The Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Art Centre has announced this week that it is preparing a rich programme for its 18th round of the International Summer Festival, dedicating it to late Artist Mahmoud Reda, who passed away on 10 July at the age of 89.

The festival, which will see strict safety measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus, will start on 15 August until 29 August at the different venues of the centre.

"This year, the festival will be packed with several artistic events, which will be announced on Thursday 6 August 2020. Stay tuned," reads a statement on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's website.

Born in 1931, Reda, who participated as an athlete in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, founded Reda Troupe in 1959, finding wide success that led to official adoption by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in 1961, with the troupe performing all over the country and in many important venues abroad.

Reda Troupe collaborated with numerous musicians and starred in many films like Agazet Nos Al-Sanah in 1961, directed by his brother Ali Reda, in addition to other films like Gharam fi Al-Karnak in 1967 and Harami El-Waraqa in 1970.

Mahmoud Reda worked with the troupe until he retired in 1990, although he continued to supervise it artistically.

Egypt resumed public culture activities last month as part of phase one of the country's cautious reopening following the COVID-19 lockdown, with all events held under strict measures that include social distancing, obligatory facemasks, and sanitising.

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