year which had been the best up to that time. Lecturers have not been hard to secure, and we have had more applications than ever by persons who had lectures to give. The continued approval of Egyptian leaders is seen in the renewal of gifts by Dr. Ahmed Maher and Madame Charaoui, as well as in a new gift from Aly El-Shamsy Pasha. The year's work falls under three main headings: Lectures, Educational Cinemas, and Cultural Classes, to which may be added various extra-mural activ