By Said J. Hussein
I spent the best part of my life, the first 20 years, in the city seaport of Aden, South Yemen. Our house in Crater district was situated adjoining the Hurricane cinema, the first in the whole of the Arabian Peninsular established in 1929 – which accidently coincides with Audrey Hepburn’s birthyear. Most of the films screened were Egyptian. So from childhood I became, along with my peers of the same locality, fondly attached to the cinema, and developed a taste for both music and acting. Some years later, the same proprietor of the Hurricane cinema opened another one in the neighbouring Khormaksar district called Regal cinema which mainly played American films. As grown ups now and having reached higher forms in school, we eventually became regular goers to Regal cinema since we were able to understand and speak English with ease.
Audrey Hepburn
Many were the films I watched, and many were the actresses and the actors I admired and got tremendously enchanted with. But since it is not my intent here to give an account of my cinema life, I just want to note that among the most remarkable names that still remain vivid in my memory are Ingrid Bergman, Sofia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe , Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn, and Rock Hudson only to mention some of the finest stars of that era.
Anthony Quinn
Of this whole group I single out Audrey Hepburn not for the excellence of her acting, the beauty of her figure, and her equally beautiful voice for which she was internationally renowned during her long spectacular acting career, but simply because she is the one I want to write a few lines about in recognition of her unforgettable humanitarian role to the destitute Somalis in Baidoa in 1993 and which accidently happened to be the last fateful year of her life too. In that last year, knowing too well that the deadly cancer killer was gnawing into her withering frame, she adamantly chose to carry out one further act of her commitment in the most needy, most deserving, most dangerous place in the world – Somalia.
As the ambassador of UNICEF she took flight into the inclement sandy plains of Baidoa to meet the displaced hapless populace in the wilderness – thousands of skeletal and severely emaciated mothers and their children forsaken by all and awaiting death by the hour. She went to really succour them with badly needed potable water, food, medicine, blankets and other essentials; but more than anything with pure love and true compassion. Her courage and dauntless spirit can’t be but legendary, when we realise how she dropped every thing and in the face of all impending perils, selflessly chose to follow the dictates of her stout heart and go to where she felt to be most needed.
Marilyn Monroe
The most disgraceful contrast to Audrey Hepburn’s praise worthy stance, was the spectacle of the Somali war lords who, then holding the country in ransom, were at that historically testing times being summoned to Cairo by the deposed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak and spent weeks vigorously haggling over futile political positions and hollow personal gains.
Not long after her holiest of holy pilgrimages to devastated lands in Somalia,Audrey Hepburn was totally overcome by the deadly disease and passed away peacefully on the 21 January 1993 in Totchenaz, Switzerland, surrounded by her family members. Having followed the whole episode with great interest, I vowed on hearing the news of her death to place a wreath of flower at her grave if at all I chanced to pay a visit to Switzerland. Many were the years passed by now and time doesn’t seem to be looking favourably well for me. So I resigned to contend myself, on this occasion of her 85th birth day, with paying this humble tribute in honour of her evangelical spirit both as a beautiful brilliant actress and a giant humanitarian.
Said J. Hussein
Email:sjx2005@hotmail.co.uk
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