Abu Naddara: The Forerunner of Egyptian Satirical Press

"Abu Naddara" was an early satirical journal that was first published in Cairo in 1878 by Yaqub Sannu. After Sannu's collision with Khedive Ismail and eventual departure to Paris, he continued to publish it there for almost three successive decades uninterruptedly, however under various changeable names. This journal was by all means the forerunner of satirical opposition press in modern Egypt. In a relatively very short time, "Abu Naddara" gained tremendous success through its humorous but rather bold and scathing criticism of Khedive Ismail's and later Khedive Tewfik's regime that helped turn public opinion against them. No wonder, it soon won popularity because it gave a voice to the downtrodden masses who found in it an outlet for their long-bottled anger. In other words, it turned to be their Vox populi that addressed their pressing problems and expressed their pains. Accordingly, it emerged as a political platform that stood in the face of corruption and social injustice, called for an all-encompassing reform, and most of all raised country-wide national awareness in the hope to develop grass-root activism. This paper investigates the role played by the journal of "Abu Naddara" in spearheading the national opposition against Khedival excesses together with the growing foreign intervention within the closing years of Ismail's reign and the opening years of Tewfik's one that ended up with the British occupation of Egypt.  The paper focuses lens mainly on the journal's early formative years (from 1878 to 1884) that shaped its orientations, defined its identity and carved its path for years to come. It also tracks the historical context in which it appeared and examines its notable impact on the Egyptian society in general and the political arena in particular amidst such turbulent milieu.