Unique legacy
By
Salama A Salama
Friends pass away, leaving a void that no one knows how to fill. The shock is worse when their death is unexpected and when one is unable to offer proper condolences when it happens. I was not in Egypt when the candle flickered its last and a wonderful person was no longer among us. I learned of Hosny Guindy's death, perhaps fittingly, from the personal tributes published in the two publications he worked for his entire life -- Al-Ahram and Al- Ahram Weekly. Hosny had been grappling with illness for several years, but he continued to work with just the same dedication, if not more, as if frailty of body didn't matter in the least.
Hosny and I were friends and colleagues for many years. I still remember his younger self, freshly graduated from AUC, sitting at the round table of the foreign news desk of Al- Ahram, along with the veteran writers and translators of the profession, soft- spoken and well- mannered. Journalism is a rough-and-tumble profession, and a little shoving and pushing, even a dash of back-stabbing, is not that uncommon. That Hosny made it in this profession, while keeping his integrity and manners intact, is to his lasting credit.
No major paper can survive without an efficient and hard-working foreign desk. This has always been the case. Hosny became head of Al-Ahram foreign desk at a time just as perplexing and fast changing, full of cold and hot conflicts, as today. His sure hand at the helm, his meticulous attention to detail, and his broad vision kept the foreign desk ahead of the competition, both locally and internationally.
It is tempting for young journalists to slip into the ways of their seniors, to adopt worn-out clichés, embrace old methods, and just keep doing more of the same. The real challenge is to start a new operation with a new style. This is just what Hosny did. Thirteen years ago Al-Ahram decided to create an English-language publication targeting foreign readers. Al-Ahram Weekly was meant to be a bridge between East and West. It had to be accessible to the western mind but faithful to the Arab and Egyptian point of view. Launching such a publication was no easy matter, and numerous meetings, involving people from inside and outside Al- Ahram, were held to decide on who will run the paper.
Finally, Hosny Guindy's name came up. Soon everyone agreed that his cool- headedness, experience, and low-key approach would help him put together a quality publication commanding the respect of a foreign audience. The effort was great but fruitful. Hosny gave the paper a style I would say that Arabic-language papers would do well to emulate. Under him Al-Ahram Weekly became known for its distinctive, no-nonsense coverage, as well as the ability to draw the line between fact and opinion.
Hosny ran a tight operation, with a team of dedicated and professional journalists, with characteristically warm and easy-mannered leadership. Under him the Weekly has produced a generation of Egyptian journalists as good as the best in the profession anywhere. The Weekly has been able to improve over the years, thanks to Hosny's work ethic. Its articles, weighty and informative as they are, are slightly on the lengthy side, perhaps suggesting the style of a weekly magazine more than a newspaper.
Hosny is no longer with us but he has left us with a unique legacy. His humanistic style, his tender manners, and his sense of integrity will always inspire those privileged enough to have known and worked with him.
