Today, Watani embarks on a journey through its archives of the last 10 years, from 2008 to 2018, which marks the paper’s journey from its 50th to its 60th year. Watani had already taken its readers on a trip down its archives of 50 years when it marked its jubilee in 2008. Now, ten years on, we venture on another trip, this time during the years from 2008 to 2018. I had earlier informed readers that, as Watani steps into its 60th year, we would dedicate a full page in the 50 upcoming editions of 2018—we have to leave out the issues of the feasts of the Nativity and the Resurrection for the special nature of the material they carry—to highlight the paper’s coverage of events during the last 10 years. A little mathematics shows that each of these years should be covered over five Sundays of Watani’s 2018 issues; the first four will offer material printed in the Arabic version of the paper; the fifth will focus on coverage by our English-language Watani International and French-language Watani Francophone, as well as our electronic paper at www.wataninet.com.
In 2008, Watani’s golden jubilee year, a team of our then youngest reporters delved into our 50-year archive and offered readers a glimpse into the pages and stories the paper ran during the half-century since it was founded. This time round, our newest generation of reporters is already on the job, eager to present an exciting read of the most remarkable events of the last decade, and at the same time benefit from the experienced work of their predecessors. Among the first challenges that confronted our reporters was the design of a unique character for the page. This challenge never existed back in 2008, since the pages of the previous 50 years of Watani held the traits of old journalism in terms of content, form, headlines, pictures and techniques. Now, however, we had to design a special contemporary, attractive page to document the last 10 years of Watani and match their journalistic character.
I am happy to launch the first page of the series “Watani’s ten-year journey down memory lane, from its 50th to its 60th year”, which will extend till December 2018 when we celebrate 60 years of Watani. A peek into the first episode of the series shows the following:
• Watani Forum at the Journalists’ Syndicate discusses: “How can we empower the Declaration of Citizenship on the ground?”
– Youssef Sidhom: We are beyond the monitoring phase and must move to action.
– Mustafa al-Fiqi: Hearts are heavier than I imagined; slogans are no longer sufficient.
– Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour: The State deals with sectarian incidents without courage.
– Hafez Abu-Seada: Absence of law enforcement allows extremists to hijack citizenship rights.
• Ruling by Supreme Administrative Court on reconverts to Christianity: A step towards freedom of belief.
• The Nile Delta sinking… A huge calamity awaiting Egypt.
• Experts discuss the rise of Islamic streams in Arab parliaments.
• 66 per cent of Americans are against war in Iraq.
• A loaf of bread: Every day’s crisis.
• Screenplay writer Wahid Hamed opens his heart to Watani’s youth:
My opinions and stances against extremist groups will not change.
• The city of peace on the walls of the Underground metro.
• No criminals…The other side of juveniles.
• Children magazine: “What money cannot buy”.
• Sports: Zamalek vs al-Hodoud and Muqawloon vs Enppi.
• Bird flu enters its third year.
This is just a selection from the first page down Watani memory lane. I hope you enjoy it, and welcome comments and suggestions.
Watani International
14 January 2018
