RIYADH: As Walt Disney founded one of the world's largest and most influential entertainment conglomerates, an Egyptian journalist has been dubbed the “Walt Disney of the United Arab Emirates” for his role in shaping the region's media landscape with his Majid magazine.
For many Arab adults now in their 50s, the magazine and its beloved characters like Majid, Kaslan Jiddan and Captain Khalfan are symbols of a happy childhood that everyone loves. However, few are aware of the creative genius behind these treasured memories: Ahmed Omar, who died on August 9 at the age of 85.
His vision and storytelling skills were instrumental in building the magazine’s lasting legacy.
Omar was born in Egypt in September 1939 and traveled throughout his life with words and stories.
His passion for reading blossomed from a young age, and the school and public libraries became his sanctuaries, where he stepped into the world of diverse books and cultivated a deep love for literature.
Omar's frequent visits to the Azbakia book market in Cairo allowed him to find inexpensive second-hand books, which led him to build a personal library of diverse books. His extensive reading played a key role in shaping his vision and fostering his ideas, which later manifested themselves in his literary works.
He read books to build up his vast knowledge base, with classical literature captivating him from an early age. The novels of Naguib Mahfouz, which delved into the intricacies of life in the Egyptian community, had a profound influence 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 renowned writers.
He began his career with the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper Al-Etihad, where he was a founding member and was instrumental in its foundation. He later became the local news manager.
The most significant achievement of his career was founding the children's magazine Majid, becoming its editor-in-chief in 1979. The idea for the magazine began in the daily Al-Etihad and eventually evolved into the most important children's magazine in the Arab world.
Omar recognised the need for Arab children to have a publication that represented them, stimulated their imagination and nurtured their minds. He worked with a team of talented journalists and illustrators to transform the magazine into a platform for Arab children to express their thoughts and emotions through words and drawings.
Through his tireless efforts, Omar has made the magazine an iconic symbol of Arab childhood and an important part of the memories of generations to come.
He spends most of his time in the magazine's offices creating, planning, managing writers and content, and preparing issues. When a new issue is published, he has issues prepared several weeks in advance.
The first issue of the magazine was published on February 28, 1979, with a run of 5,000 free copies, which quickly sold out. Majid, a character who represented human values rather than superpowers, became a favorite with children. Published every Wednesday without fail, Majid Magazine became very popular throughout the region.
Omar has been handling and managing the magazine with great care and attention for nearly 30 years. He writes feature articles for children and scripts for the comic stories, adding his favorite characters, such as the wise-cracking Saki and Captain Khalfan, to each issue.
His editorials in Majid Magazine acted as weekly lessons for both children and adults, filled with educational messages and moral guidance. His work made him a pioneer in the field of education, as he devoted his knowledge to serving the younger generation and imparting valuable lessons.
With his deep understanding of the details and secrets of childhood, Omar has succeeded in capturing the attention of children all over the Arab world. The magazine has a readership of hundreds of thousands of young people.
The late journalist believed that fostering a love of reading in children is a shared responsibility of the family, school and magazines. He once said, “It is very important to inculcate the habit of reading at a young age, as it is difficult to cultivate later. Introducing children to magazines is not only entertaining, but also an important step in fostering a lifelong passion for reading.”
Since the inception of the magazine, Omar has been dedicated to capturing the essence of Arabia in the Gulf through its content, stories and characters. The magazine has attracted many leading children's writers and illustrators, making it highly accessible to young readers across the Arab world, while preserving the unique identity of Gulf children.
Prominent characters such as Kaslan Jiddan, Fadooli, Abu Al-Dhurfaa, Zakiyah Al-Zakiyah, Shamsa and Dana, as well as Captain Khalfan and his assistant Fahman, have become beloved figures among the magazine's young readers.
Omar stressed that his magazine is designed to appeal to children growing up in traditional environments, instilling religious values, cultural awareness and pride in their Arab heritage.
The success of his magazine made Majid's mail order subscriptions popular throughout the Arab world, with fans eagerly awaiting every Wednesday issue. For decades, the magazine competed with translated comic magazines such as Mickey (licensed by Disney and translated in Egypt) and Little Lulu (licensed and translated in Lebanon).
As a result, the magazine has evolved alongside the UAE's social progress, embracing digital advances with a YouTube channel and website, although critics argue that it is not as influential today — despite the increased accessibility afforded by modern technology — as it was in the 1990s and 1980s.
