Bahjouri and Alish open the Egyptian Caricature Day
Under the patronage of Dr. Niveen Al-Kilani, Minister of Culture, opening artist: George Al-Bahjouri, Artist: Sharif Alish, in the presence of Ambassador: Mohamed Reda Al-Taifi, Director of Egypt Public Libraries Fund, and Mrs. Dr. Iman Najm, Head of the Central Department for Literary Affairs and Competitions in the Ministry of Culture, and Dr. Nahla Al-Saidi, Advisor to Sheikh Al-Azhar for Arrivals, Researcher and Writer: Abdullah Al-Sawi The owner of the idea and the general coordinator of the celebration, at 5 pm next Monday, March 13, at the headquarters of the General Library of Egypt in Giza, the first round of the celebration: Egyptian Caricature Day, organized by the Abdullah Al-Sawi Foundation for the Preservation of Egyptian Caricature Heritage, in cooperation with the Central Administration for Literary Affairs and Competitions of the Supreme Council of Culture, The French Institute in Egypt, hosts Egypt's General Library in Giza in the period from 13 to 20 March this year, as part of the library's program to celebrate its twenty-eighth anniversary.
And why was the 25th of March chosen specifically as the day of Egyptian caricature? At the end of 2020, I began to think of holding a major festival held annually on a fixed date to celebrate Egyptian cartoonists, highlighting the pioneers of cartoon art and unknown stations in the history of Egyptian caricature, said Abdullah Al-Sawi, the researcher and writer, Abdullah El-Sawy, the ideaist and the unknown stations in Egyptian caricature history, and there was more than a proposed option, and after A phase of research and scrutiny, it has been established that March 25th of every year, is the Egyptian Caricature Day; where the Egyptian satirical writer: Jacob Sanoua, succeeded, on this day in 1878, in the publication of the first issue of his satirical magazine: "Abu Zara Zarqa" in Cairo, to be the first comic caricature magazine not Not only in Egypt, but in the East Qasiya and Dania; as described by Professor Dr. Ibrahim Abdo, in his book: The Revolutionary Journalist; issued within the series of the Golden Book of Ros Joseph in 1955, in which he has a biography and career: Jacob Sanoua.
About the celebratory program Sarah El-Sawi, the festival was exceptionally scheduled this year to be 13 instead of March 25, in order to avoid being held in the month of Ramadan, the festival includes two exhibitions: titled: 145 years of caricatures, including 145 caricatures starting from the magazine: "Abu Nazara Zarqa", through the most popular magazines and cartoon newspapers, as well A collection of rare caricatures, exhibited in a public exhibition for the first time; of the most important and famous pioneers of Egyptian cartoon art over 145 years.
And the second: Jacob Sanua Exhibition.. The leading Egyptian caricature, the product of an international caricature portrait competition, organized by the Caricature Memory Project, in collaboration with the Syrian Caricature website, in commemoration of Yaqoub Sanoua, the first owner of Lebanon in the Egyptian Caricature School in the modern age; the competition has received a great turnout with more than two hundred painters from over fifty State.
Al-Sawy explained that the celebration aims to preserve an authentic part of the Egyptian identity, and comes within the framework of the Caricature Memory Project's focus on preserving the heritage of Egyptian caricature art, and celebrating Egyptian caricature artists, by re-reading and writing the history of Egyptian caricatures and its early ancestors, according to a sound scientific methodological mechanism, and highlighting the pioneers of art The unknown Egyptian cartoonists, as well as the proper definition of what great services they provided in the process of modern Egyptian cartoon art.
