WATANI International
12 September 2010
Al-Waqa’ie al-Misriya (The Egyptian Chronicles)
Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt, instituted dramatically new models in the military, economy and culture of the nation when he came into power in 1805. According to Nagwa Abdel-Salam, professor of Journalism at Cairo University, he later on realised that people must be informed about how the government was working. He thus gave orders to upgrade the Gornal al-Khedewi (The Khedive’s Journal) to give detailed updated and comprehensive news. The updated paper was created under the name of al-Waqa’ie al-Misriya (Egyptian Chronicles).
Gornal al-Khedewi was a report presented to Mohamed Ali’s secretaries on day-to-day issues regarding the agricultural and financial affairs of each town, city and region. The secretaries reviewed the reports, summarised them and then presented them to Mohamed Ali. At first the reports were presented on a monthly basis, but Mohamed Ali’s son realised that this was too long a span of time for him to remain uninformed, so he ordered that the reports be issued daily. They were finalised and printed in the Citadel print house.
An eye on reform
In his writings on the history of Egyptian journalism, the late Ibrahim Abdu, Journalism professor at Cairo University, said the first issue of al-Waqa’ie al-Misriya was published on 3 December 1828. The paper’s main purpose was to propagate Mohamed Ali’s efforts at reform and his achievements in Egypt. It was distributed to all governmental employees earning 1000 piasters (EGP10) or more, and the cost of the subscription was deducted from their salaries. It was also distributed in towns conquered by Mohamed Ali in the Levant and Hijaz (present-day Saudi Arabia).
The first issue consisted of four pages and was divided into two parts: one in Arabic and the other in Turkish. It was printed in the Boulaq print house that Mohamed Ali founded in 1819. Later it was distributed to scholars, intellectuals, school students and landowners. It was also sent to Crete, the Levant, to Sudan and to European delegations. All these made up about 600 readers.
Beginning of a meritocracy
Mohamed Ali spared no effort to use the paper to tout the achievements of his army fighting in the Levant.
He believed in the need to reward hard workers and penalise those who were less efficient, and so he published news and information about his employees and their promotions, demotions, terminations and disciplinary actions. From time to time the editor published news about mosque restorations, the newly-founded charity associations, plants and animals, literature, politics and foreign affairs and State social affairs that might be of interest to readers.
The men delegated to shoulder the responsibility of the new journal included persons who are today counted among the figures who spearheaded Egypt’s renaissance into the modern age. There was Refaa Rafei al-Tahtawi, the Syrian Ahmed Fares al-Shedyaq, and Shehab Eddin, chief editor at the Boulaq print house.
Al Waqa’ie ceased publication for a year when the Boulaq print house closed down. Publication resumed when Rushdi Bey took over the responsibility of the print house. He continued to manage the paper for three years until 1865.
Into the modern age
Al-Waqa’ie developed further under the rule of Khedive Ismail, taking choice pieces of news from Western newspapers, publishing telegraphs and providing space for internal and local affairs in addition to commercial, economical, social and cultural affairs. It also sold advertisement space to increase the revenue.
At that time, it played the role of defending the government against attacks from critics in the Egyptian foreign press. Khedive Ismail selected editorial and administrative staff of the highest calibre, regularly increasing their wages and privileges.
The paper followed traditional lines until Sheikh Mohamed Abdu became responsible for its publication during the rule of Khedive Tawfiq. Starting from issue 933 issued in 9 October 1880, Abdu turned it into a daily newspaper to be published every day except Friday. At the same time it became more independent as it was printed in its own print house, Matbaet al-Dakhelia al-Galila. There was also a slight increase in price. Mohamed Abdu wrote the editorial of the 9 October issue under the title of “The return of al-Waqa’ie al-Misriya in new style”.
Reference
The newspaper developed to become a reference for scholars and intellectuals from the East in general and from Egypt in particular. It opened its arms to students and the public, and allowed them to publish articles and opinions. At times it launched harsh criticism against the government and its servants, and it criticised the behaviour of officials leading up to the Orabi revolution that eventually led to improving the reform process in various governmental departments and ministries. For this reason it was considered an independent paper rather than a State-owned one.
Al Waqa’ie is one of the most credible annals of Egypt’s modern history. It was founded and developed by Egyptians and it played a vital role in teaching journalists from various countries the basics of writing and editing. One of these was Fares al-Shedyaq, who established Al-Gawanib (The Sides), a newspaper that carried a good reputation in the mid-19th century.
Today, al-Waqa’ie al-Misriya is still in circulation as the official paper of the State. It is a daily that carries all the texts of decrees, regulations, or resolutions, issued by State bodies. But on official holidays al-Waqa’ie too takes the day off.