Fatima (Roz) Mohyeldin al-Youssif: The founder of Roz al-Youssif

Born in Tripoli and raised in Alexandria, Fatima (Roz) Mohyeldin al-Youssif became one of the most distinguished women in Egypt for her role in establishing the magazine Roz al-Youssif, a bastion for political opposition against the British colonisation of Egypt at the time(1)Naguib al-Ba’ney, صحافيات لبنانيات رائدات واديبات مبدعات, Beirut, Nofal, 2007, p. 121. . The magazine was printed and distributed from 1925-1958, first on a weekly, then on a daily, basis. When it was first published, Roz al-Youssif had an artistic flair, with a focus is on the arts, theatre, celebrity news, and famous actresses. A year into its distribution, the magazine took a political turn, and it sparked the attention of opposition figures in Egypt, such as Saad Zaghloul(2)Naguib al-Ba’ney, صحافيات لبنانيات رائدات واديبات مبدعات, Beirut, Nofal, 2007, p. 143. . In its third and fourth year of publication, due to its critical content, the Egyptian regime suspended and confiscated over sixty out of a total of 104 issues intended for distribution(3)Naguib al-Ba’ney, صحافيات لبنانيات رائدات واديبات مبدعات, Beirut, Nofal, 2007, p. 145-146. . Though her pioneering efforts lied mostly in the realm of political journalism, she left a print on the theatre scene in Egypt, where she joined many theatre and acting groups.(4)Naguib al-Ba’ney, صحافيات لبنانيات رائدات واديبات مبدعات, Beirut, Nofal, 2007, p. 122.