14 - 20 June 2001
Issue No.538
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 June 2001 Issue No.538 |
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Obituary
Tumadir Tawfiq, 1921-2001
Born in Al-Simbelawein, Daqahliyya in 1921, Tumadir Tawfiq was a member of the generation of pioneering Egyptian women who took public life by storm in the mid twentieth century. Tawfiq graduated with a degree in English Literature from Cairo University in 1942 and for a short time worked as a journalist before joining the Egyptian Radio. There she introduced and presented a variety of cultural programmes. She was the first woman news anchor in Egypt and occupied several senior posts, including head of the European Service and director of the radio series sector.
When television was introduced to Egypt in 1960, Tawfiq was one of the first women to join. She was sent on a scholarship to learn directing in the United States. On her return, she became the first woman television director in Egypt. Her ascent of the television hierarchy seemed unstoppable as she continued to be appointed to senior managerial positions, including supervisor of educational programmes. In 1977, Tawfiq was the first woman to be appointed director of the Egyptian television, a position she held until 1980. Her ground breaking appointment appears, in fact, to have established something of a precedent, with several other women following in her footsteps to occupy national television's most senior post.
Friends remember "Titi" as an extremely cultured, assertive woman accustomed to taking command while at the same time consistently maintaining a healthy sense of humour. Viewers recall a serious presenter who fronted many successful shows on Egyptian television, including Ishrin Su'al (Twenty Questions), Waghan li-Wagh (Face to Face), Ma'a Al-Nuqqad (Among the Critics), Hawl Al-Dai'ra Al-Mustadira (Around the Round Table) and Ra'yy Al-Sha'b (The People's Opinion).
Tawfiq's warm voice, long familiar to radio listeners, and her clear enunciation made her the excellent choice to record the speaking clock. And once again, she was the first woman to do so. She will be remembered by subsequent generations of Egyptians as a pioneer in the field of mass communications.
Tawfiq's marriage to the late Ali Hamdi El-Gammal, Al-Ahram editor-in-chief, ended in divorce. The couple had no children. Tumadir Tawfiq passed away on Friday, 8 June, aged 80.
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