Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (521)
Sheikh of the press
Al-Ahram's chief editor for 32 years, Dawoud Barakat's tenure witnessed World War I, the 1919 Revolution and the Declaration of 28 February 1922. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk* writes that the outpouring of sorrow following Barakat's death in 1933 only confirmed his place in the history of Egyptian journalism
Dawoud Barakat
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On 4 November 1933 Al-Ahram's Editor-in-Chief Dawoud Barakat passed away after more than 30 years of guiding Egypt's longest established newspaper through some very turbulent seas. This event stands side by side with four other turning points in the history of our newspaper. The first was 3 January 1881 when Al-Ahram, initially founded as a weekly, became a daily even if, prior to this, the founders, Salim and Bishara Taqla, had published a supplement called Sada Al-Ahram, or the "Echo". The second was 8 August 1892 when Salim Taqla, the elder of the two brothers died after which Bishara was forced to run the paper single-handedly. To Bishara goes the credit for transforming the newspaper from a small family-run enterprise, a characteristic of most newspapers at the time, to an institutionalised corporation which became one of the major reasons for Al-Ahram's unparalleled longevity.
The third landmark date, 3 November 1899 was when the newspaper moved its headquarters from Alexandria to Cairo. The move was not merely a shift in location but a qualitative transition. Throughout its stay in Alexandria, the newspaper had retained strong links to Lebanon, the Bisharas' native country. By moving to Cairo, they signalled their decision that Al-Ahram would finally acquire Egyptian nationality. The impact of this was not only apparent in the newspaper's growing Egyptian readership but also in its closer focus on Egyptian affairs, as opposed to the dual focus on Egyptian and Levantine affairs that had prevailed until then.
The fourth turning point occurred when Bishara Taqla passed away in the middle of the night on Friday, 15 June 1901, leaving behind his wife and son Gabriel. Although the young and energetic widow brought considerable energy and skill to the managerial side of running the newspaper after her husband's death, she found it difficult to fill her husband's shoes in the editorial department, and quickly realised that she would have to turn to one of the newspaper's top journalists to take over the position of editor-in-chief. The choice fell on Dawoud Barakat, then a promising young staff member. Although he was only 30 at the time, he was born in 1870, he had long since given ample proof of his ability to fill Bishara's vacated post.
Barakat grew up in a very similar environment to that of the Taqla brothers. Born in Lebanon, in Bakhshoush, he received his primary education in Al-Mahaba School in Aramoun. "It is a very well-established school, reputed for its excellence, especially in the instruction of Arabic," Al-Ahram writes. Afterwards, he went to a higher level school in Ghazir, and from there to the Government School in Beirut, "a school famous for producing writers, poets and men of letters".
Al-Ahram continues, "When Barakat came to Egypt, a recent graduate from that illustrious school, he started to contribute articles and useful studies to the press. However, at that point he had not yet committed himself to a career in journalism, having first worked for the Survey Authority in Tanta, after which he became a teacher at the American School in Zifta."
It was in the 1890s that he began to devote himself full-time to journalism. In 1894, he became editor-in-chief of Al-Mahrousa. Soon afterwards, he, together with his friend, the noted journalist Sheikh Youssef Al-Khazen, founded the Al-Akhbar daily "which won high respect in the world of Egyptian and Oriental journalism". In 1899, he began working for Al-Ahram in which, given his journalistic track record, it was only natural that he soar to the top. Then, two years later, when Bishara died, Dawoud Barakat began his tenure at the newspaper's helm, which he only abandoned upon his death at the age of 63.
Barakat must have been an imposing figure. In writing Barakat's obituary, Abdallah Hussein, one of Al-Ahram's senior staff members, wrote, "He was courageous and resolute. What adversity he had to fight, what shocks he sustained, what patience he summoned in times of crisis, he always emerged victorious. He was the epitome of the astute politician with a magnanimous heart and penetrating insight. He was, unquestionably, the sheikh of the press and journalists."
Hussein continues, "Barakat was not a mere narrator of events. He was a scholar, versed in philosophy, engineering, sociology, history, Arab and Western literature, and Islamic theology. Whenever he entered into discussion with Muslim scholars on points of interpretation and jurisprudence, his interlocutors would inevitably emerge awestruck at his vast erudition. He would always formulate his own opinion on everything he read. In spite of his long working day at Al-Ahram -- from noon until 2.00am, and sometimes 4.00 in the morning -- upon his return home he would retire to his library among his books. Historical works and the memoirs of famous politicians were his favourite reading."
As was customary in obituaries, Hussein listed many of Barakat's other virtues. He was "serene, imperturbable, never one to lose his temper when contradicted. He had no personal enemies as he had never known greed, envy or spite. And he never swayed from his customary patience, forbearance and clemency, however vehemently people of differing opinions disagreed with him, and regardless of the lengths of impropriety to which they would go in refuting his views. Nor had he ever so much as contemplated capitalising on an event or circumstance for the purpose of revenge."
It is interesting to note that Barakat's tenure -- 32 years -- was longer than those of Salim and Bishara Taqla put together (1876 to 1901). True, the period of the founders saw many momentous events such as the Orabi Revolution and the British occupation of Egypt in 1882. However, Barakat's era brought events of no lesser consequence: World War I, the 1919 Revolution and the Declaration of 28 February 1922, rendering Egypt an independent kingdom for the first time in its modern history.
Perhaps the outpouring of sorrow over Barakat's death in every Egyptian newspaper confirms that he had been, indeed, the "sheikh of the press". Al-Muqattam, one of the most popular newspapers at the time and a frequent adversary of Al-Ahram over many issues, described Barakat as "a symbol of the Arab press, a pillar of Arabic literature and a leader in the craft of the pen. This most eloquent writer was among our sincerest and closest colleagues, generous in spirit and honest in word and deed."
In its obituary for Barakat, Al-Balagh, the most widely distributed newspaper of the Wafd Party, wrote, "Dawoud Barakat died at his desk, which he left only to seek his final resting place. Al-Ahram was the only newspaper in which he worked and wrote. Nor had Al-Ahram ever known a more dedicated, more devoted, more affectionate servant than Dawoud. It was he who had shouldered the burden of the newspaper following the death of its founder, nurtured it as a father would his child and remained with it to the end of his life as a flag identifying Al-Ahram and identified by it."
Of all the other newspapers to share Al-Ahram's sorrow, Al-Balagh was the only one that featured a full-length tribute to his courageous stances as editor-in-chief. "His heart embraced the entire nation when military authorities [during World War I] tightened their grip on the Egyptian press. Al-Ahram was the forum in which nationalists could publish their appeal and disseminate their mission to the nation. Throughout his life, Dawoud championed the cause of Egyptian nationalism. Under the British occupation all newspapers opposed Mustafa Kamel, apart from Dawoud, who declared his devotion to the nationalist leader and supported him with his pen and with his newspaper, Al-Ahram."
Although Al-Balagh published the story of Al-Ahram's drive to form a press syndicate, we find it more appropriate here to give Barakat's own account, which appeared in an earlier Al-Ahram edition in diary form.
On "that day in 1900, in which journalists met in the Continental Hotel in response to the call of the founder of Al-Ahram to form a press syndicate," Barakat relates, "the correspondent of the Egyptian Gazette informed those present that Lord Cromer was not pleased with our project because he has an aversion to syndicates. This announcement was sufficient to divide the journalists into two camps, with a half of them continuing to insist upon creating a syndicate and the other half openly opposed."
On a subsequent occasion, journalists met to discuss the definition of "journalist". One newspaper owner objected, "I cannot accept that term for a newspaper writer because after all he could be working for a newspaper today and out in the streets selling radishes tomorrow." Barakat continues, "The journalists/writers were so incensed at this remark that they split from the newspaper owners and decided to form their own 'writers' syndicate. They were joined by a large number of lawyers and other supporters and they forged ahead with the project until they were confronted by Abdine Palace, at which point their ranks divided. However, the press persisted in its struggle until it succeeded in forming a syndicate and a journalists' club."
In the course of the world war, the syndicate applied for official recognition. Barakat relates, "The first thing I heard from the publications inspector was, 'Come on over and bring so and so with you, naming a veteran journalist.' He was certain that this person, who I will not name, would not support us. However, the syndicate remained alive and continued its struggle until the war ended. In 1920, it petitioned Prime Minister Tawfiq Nasim to grant certain privileges that are recognised the world over. The prime minister responded favourably to some of the demands, and these were the only concessions the press obtained."
The final remark suggests that Dawoud Barakat entertained serious doubts about the future of the Press Syndicate, at least during his lifetime. The impression was confirmed by Mohamed Hussein Heikal in his commemoration of the 40th day after Barakat's death. The pioneering journalist and writer recalls: "He was one of the most fervent champions of a press syndicate, and in the drive to create it and to keep it alive, he devoted all the energy he could summon. His efforts succeeded most of the time, and fell short of his desire at other times, but for reasons beyond his control and loathsome to his will. In spite of his successes, it is regrettable that before he died he was closer to despair than to hope with regard to the building of a healthy syndicate to represent the press. Indeed, such was his despair that he abandoned the efforts that it was hoped he would continue to exert, because he came to believe, after long years of experience, that if these efforts bear fruit one day they will whither the day after."
Kawkab Al-Sharq was another important Wafd Party mouthpiece to corroborate the esteem with which Barakat was held in journalistic and literary circles. It wrote, "The late editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram began his journalistic career 40 years ago, for which reason alone he is rightfully regarded as the sheikh of the press in Egypt. Throughout his service as editor-in-chief he remained true to the freedom and advancement of the press, towards which end he worked steadfastly until his death."
Dawoud Barakat had a special place in the heart of Tawfiq Diab, owner of another Wafd newspaper, Al-Jihad. Diab had recently been a cause celebre, having been prosecuted for a press and publications offence for which he was found guilty and sentenced to nine months in prison. Barakat was highly instrumental in rallying leading journalists to ensure that Diab, as a member of the press, would not be treated as ordinary criminal inmates.
Al-Jihad described Barakat's death as "a tragedy for the Egyptian press". The newspaper continues: "It is only proper that he was dubbed the sheikh of the press, after having served it for some 40 years. Moreover, in addition to his journalistic talents and the cherished place he had among his colleagues, he was a friend who stood by them in time of need. Even in the sedate dignity of his sunset years, he would take to his feet to defend them against evil, to safeguard their noble profession from harm and to advance the cause of the press and journalists. The many courageous stances he took towards these ends are well-known and have won our deepest gratitude."
Even the newspapers of the two parties that formed the current government of Ismail Sidqi could not help but to acknowledge Barakat's place in the history of the Egyptian press. Al-Ittihad was uncharacteristically and unabashedly lyrical. He was "profusely courteous, noble in character, equable, sincere and bold in heart. His was an intrepid pen that plunged straight into the fray, his was a boundless breadth of knowledge that knew no shore, his was a modest tongue that gave voice to nothing but the kindest thoughts, the most enticing words, the soundest advice and the most cogent views."
Al-Shaab, for its part, paid tribute to Barakat's efforts to gather journalists into a single syndicate. "He was one of the mainstays of the press, one of its greatest champions, and he will always be remembered as the first to propose founding a syndicate for it."
Of all the newspapers, the French-language La Liberté was the least emotive and the keenest to focus on Barakat's professional virtues. On his own writings, it observed that he clad his ideas in "a gown of historical science and encyclopaedic fact, thereby elevating the simple word to a reverberating essay, grounded in documented substance, supported by cogent argument and given force by carefully chosen style". The article goes on to laud Barakat as a true professional: "He imbibed Egyptian politics moment by moment for 40 years. The smallest detail on events and men of our times was at the beck and call of his astoundingly capacious and clear memory. And in the heat of contemporary disputes, when pens flew unbridled into the basest excesses, Dawoud Barakat remained true to the great traditions of journalism. He was a model of sobriety and moderation, abundant tastefulness and thorough decency."
Such praise summons us to a closer look at the legacy Dawoud Barakat bequeathed to Al-Ahram. Barakat's literary proclivities had a definite impact on his editorial decisions. Within months of becoming editor-in-chief at the end of 1901, he initiated a new column, "In praise of books". In 1917, the column resurfaced under the heading, "Publications and critique", and once again four years later as, "Between the strain of instruction and the fruits of writing". Three titles representing three stages in the development of perhaps the first book review page in the Egyptian press. Whereas in its chrysalis, it served primarily to advertise recent publications, it began to spread its wings in literary criticism and then matured into a fully-fledged forum for ideas in which such intellectual luminaries as Taha Hussein, Mansour Fahmi and Mohamed Hussein Heikal brandished their literary swords.
All who knew the sheikh of the Egyptian press knew his passion for history. Here, too, his contributions were manifold and lasting. His own publications include, Unite Around a Single Word (1921), "a magnificent study on political life in Egypt", as it was hailed at the time of the rift between Adli Yakan and Saad Zaghlul, and The Egyptian Sudan and British Political Ambitions (1924), an impassioned discourse on the previous three years of British colonial designs in the Nile Valley.
For Al-Ahram itself he wrote the lengthy study, "Fifty years ago: The Orabi Revolution and its impact on Egypt and the world". This "longest marathon in the history of the Egyptian press," as we described it in one of the episodes of the Chronicle, appeared in 50 instalments between 7 October 1931 and 29 January 1932, or at an average of an article every two or three days over a 114-day period. The popularity of the series inspired Barakat to contribute another, "100 years ago: Ibrahim the Conqueror and his conquest of the Levant in 1832". Although not as long as its predecessor, it was still impressive, with 36 episodes appearing between 18 February and 5 May 1932.
Crucial to the survival of Al-Ahram throughout this turbulent period was Barakat's political acumen and ability to accommodate adverse circumstances. During World War I, when the British censors had their scissors poised over the Egyptian press to prevent whole articles from appearing or entire newspaper editions from hitting the streets, Barakat navigated Al-Ahram on a course that kept those scissors well at bay. One of his stratagems was to focus on purely social issues, albeit some of the most controversial, such as "Egyptian women and the veil". Years later, when the heavy handedness of Prime Minister Sidqi (1930-35) clamped down on the press, he adopted a different course of action, which was to remain neutral in the battle between the Wafd Party and the palace, sufficing with publishing news reports and statements issued by both sides.
However, this policy of keeping Al-Ahram's head down could have cost readership had not Barakat been inventive enough to find other ways to hold the public's attention. One of these was to feature opinion polls on issues that stimulated readers' imaginations. One of these solicited readers' opinions on the following question: "If the nation could choose to revive one man who has passed on to the other world, who would it be?" A second was the survey on readers' choices for the 20 people to fill the 20-seat board of the recently established Arab Language Academy.
But, perhaps the most important key to the success of Barakat's leadership of the newspaper was his desire to constantly innovate and inject new blood. This characteristic manifested itself in the many new features and pages he introduced, such as "The Al-Ahram postbox", "What should be known", and "Cinema and entertainment", to name a few. It could thus be said that Al-Ahram had three founders, rather than two: Salim Taqla, Bishara Taqla and Dawoud Barakat. To these we should add a fourth, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, who recently wanted to take his leave, a decision all have joined unanimously to reject.
* The author is a professor of history and head of Al-Ahram History Studies Centre.
