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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A weekly taste of culture
By Fatemah Farag
Al-Qahira (the Arabic name for Cairo, which literally means the conqueror or the victorious), a 28-page weekly newspaper, will hit the newsstands on 18 April. Published by the Ministry of Culture, Al-Qahira was once an esteemed cultural monthly magazine under the leadership of the late left-wing intellectual, Ghali Shukri. With Shukri's death in 1998, however, the magazine was issued irregularly, wavering between a number of alternative editorial orientations. But now, says Salah Eissa, its newly-appointed chief editor, "we will experiment with the first Arabic-language cultural publication that addresses the general reader. We want a newspaper that attracts the reader of daily newspapers. In the words of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, the weekly will 'culturise' politics." From his new office, overlooking the bright green lawn of the Ministry of Culture's Zamalek premises, Eissa elaborated on an even more ambitious programme. "We want Al-Qahira to incorporate all the trends which make up the social and political movements of today and to be a newspaper that should help create a national front; a forum of debate. We want the project to search out for factors of national unity as well as defend our national memory - an especially important point for younger generations. We wish to fully utilise the available margin of democracy and also call for its expansion. In short, it will be a liberal newspaper which observes the highest professional standards."
The choice of Eissa to head the newspaper is significant. In recent years, Eissa has been an important proponent of a national front, advocating that all political trends should reach agreement on a basic minimum of political demands, working collectively towards their realisation. As well as being a prominent member of the Press Syndicate, where his preoccupation with the dire need to raise the standard of the profession has been a salient theme of his activities, Eissa is also acclaimed for his own style of journalism: informative, to the point, and witty to boot.
Salah Eissa
But is the plan not highly ambitious: a weekly newspaper that is serious but entertaining, witty yet factually correct, published by the government but claiming to be independent? Discussing the last point, Eissa was candid. "The fact that we are published by the government poses challenges: how to convince the government to publish a newspaper that reflects society, not the government, a publication that may criticise the ministry that sponsors it and open its pages to the critics of its performance?" Eissa said. He added that "the independence of Al-Qahira was one of the first points I brought up [with officials] following my appointment."
In the same breath, Eissa came out strongly against what he described as the "cheap abuse of freedom," calling for a moderate approach that takes advantage of the margin of freedom that is available. "Those who are opposed to freedom are not only located within the government, but they also make up factions of society at large. Consequently, our mandate is to emphasise real freedom, that is freedom which is based on serious effort and hard work."
The question of the publisher apart, Eissa acknowledges that there are other issues to confront. "Finding journalists who can give us the product we are looking for is a problem. The standard of Arabic-language journalism has generally plummeted and I find myself in a position where I have to teach people basic skills, such as not plagiarising other people's copy and making sure that the information is correct. If you look at the foreign-language newspapers published in Egypt, you will find that they have a much higher professional standard than the Arabic-language press. We intend to overcome this shortcoming."
As a result, Eissa is spending long hours with the young men and women who fill the room next to his office. "The door between our offices is always open and they complain that I talk too much sometimes," he laughingly commented.
"A problem faced by the younger generation of journalists is that they lack teachers and mentors of the profession. Many journalists of the older cadre have turned into bureaucrats, partly as a result of the association of the press with the state, and partly because of their own choices. To find their way, young journalists are left to exchange their limited experience with one another. What else can we expect?"
As far as the future readership of Al-Qahira is concerned, Eissa strongly believes that the cutting edge of success rests with the newspaper's writers. "Journalism is like art, and art is a game of talent and proficiency. This is the game we must play to come up with a product that will draw people to us, not just to entertain them but also to provide them with information and stimulate their thinking."
