Al-Zaman Newspaper: The Doctors Chronicle
By: Sidiq Mihesi
In 1964, as the 17th November regime approached the storm of the October Popular Revolution, a group of civilians from the Khartoum capital set out to join the University of Cairos branch in Khartoum. At that time, my first steps led me into the world of journalism under the guidance of the esteemed journalist Abd al-Aziz Hassan Desouki at the daily newspaper Al-Zaman.
Abd al-Aziz Hassan Desouki had initiated his journalistic career at Sout Al-Sudan newspaper. He later became a correspondent and director of the branch of the Egyptian Middle East News Agency in Khartoum, which provided newspapers with daily updates on world news during the era of the Cold War.
Al-Zaman was a collaboration between Abd al-Aziz Hassan Desouki, Dr. Mahi al-Din Sabir, and Aqeel Ahmed Aqeel. They were Nasserites who supported the leadership of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Before that, they were advocates of unity and the Unity of the Nile Valley slogan that was championed by Unionists who were enthusiastic about unity with Egypt. Most of their writings aligned with the Egyptian political direction.
So, Al-Zaman was, in the language of its time, a newspaper of Arab nationalists. Its prominent writers were strong advocates of Arab unity and its leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. The newspaper embraced the issues of national liberation, drawing inspiration from the literature of the July 23 Revolution during the era of the Arab nationalist surge. Al-Zaman attracted Egyptian writers from the professors working at the University of Cairos branch in Khartoum and the University of Khartoum.
Al-Zaman newspaper was located on Saeed Abdul Rahman Street in a two-story building that was considered quite impressive for its time. Near Al-Zaman was the Al-Hurriya hotel owned by hotelier Mustafa Rashid (Kisho), as well as the Al Kobani Hotel.
In the Al-Zaman editorial office, I encountered prominent writers and political figures. As a young and delicate boy, I was surprised to be in the presence of these renowned figures: Dr. Mahi al-Din Sabir, Dr. Aqeel Ahmed Aqeel, the prominent politician and writer Muhammad Amin Hussein, the encyclopedic writer Mahjoub Omar Bashir who oversaw the literature page, and the existentialist short story writer and intellectual Bashir al-Tayeb, who had a daily column titled I Say to You.
As I mentioned before in cultural memoirs, the late Bashir al-Tayeb, along with Kamal Chantry the lawyer, were the first to introduce existentialism to Sudan. Bashir al-Tayeb arrived in Khartoum in 1960 and engaged in teaching and translation. He collaborated with Al-Zaman, writing a daily philosophical column under the title I Say to You. His work was influenced by existentialist philosophy, which was gaining popularity in the Arab world. Prominent figures in this movement included writers Anis Mansour and Mustafa Mahmoud, who wrote his famous book God and Man, which denied the existence of God and caused a significant controversy at the time. The book was confiscated from bookstores after Al-Azhar prohibited its distribution. However, Mustafa Mahmoud did not consider anyone who disagreed with him as infidels. He believed that virtue is not in prayer but in good food, clothing, shelter, school, playground, and music hall.
In an intellectual and philosophical partnership, Bashir al-Tayeb and Kamal Chantry formed a cultural duo that strongly advocated existentialism. Chantry wrote extensively about freedom, humanity, the philosophy of good and evil, virtue and vice. Chantrys writings stirred debates in the cultural sphere. Bashir al-Tayeb contributed with his existentialist perspective, suggesting that practicing virtue is much easier than practicing vice. He believed that virtue doesnt require intelligence, culture, or insistence, as it is a simple and natural philosophy, in contrast to sin, which requires intelligence and awareness. He stated that there is no absolute virtue or absolute vice; there is only a human action that can be evaluated in two ways. Each of us, in their action, has their own perspective, reasoning, and motive. Virtue in one moment can turn into vice in another moment, and vice versa, because the person performing the action is bound by freedom and is always in a state of change and development. Therefore, an action that is considered virtuous in a specific context may be considered vice in another context, and vice versa. The concept of virtue and vice is not fixed; it is subject to the fluidity and complexity of human nature and circumstances.
Bashir encountered the encyclopedic writer Mahjoub Omar Bashir at Al-Zaman, who was responsible for the literary page. A strong intellectual relationship developed between us.
At Al-Zaman, there was also the renowned satirical columnist, the late Mustafa Abdeen al-Khanji, who wrote under the title The Other Face of the Issue and signed his name as Mustafa. Khanji worked as a translator at the Yugoslav Embassy.
At Al-Zaman, I also got to know the late writer Ibrahim Dakkash, who later became the spokesperson for the Organization of African Unity. I also met the journalist and writer Najma Al-Mujtama, who used to oversee the womens page. Dakkash admired her, and their story ended with marriage.
Ibrahim Dakkash, an employee at the Ministry of Education, used to spend his evenings at the newspaper, writing his weekly column Aabir Sabeel (Passerby). Alongside Mahmoud Abu Al-Azaim, the editor-in-chief, they formed a witty and humorous duo that brought joy to the atmosphere of the newspaper, infused with the scent of ink and the sound of the printing press.
Abdul Aziz joined Al-Zaman as its editor-in-chief, replacing its political stance with a more sensational approach to news, in line with the style of Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper, which focuses on sensational news. Abdul Aziz was one of the admirers of the brothers Mustafa and Ali Amin, the founders of the Egyptian Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper.
In Al-Zaman, we were a team of three editors: Mohammed Hassan Mahdi, Osman Al-Hawij, who was responsible for the arts and theater page, and myself, responsible for the international news page. Mohammed Hassan Mahdi was responsible for the investigations and crime page. He would spend his days walking to various police stations in Khartoum, using buses to travel between Khartoum South and Omdurman.
Mohammed Hassan Mahdi had a sharp journalistic sense, but after spending many years in the realm of journalism, he shifted away from newspapers and established a stylish media and advertising office in the old Abu Al-Ala building. He focused on producing commercial directories and printed materials for both companies and the government. After the April 1985 uprising, he attempted to launch a newspaper named Al-Asr (The Era), but due to financial difficulties, it was eventually abandoned. Nonetheless, he remained connected to the spirit of journalism.
Osman Al-Hawij, with his fragile build and sharp outlook, was one of the most prominent pioneers of art and theater criticism at that time. (He passed away in 2018 after enduring a severe illness at the Blue Nile Hospital in Omdurman, amidst significant neglect from officials and culture and theater enthusiasts in Sudan. During his illness, his family stood by him, despite his deteriorating health, but unfortunately to no avail.)
Its worth mentioning that Osman Al-Hawij was instrumental in leading the national theater and television renaissance. He wrote dozens of artistic works and songs.
Al-Zaman newspaper was constantly facing financial difficulties, which translated into low salaries for its employees. We would receive our salaries in small amounts when the government was kind enough to pay for advertisements related to tenders and court notifications addressed to defendants in various cases.
