CAIRO - Despite his great age, he is full of ginger. After the January revolt, he believes it's time for the caricaturists to go into action. “The Egyptian revolution is inspiring,” renowned Egyptian caricaturist Ahmed Toghan told The Egyptian Gazette at the Cairo Atelier, where his latest exhibition is being held. “It encourages me, whetting my appetite to do more drawings.” Toghan was born in Egypt in 1926. His father was a police officer and his mother a secondary school teacher, and he was raised in Cairo. His works document Egypt since the days of the monarchy. In 1946, Toghan began his career as a journalist and cartoonist with many Egyptian newspapers and magazines. His earliest and most publicised works came during his period at Rose al-Yossef, the famous political weekly magazine, and in State-owned Akhbar el-Yom weekly magazine. In 1953, following the revolution that brought late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser to power, Toghan was one of the co-founders of the Arabic-language Al-Gomhuria daily newspaper. In the 1980s, he created the weekly cartoon magazine, Caricature, along with his well-known fellow cartoonist Moustafa Hussein. Throughout his illustrious career, Toghan has published more than 50,000 cartoons in daily newspapers, magazines and eleven illustrated books since 1946, speaking as the voice of the people. Toghan has received many awards, including the Head of Arab Cartoonists (1987), the Human Rights Award (1988) and the Grand Medal for Fine Arts (1997). He is one of the most revered of politico-social cartoonists in the Arab world. Nicknamed the ‘Sheikh of Caricaturists', Toghan predicted that there would be a revolution. He is now collecting all his cartoons, published before the revolt, which suggested that a great event, which change Egypt's history, was on the way. “The daily strikes and sit-ins outside Parliament, factories and the Press Syndicate were all clear signs that something was brewing. The former regime also made a big mistake by pushing for the inheritance of power,” Toghan says. “The Egyptian people had reached the level of despair, especially the young ones, many of whom tried to illegally immigrate, hoping to find work abroad. “Egyptians abroad were badly reported. It was shocking that former Minister of Manpower Aisha Abdel-Hadi should say she was sending young Egyptian women to a Gulf state to work as servants. So there had to be a revolution.” However, Toghan dislikes the daily strikes that have been happening since the revolt. “To be honest, these people are a bit urgent. Throughout 30 years of Mubarak's rule, they were repressed and couldn't express their opinion. However, there are other people who've also suffered injustice but are wait patiently for a better tomorrow. “The demands of these urgent people are ill timed. They must give the current Government some time to improve the situation, given that there is a big problem with the economy now.” He warns that there have been many attempts to thwart the revolution, for example the recent sectarian strife in Imbaba, which was ‘fabricated', Toghan believes. “Christians and Muslims should realise that such incidents are designed to make the revolution fail. I hope the Egyptians bear this in mind.” His exhibition focuses in particular on his works that record Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. He says that this exhibition, which runs until May 25, is the first in a series, to be followed by another one about Egypt in 1950s and 1960s, a third in the 1970s and 1980s, etc. One of his most beautiful caricatures includes 18 characters, all dressed differently and adopting different poses. They are scattered everywhere in the photo: on the ground, on the roofs of the clay houses, walking, talking, looking, laughing, playing... There is a man riding a donkey, carrying a bag on which is written Arabic ‘posta' or post. He'd holding a letter in his hand, as he shouts out the name of the addressee. Accompanying him is a ghafir (nightwatchman), clutching his rifle. In front of the postman, there is an old man wearing a beige galabiya and emma on his head. He'd holding a stick and sitting on a stone. There is also a young boy wearing a blue and white galabiya and a hat of the same colour, sitting beside him. He's holding an open letter and it seems that he is divulging its contents to the old man, who probably can't read or write. Not far from them is a beautiful lady wearing a mauve galabiya and a long beige headscarf. She has just received a letter from the postman, containing good news, as she's ululating, while her tiny girl standing near her is curious to know what the letter's about. In the background are the old buildings you commonly find in rural villages. The exhibition also includes cartoons with a political flavour. One depicts a winged woman wearing white, representing ‘peace', who's opening a door above which is written ‘Welcome to Israel'. But behind the door is a dead-end, as the way is barred by a brick wall. Another depicts an MP in an Egyptian village, siting proudly in a big chair, having just been elected to Parliament. He is surrounded by the villagers who've elected him. His sidekick, standing behind him, says: “He won't forget what you've done for him. If you want to see him, turn on the TV!” He represents the MPs of the old regime, who never lifted a finger to help their constituents. “Toghan is precious. He is an artist who respects his readers,” says artist Mohamed Abla, director of the Atelier du Caire, which is hosting Toghan's exhibition. "This exhibition is a golden opportunity for young caricaturists and viewers to see good caricatures and also to enjoy them.” The exhibition of works by renowned Egyptian caricaturist Ahmed Toghan is being held in the Cairo Atelier, 2 Karim el-Dawla St., downtown Cairo. It runs until May 25 open from 10am-1pm and 5-11pm.
