RIYADH: Just as Walt Disney founded one of the world's largest and most influential entertainment conglomerates, an Egyptian journalist is being hailed as the “Walt Disney of the UAE” for his pivotal role in shaping the region's media landscape with Majid Magazine .
For many Arab adults over 50 years ago, the magazine and its beloved characters such as Majid, Kaslan Jiddan and Captain Khalfan are cherished symbols of childhood joy. However, few recognize the creative genius behind these cherished memories: Ahmed Omar, who died on August 9 at the age of 85.
His vision and storytelling skills were crucial in shaping the magazine's lasting legacy.
Born in Egypt in September 1939, Omar embarked on a lifelong journey of words and stories.
His passion for reading blossomed at an early age, and school and public libraries became his sanctuaries, where he delved into a world of diverse books and cultivated a deep love for literature.
Omar's frequent visits to Cairo's Azbakeya Book Market, where he discovered second-hand books at affordable prices, helped him build a personal library filled with various titles. His extensive reading played a crucial role in shaping his vision and enriching his ideas, which later shone through in his literary works.
He read to build a deep reservoir of knowledge, with classic literature captivating him from an early age. Naguib Mahfouz's novels, which delve into the complexities of life in Egyptian neighborhoods, had a profound impact on him. Omar was also shaped by the works of renowned Egyptian writers such as Yusuf Idris, Gamal El-Ghitani, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal and other prominent authors.
He started his professional career at the Al-Etihad newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, where he was a founding member and helped to found it. He later ran the local news section.
The most significant achievement of his career was establishing the children's magazine Majid and becoming its editor-in-chief in 1979. The idea of the magazine originated within the daily Al-Etihad and eventually turned into one of the most important magazines for Arabic children. world.
Omar recognized the need for Arab children to have a publication that represented them, stimulated their imaginations and nurtured their minds. Working alongside a talented team of journalists and illustrators, he transformed the magazine into a platform for expressing the thoughts and emotions of Arab children through words and drawings.
Through his tireless efforts, Omar made the magazine a symbol of Arab childhood and a cherished part of the memories of successive generations.
He spent most of his time in the magazine's offices, creating, planning, supervising writers and content, and preparing issues. When a new issue was printed, he had several weeks' worth of issues ready.
The inaugural issue of the magazine was published on February 28, 1979, with 5,000 free copies quickly disappearing from the shelves. Majid, a character who represents human values rather than superpowers, struck the children. Majid Magazine has maintained a weekly publication schedule every Wednesday without fail, gaining significant popularity across the region.
Omar has overseen and managed the magazine with utmost care and interest for almost 30 years. He provided guidance articles for children and wrote storyboards for comic books, enriching each issue with beloved characters such as Zaki the Clever and Captain Khalfan, among others.
His editorials in Majid magazine served as weekly lessons for both children and adults, filled with educational messages and moral guidance. His contributions established him as an educational pioneer as he dedicated his knowledge to serve the younger generation and impart valuable lessons.
Through his deep understanding of the nuances and secrets of childhood, Omar has managed to capture the attention of children throughout the Arab world. The magazine's readership grew to hundreds of thousands of young readers.
The late journalist believed that cultivating a love of reading in children was a collective duty of families, schools and magazines alike. He famously remarked, “Inculcating a reading habit early in life is crucial because it is difficult to cultivate later. Introducing a child to a magazine isn't just about providing entertainment – it's a crucial step towards cultivating a lifelong love of reading.”
Since the magazine's inception, Omar has dedicated himself to imbuing it with a distinct Arabian Gulf flavor, reflected in its content, stories and characters. He attracted leading children's writers and cartoonists, ensuring that the magazine resonated deeply with young readers in the Arab world, preserving the unique identity of Gulf children.
Notable characters such as Kaslan Jiddan, Fadooli, Abu Al-Dhurfaa, Zakiyah Al-Zakiyah, Shamsa and Dana and Captain Khalfan and his assistant Fahman became beloved figures among the magazine's young audience.
Omar emphasized that his magazine was designed to appeal to children growing up in a traditional environment, instilling religious values, cultural awareness and pride in their Arab heritage.
As a testament to the success of his magazine, email subscriptions to Majid flourished throughout the Arab world as fans eagerly awaited each issue every Wednesday. For decades, it managed to compete with translated comic magazines such as Mickey (licensed from Disney and translated in Egypt) and Little Lulu (licensed and translated in Lebanon).
As a result, the magazine has evolved with the UAE's social progress and embraced digital advances with a YouTube channel and website, although critics would argue that it is nowhere near as influential today – despite the added coverage afforded by modern technology – as it once was in the 1990s. and 1980s.
