CAIRO – 27 January 2019: Le Progrès Egyptien celebrated its 125
th anniversary on Jan. 23 in Cairo International Book Exhibition, as part of the exhibition’s celebration of its golden jubilee, and within the Egyptian-French cultural and artistic celebrations for 2019.
The celebration was titled “Le Progrès Egyptien: 125 years of Francophone culture” and was held in a conference room in Plaza 1 building in the Cairo International Exhibition Centre in the Fifth Settlement. The conference ran from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The celebration was attended by a notable group of Egyptian and international Francophone intellectuals, including famed TV presenter and writer Rola Kharsa, playwright and critic Mohamed Nassif, francophone journalist Nisreen Shoukry and Chief Researcher in the Ministry of Antiquities Magdy Shaker.
Part of the attendees/Mustafa Marie
Le Progrès Egyptien is the only Egyptian French-language daily newspaper. It was established in 1893 and owned by Al-Gomhuria governmental newspaper.
The Egyptian French newspaper played a significant role in portraying Egypt’s cultural, political, economic, social and historical aspects to French people and Francophone intellectuals living in Egypt.
Le Progrès Egyptien minimized the gap between the Egyptian society and its French counterpart by bringing them closer through the newspaper’s valuable articles and innovative journalism coverage.
Chaimaa Abdel Illah, the newspaper’s editor in chief, thanked the attendees for taking the time to celebrate the newspaper’s 125th anniversary. Abdel Illah expressed her deep pride and happiness for being the newspaper’s first female editor in chief and for being the only woman in Egypt to hold such a position in one of Egypt’s pioneering newspapers.
Chief in Editor Chaimaa Abdel Illah and Nisreen ShoukryMustafa Marie.JPG
“I am extremely happy and proud for being Le Progrès Egyptien's editor in chief. My team and I work very hard around the clock to provide our readers with special coverage of everything that happens in the country. I would like to thank Rola Kharsa for accepting our invitation in such a short notice. It honors us as a newspaper to have such a self-acclaimed writer and TV personality like Kharsa with us today,” said Abdel Illah.
“We do not only provide our francophone community in Egypt with the normal daily news coverage, we also make the effort to translate content written in numerous languages to French to make sure we provide our readers with unique content that cannot be found anywhere else,” Abdel Illah stressed.
Part of the Francophone community in Egypt/Mustafa Marie
“Le Progrès Egyptien owns a special archive that has filed most editions since the newspaper's establishment in 1893. I consider this archive a treasure as it comprises valuable documentations and prints that will not be found in any other journalistic establishment in Egypt,” stated Abdel Illah.
“Le Progrès Egyptien was established by a Greek man, not a Frenchman as most people expect. This makes Le Progrès Egyptien a culturally enriching establishment that has united Francophone intellects and residents of Egypt for so many years,” declared Abdel Illah.
“Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem is originally an artist; hence she is keen to support artistic and cultural events in Egypt and provide our establishment, as an embodiment of Egypt's soft powers, with all the necessary means to provide our unique content to the readers,” Abdel Illah concluded.
Prominent writer and TV presenter Rola Kharsa/Mustafa Marie
Prominent TV presenter and writer Kharsa commented: “It pleases me to be part of this celebration. I have always loved the French Language. I feel it is the language of nobles.”
“It saddens me to see a lot of people joining the media industry without having a true passion for it. To me, journalism is a passion and not just a bridge to fame as many consider it to be,” Kharsa stated.
Kharsa's Husband with ET reporter Mustafa Marie
“It honors me to be among the first female reporters in the National Radio in Egypt. I worked for both the Egyptian Radio and TV, which enabled me to meet numerous significant politicians, artists, actors and novelists, such as Naguib Mahfouz and Yasser Arafat, which deepened my experience in the field of journalism and media and boosted my passion for the job,” stated Kharsa.
“Working in the field of journalism was my gateway to travel to numerous countries, such as London and Turkey, in pursuit of my career. This gave me confidence and allowed me to gain priceless experiences,” concluded Kharsa.
Writer Nisreen Shoukry mentioned that throughout the years, several prominent politicians such as Boutros Ghaly wrote articles for Le Progrès Egyptien. She proudly read one of Ghaly’s French articles for the attendees.
Chief Researcher in the Ministry of Antiquities Magdy Shaker thanked Shaima Abdel Illah for her invitation, considering himself lucky to work with her. “I have worked in the Ministry of Antiquities with a French archaeological commission for over twenty years.
Senior Researcher in the Min. of Antiquities Magdy Shaker/Mustafa Marie
"Even though I do not speak French very well, I still appreciate being in the position of working with the Francophone community in Egypt for more than two decades. Mingling with the Francophone community in Egypt enriched my experiences and broadened my horizons. I provide the prominent newspaper Le Progrès Egyptien with all the necessary and updated information regarding the discoveries made by the French commission in the Ministry of Antiquities,” clarified Shaker.
It is worth mentioning that critic and playwriter Mohamed Nassif contributed to Le Progrès Egyptien with countless analytical articles. “Even though I graduated as an English teacher, I found myself writing for the Francophone community in Egypt, an experience which I fell in love with and admired very deeply,” commented Nassif.
Nisreen Shoukry with Mohamed Nassif/Mustafa Marie
“It does not surprise me to see a female holding the position of editor in chief for such a prominent daily newspaper such as Le Progrès Egyptien, as the first judge in the world was in Egypt and the first queens of the world were also in Egypt,” stated Nassif.
Before the end of the celebration, Abdel Illah showed the attendees a special edition of a book printed by the prominent French newspaper to celebrate their 100th anniversary 25 years ago. The book provides the francophone community with rare documents and articles that will not be found anywhere else, according to Abdel Illah.
Chaimaa Abdel Illah displaying 100 years anniversary publication/Mustafa Marie
Abdel Illah also mentioned that becoming Le Progrès Egyptien's editor in chief was not an easy task. It came after years of hard work, which finally paid off. Abdel Illah further stated that her happiness to hold such a prominent position is priceless.
The attendees enjoyed discussing Francophone journalism in Egypt with the panel of directors, exchanging greetings and reminiscing on numerous events held by the community in the past.
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