The different ways in which history is treated in television dramas are many and varied, but the nearer they stay to the facts the better they are, says Ghada Abdel-Kader Biographical programmes on historical figures who have affected the course of events in Egypt's modern history are a new a trend on Egyptian television. This year, the serial Ali Mubarak was broadcast on several channels during the holy month of Ramadan. The serial was directed by Wafik Wagdi and written by Mohamed Eid, with the character of Ali Mubarak played by Kamal Abu Raya. The serial featured the life of Mubarak as one of the symbols of enlightenment in Egypt and a pioneer of the educational renaissance. Ali Pasha Mubarak was an engineer, officer, administrator, educator and author; a truly outstanding figure of his generation of the 19th century. He was born in 1823 in a village in the Nile Delta, and attended a government preparatory school before being admitted to the Cairo school of engineering in 1844. He was later chosen as a member of a student mission sent by Khedive Mohamed Ali to France. He studied in Paris for two years, and directly after that in Metz at a school for artillery officers and military engineers. In 1849 he was given an instructors position in the artillery school, and a year later he became the first native Egyptian Muslim to be appointed the director of the entire governmental school system. This marked the beginning of a full career in public service that spanned nearly four decades and included appointments as head of the ministries of education, public works and railways. He is also famous for his contribution in the reconstruction of Cairo's landscape and for founding Egypt's modern educational system. In addition to Ali Mubarak's exceptional record, the serial also discussed his relationship with Refaa El-Tahtawi. "The core of the series is to discuss the relationship between civilisations and different cultures. I also wanted to present a good and real model for our youth and children," Eid said during a discussion of the series held last week at the Ramatan Cultural Centre. One of the few questions raised during the debate was the physical dissimilarity between Mubarak himself and Abu Raya, the actor who played him. "What counts here is the spirit of the character, not his physical shape. I believe that Abu Raya has managed to convey the real spirit of the character to the audience," Wagih said. Eid has another point: "I have referred to the defects that didn't tarnish the image of the character. In Mubarak's serial Khedive Ismail separates the government budget from his own. This leads to an accumulation of debt and deficiency in the government budget." "From a historical perspective Ali Mubarak was honestly written. It covered most of the features of this period, and Mubarak's personal characteristics," says Abdel-Moneim Aljmiei, a professor of modern history. "A successful television serial should, I believe, present history with all its positive and negative aspects. Drama is a source of enlightenment and humour for spectators but the truth has to be there." Mubarak's most famous work is Al-Khitat Al-Tawfiqiya Al-Jadida (Tawfiq's New Plans), a 20-volume topographical encyclopaedia published in 1306. It provides a detailed, street-by- street description of Egypt's major towns and villages. In addition, Mubarak established the National Library, the Dar Al-Kutub, in 1870, and in 1880 he founded the Teachers' College, Dar Al-Ulum, to provide schools with Arabic teachers. In 1908 he oversaw the inauguration of the Private University. "The serial was just a part of a comprehensive project aiming to reintroduce the modern history of Egypt," Eid says. "The project will cover the period from 1800 up to now. In the years to come I am planning to present new television serials about other prominent historical figures." Qasim Amin, produced for television last year, was followed this year by Ali Mubarak. "My new television serial will tackle the life of Ali Mustafa Mosharafa, an Egyptian physicist and the first Egyptian dean of the faculty of science," Eid added. The serial will be directed by Inaam Mohamed Ali.
