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DUBAI: Even 22 years on from her untimely passing, few stars in the history of Arab cinema captivate the cultural imagination quite like Soad Hosny. The singer and actress known as “The Cinderella of Egyptian cinema” was a key part of the rise of her country’s movie culture, starring in a number of the most popular Arab films of the Sixties and Seventies, working with greats including Omar Sharif and director Youssef Chahine.
But Hosny’s enduring popularity is due to something more than just her talent. As brilliant as she was an artist, it was her bewitching personality — both familiar and always out of reach — that even those who knew her are still attempting to figure out to this day.
Soad Hosny with Hussein Fahmy in 1972’s ‘Watch Out for ZouZou.’ (Supplied)
“It was like she was split into two different personalities, and you could always see both on her face” famed Egyptian designer Karim Mekhtigian — who knew Hosny from his early childhood, being the nephew of her close friend and frequent collaborator, producer Takfour Antonian — tells Arab News.
“Either in life or in film, Soad’s face could convey opposing feelings simultaneously. It was genuinely remarkable. One eye (could be) full of sadness, the other radiating happiness. She was never one thing. That’s part of what made her talent so remarkable,” he continues.
Soad Hosny holding Karim Mekhatagian as a baby. (Courtesy of Karim Mekhatagian)
For Hosny herself, the fact that she took such varying roles over the decades in which she dominated Egyptian cinema while also topping its music charts was simply because she could not force herself to stay in any one mode for too long, growing restless if she felt stagnant creatively.
“By nature, I am bored,” Hosny said in an Egyptian television interview in 1984. “I do not wish to repeat the same thing. I can make political films; I can make entertaining films. Every film will present something new. I can play the naughty girl or the innocent wife. I am always looking to play different personalities. Each character I play has an atmosphere I can present. I want to play women in all their many facets.”
Like many of her contemporaries, part of what made Hosny so suited to the career she chose was the fact that she grew up in an intensely artistic household, led by her father, the famed Islamic calligrapher Mohammad Hosny — a Kurdish artist who had settled in Egypt at the age of 19.
Soad Hosny receives an honor from then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1970s. (Alamy)
Young Soad, the daughter of her father’s second wife, grew up among 16 siblings and half-siblings, with numerous luminaries of the Arab world’s artistic community shuffling in and out of their home. Each of the children were affected by those interactions in different ways. Her sister Nagat, for example, also became an actress and singer, while her half-brother Ezz composed music for decades. Others played instruments or pursued fine arts, but none reached the heights of their sister Soad.
While that environment was far from a formal means of preparation for a life in the arts, it was, ultimately, all that Hosny needed.
“I came into film unadulterated,” she said in an interview with Qatar TV in 1972, shortly after her career defining hit “Watch Out for ZouZou,” Hassan El-Imam’s classic film about a student who falls in love with her professor. “I did not enter an institute, or anything like that. I never took a lesson.”
Hosny entered the film world early. Her debut, “Hassan and Nayima” (1959) began shooting when she was just 15. Throughout the Sixties, Hosny starred in hit after hit opposite top stars Omar Sharif, Salah Zulfikar and Rushdy Abaza, among others, finally collaborating with Egypt’s top director Youssef Chahine in 1970 with “The Choice,” by which time she had developed from a key collaborator with the film world’s biggest stars to the main draw in her own right.
“Every film I have worked on gave me more education; every experience has taught me lessons. ‘ZouZou,’ for example, was a huge success and people loved it, and if I am to continue on from that success, I don’t need to take lessons in schools to do that,” Hosny told Qatar TV in that same interview.
As the years went on, Hosny pushed for roles that would help define not only who Egyptian women were, but who they could be — pushing boundaries with overtly political films as well as biting satire that deliberately gave voice to the voiceless in Egyptian society, a move that made her a thought leader as well as a beloved cultural figure.
“I love playing the modern girl of Egypt, and expressing her problems, the environment in which she lives, and her psyche. I want to play her hopes, her ambitions, her ideas, and dreams. I want to explore what it means for us to love Egypt, and express all that that means,” she said in 1972.
Hosny was a symbol of Egyptian femininity for many, something that current Egyptian superstar Mona Zaki said she initially struggled to embody when playing her in the 2006 TV series about Hosny’s life, “Cinderella,” co-starring acclaimed Egyptian screenwriter Tamer Habib.
Mona Zaki (centre) as Soad Hosny in 2006’s ‘Cinderella.’ (AFP)
“Soad Hosny was so feminine both in appearance and substance, while I’m a tomboy. I could play Hosny’s character only after much searching. I built a new relationship with my femininity after this series,” Zaki told Vogue in 2021.
“For the Egyptian people, she was like a princess in a fairytale. That is why they dubbed her Cinderella,” Habib tells Arab News. “For two years, we used to talk about everything on the phone for hours. She felt how much I loved her, so she opened her heart to me. I was so lucky — she was truly one of a kind.”
Hosny’s peak lasted for more than two decades. But by the late Eighties she was struggling with illness, ultimately retiring from acting in 1991 at just 48.
Though she stepped away from the screen, Hosny never left the public eye. When she died in June 2001, tragically falling from the balcony of her friend Nadia Yousri’s apartment in London, England, it confounded and saddened all of Egypt, with her funeral attracting 10,000 mourners. Theories as to the exact circumstances of her death still circulate today.
Despite the enduring love Hosny has inspired over the 63 years since she first debuted on the screen, those closest to her still feel that she is misunderstood and underappreciated.
“Soad was incredibly talented. She had the ability to perfectly play any role whether it is comedic or tragic. She had charisma and charm. Yet, she was unappreciated and died alone," actor and friend Hassan Youssef told Egypt Today in 2018.
While the mere fact that interest has never faded from her life or work seems to disprove his blanket statement that Hosny was unappreciated, there is perhaps a kernel of truth in his words. After all, is it even possible to fully appreciate the nuances and variety of a life and career such as Soad Hosny’s?
DUBAI: Iraqi sports enthusiast Zainab Al-Eqabi walked the runway at Boss’ show at Milan Fashion Week on Thursday as she joined supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Ashley Graham and Jourdan Dunn.
“We are done. Clap for me,” TV presenter Al-Eqabi told her followers on Instagram Stories after the show.
“I was very happy and proud to be the only Arab (in the show). I can’t find the right words to say how epic it was, the whole show, and to be part of it.”
Lebanese stylist Cedric Haddad shared Al-Eqabi’s picture and wrote: “Goosebumps. Proudly Arab.”
Dubai-based influencer and entrepreneur Karen Wazen, who was seated on the front row at the show, wrote: “I love you Zainab.” Iraqi content creator Deema Al-Asadi told Al-Eqabi on Instagram: “This just made my day.”
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Al-Eqabi wore a beige coat with black detailing for the show, along with a black turban and boots.
She was not the only Arab on the fashion week runway as Imaan Hammam, a Dutch model of Moroccan-Egyptian descent, walked the catwalk for fashion company Max Mara on Thursday.
She wore a black turtleneck crop top and a beige floor-length skirt. Her hair was in a slicked-back bun.
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The brand presented a neutral color for next season, which ranges from gray to khaki and was set off by shades of yellow, green and blue. Shoes are platform sandals while hats feature oversized brims.
Hammam also featured at the Moschino Fashion Show, looking bold in a colorful mermaid-style dress with printed cartoon characters. She brought the beach to the runway by wearing a blow-up floaty around her shoulders.
DUBAI: Rising Saudi culinary star and TV presenter Rakan Al-Oraifi was one semester into getting his masters degree in marketing when he decided he wanted to pursue his lifelong love of food more seriously. A culinary diploma from California later, Al-Oraifi returned to Saudi Arabia to take the local food scene by storm.
Among the many accolades he has received, Al-Oraifi was hailed “Best Saudi Chef” at the 2018 Saudi Excellence in Tourism Awards and has worked in several international restaurants over the years. He has also taken part in several international cooking competitions, including “Top Chef Middle East” season two.
In his work, Al-Oraifi especially likes to explore traditional Saudi cuisine, but infused with modern elements. His earliest memory of cooking goes back to making dolma with his mother. “It is a dish I have been preparing since I was six. It was challenging to prepare it as a young kid, but I would always prepare it with my mom over the years and eventually learned to prepare it on my own,” said Al-Oraifi in an interview with Arab News.
While he was last executive chef at Maiz in Diryah Gate, the 33-year-old is now in Paris to perfect the art of making pastries.
To celebrate Saudi National Day, Al-Oraifi will feature in an online cooking series for Fatafeat where he will use his experience with Middle Eastern cuisines to share recipes with Saudi flavours at their heart.
Here, Al-Oraifi talks to Arab News about his favorite cuisines, his go-to quick-dinner fix and restaurant faux pas.
When you started out as a professional, what was the most common mistake you made when preparing/cooking a dish? A common mistake is copying the techniques of other chefs, which could get confusing at some point. You can get inspired, but it is important to find your own culinary style and technique.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs cooking at home? It is important for every chef to have a sharp knife. Aside from making the cooking preparation process easier and smoother, it is less likely to injure you. Dull knives are actually more dangerous.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish? Salt is a fundamental ingredient because it enhances and elevates the flavour of any dish.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food? What’s the most common mistake/issue that you find in other restaurants? I am usually critical of food temperature because it also indicates the efficiency of the service. For me, the most important thing is getting my food warm and freshly made. I do not like it when I receive the food cold.
When you go out to eat, what’s your favorite cuisine/dish to order? Usually, I like French and Japanese cuisine, and some restaurants do a fusion of both, which is even better. French cuisine involves a certain technique while Japanese cuisine requires a particular skill, and I think these just mesh well together.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home, say in 20 minutes? Pasta is a go-to for me. Even when you create the sauce and pasta dough from scratch, it normally doesn’t take more than 30 minutes. It also offers flexibility and versatility, you can customise it as you want, with your choice of creams and cheese, for example.
What request/behavior by customers most annoys you? Because I know the amount of time and effort that goes into every dish, I’m not a fan of customers who dine hastily and do not take the time to enjoy the food. In my opinion, you need at least 60 minutes to appreciate and enjoy your meal, especially if it’s a three-course dining experience.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Do you shout a lot? Or are you more laidback? I’m cool 80 percent of the time. Keeping a level head is important in managing a kitchen properly and dealing with customers. You’ll just have better judgment overall.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right (whether on your current menu or not)? Pastry is actually tricky for me. Unlike cooking dishes where you can be spontaneous and rely on your own senses and feelings, pastries require specific measurements and strictly following techniques. Because of this, I am currently in France to study the art of French pastry and improve my skills.
DESSERT ERYKAH RECIPE FROM CHEF RAKAN AL-ORAIFI
INGREDIENTS 2 cups wheat flour 2.5 cups water 5 gm salt 50 gm ghee 50 gm honey 30 gm brown sugar 30 gm butter 10 gm soft dates 20 gm honeycomb
INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a dough mixer, add the dry ingredients with wheat flour and salt, then mix gently. 2. Pour room temperature water. Keep mixing until thoroughly combined. 3. In a hot pan or flat grill, melt ghee, then pour the mixture using a 200 ml ladle. 4. Let it cook for a few minutes until the front side bubbles. 5. Flip the dough and cook it for a few minutes; the texture must be very soft. 6. Mix the bread in a dough mixer until you reach a hard, smooth texture. 7. Shape them using your hand, then stuff them with date paste. 8. Melt ghee and honey, then pour it over the bread. 9. Garnish with a small piece of honeycomb then serve.
ABU DHABI: London’s Wireless Festival is coming to Abu Dhabi for the first time in March 2023.
The popular rap and urban music festival, which debuted in London in 2005, is heading to Abu Dhabi on March 4, President of Live Nation MENA James Craven announced during a TV talk show-style launch event on Thursday.
“With more than 200 nationalities living in the UAE, it is important we constantly track changing music tastes that are reflective of such a diverse population,” he said. “Hip hop remains one of the most popular genres throughout the region and the launch of Wireless Festival in Abu Dhabi next March will be a huge draw to urban music fans throughout the region.
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“The festival will showcase some of the biggest international hip hop stars but will also provide a platform for local artists too,” he said, but did not reveal the names to perform at the event.
During the press conference, the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi announced its line-up of events for the 2022/2023 winter season.
Another first in the region is Blippi: The Musical. The popular children’s entertainer and educator is bringing a live musical show for young children and families on Feb. 18 and 19 to the Etihad Arena.
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John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, said: “As an entertainment industry leader, we pay great attention to what audiences want to see and experience. Flash Entertainment has a long track-record of bringing the best global performers and events to audiences in the UAE and the region.”
“We have paid close attention to the growth of Blippi’s following, so it is a special moment to bring this exciting show to young fans in Abu Dhabi as we continue to diversify our offering and develop the regional entertainment landscape,” he said.
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The new Abu Dhabi calendar spans 180 days and features concerts by regional and international artists, sporting and e-sports action, immersive cultural festivals, live interactive family shows and theater, and opera and dance performances.
Here are four other events taking place during the 2022/2023 winter season.
Middle East Film & Comic Con
The world-famous festival will unite movie, TV and comic lovers with the region’s largest pop-culture festival in March 2023.
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The 17-time Grammy Award winner will arrive at Etihad Arena on Jan. 27, 2023 as part of his critically acclaimed “My Songs” tour. Tickets are now on sale.
Etihad Arena will host a month-long run of the landmark Broadway musical from Nov. 16 to Dec. 10.
Top DJs and singing sensations of the Arab world will perform in Abu Dhabi in a series of concerts from Oct. 14 to Dec. 21, including Nancy Ajram, George Wassouf, Ahmed Saad, Melhem Zein, Wael Kfoury, DJ Aseel, Aziz Maraka, and Siilawy.
DUBAI: The explosion that ripped through Beirut Port on August 4, 2020, devastated the Lebanese capital. Two years later, the city has not yet recovered from the damage and deaths caused that day.
The blast wrecked hundreds of heritage buildings located in the city’s historic neighborhoods of Mar Mikhaël and Gemmayzeh, many of which were already in a state of disrepair. The government has shown little interest in repairing them. The buildings that have been restored have relied largely on privately funded initiatives.
One such building is Medawar 479, also known as The Blue House. Situated on Beirut’s waterfront, close to what was the epicenter of the explosion, and previously a restaurant, this charming and significant site was one of the original shoreline’s cluster of more than 25 heritage buildings, many of which were destroyed in the explosion.
The Beirut Heritage Initiative was launched in the aftermath of the explosion to act as an independent and inclusive collective for the restoration of the city’s built cultural heritage. The BHI approached The Honor Frost Foundation, a maritime archaeology charity, in 2020 to collaborate on restoring The Blue House. Work began in November 2021.
“We launched BHI a few days after the blast. It was founded by architects, heritage experts, and activists that wanted to fundraise for the heritage buildings, mainly in Beirut, which were affected by the blast,” architect Yasmine Dagher of the BHI told Arab News. “In late 2020 we contacted the Honor Frost Foundation and proposed to them several buildings that used to be on the shoreline to have funding for the renovation of the buildings and HFF selected one out of the two buildings that we proposed.
“The funding for the renovation comes in exchange for the usage of the space for a certain number of years,” she continued.
The owner of the building is now returning to the top floor of The Blue House, while the Honor Frost Foundation will occupy the first floor, she explained.
The late Honor Frost was an early pioneer of marine archaeology, and had a special connection with Lebanon, so it is fitting that the charity will now have an office in Beirut. The country was a key site of exploration for Frost from 1957 onwards, after she had completed her training under Jacques Cousteau’s diving partner, Frédéric Dumas.
Her work led her to the ancient harbors of Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre, where she researched and documented coastal landscapes, harbor archaeology, site-formation processes, and anchors.
It was at these ancient sites that Frost’s interest in stone anchors began. In Byblos she spotted a series of them built into the Bronze Age temple and discovered similar anchors off the nearby coast, thus improving our knowledge of ancient maritime trade patterns.
Since its launch in 2010, the HFF has invested $3.3m in Lebanese projects, including creating an underwater archaeology course— the first of its kind — at the American University of Beirut, in addition to the granting of scholarships and the Beirut Port Project, a survey of the port area that provides an important overview of the city’s maritime cultural landscape.
“She never thought of herself as a (female pioneer),” chair of HFF trustees, Alison Cathie, told Arab News of Frost. “She simply thought of herself as someone who was doing something for the world.”
And the charity that shares her name is carrying on that work, with the restoration of The Blue House. Once the home of an important merchant, but most recently a restaurant, The Blue House was erected in 1890. It is a fine example of the style of Beirut houses of the late 19th century. Its north façade would once have offered stunning, expansive views out over the Mediterranean Sea.
The restoration work was carried out over the course of a year and included structural consolidation and reconstruction of the pitched roof and the north façade, as well as interior work. Architect-restorer Joe Kallas, supported by Distruct Solutions, Awaida for Construction and Engineering, and Yasmine El-Majzoub from the BHI team led the restoration process, which has actually revealed numerous previously unknown — or perhaps forgotten — features of the building.
Restoration work included the reinstation of a set of previously capped triple arches that formed the principal bay window overlooking the harbor. During the work, it was discovered that the central span had been vaulted and made into a rectangular shape during the 20th century.
The team have now reinstated the original façade design, reusing materials found on site and employing traditional craft techniques to preserve the identity of the building. Among the highlights of the restoration work are the windows, which have been renovated, and rebuilt where necessary, in Lebanese cedar wood, using historic archives to recreate the original design and murals, which had lain hidden for decades, in delicate blue stenciling. These were uncovered and restored in the central halls on the first and second floors.
The restoration work is now fully complete. The next phase, the BHI team say, involves furnishing the home for occupation in spring 2023.
The Blue House was chosen as a focus for the HFF’s work chiefly for its commanding position on the former shoreline. But it will also provide a fitting office for the charity in Lebanon on completion, an office that will double as both a workspace and occasional exhibition space.
“We have also done a complete assessment of the maritime archaeology at the port of Beirut for Lebanon’s director of antiquities,” Cathie said. “When it comes to rebuilding, they will know what goes where.”
“We hope this restoration project will encourage more people to visit the house and appreciate its heritage,” Dagher added. “Before the blast, heritage buildings were very private; not a lot of people had access to these kinds of buildings. The owner of The Blue House wants people to have awareness of it, and for Lebanon’s heritage to be accessible to citizens and to visitors.”
DUBAI: Among the many valuable rare books at London’s Firsts Book Fair stands an orange-toned, slightly-torn biography of a gutsy traveler you’ve likely never heard of. He was something of a rebel in Victorian times, escaping family pressures by sailing abroad during adolescence and eventually leading a life of his own in the Middle East. His name was William Richard Williamson, but he became known, simply, as Haji Williamson.
“Arabian Adventurer: The Story of Haji Williamson” was offered by the antiquarian bookseller Maggs Bros. Published in 1951, seven years prior to Williamson’s death, the book was penned by journalist and adventure-story writer Stanton Hope, who was taken by Williamson’s extraordinary life.
Maggs Bros.’ travel books specialist Sam Cotterell offered insight into Williamson’s jack-of-all-trades character.
“He went to sea at 13 and had a bewildering array of jobs before turning 20, including cowboy, gold prospector and amateur boxer,” Cotterell told Arab News. “He even spent a short period as a juggler in a circus troupe.”
Williamson was born in Bristol in 1872, where he was raised by a strict father. His voyages landed him in San Diego, the Caroline Islands, and Manila, where he was jailed for selling rifles to rebel tribesmen.
“He was born to have a regular life somewhere in Victorian Bristol, but ended up experiencing things that would have been practically incommunicable to his friends and family in England — an experience totally removed from its initial context,” said Cotterell. “I always think stories like his are the most interesting because you learn about how different cultures interacted, and sometimes clashed, at specific points in history.”
After escaping imprisonment, Williamson went to sea once again, making his way to Aden, Yemen to join the British police force. During the voyage, he came across a book on Islam, written by Abdullah Quilliam, an influential Briton who converted to Islam and established Britain’s first mosque in Liverpool in 1889. Reading the book was a turning point in Williamson’s life, and he eventually also converted.
“Christianity was a consistent part of his early life, even on his first travels, such as when he stayed in California with his aunt who was a Seventh-day Adventist,” noted Cotterell. “It seems his study of Islam quickly became an obsession, which his shipmates noticed when he no longer wished to join them for football matches on land, preferring to read in the ship’s library.”
What was considered a personal decision actually led to controversy in the establishment. “At first, he was considered a good policeman, but the British authorities became highly suspicious of his interest in the local community and Islam. And then, from the moment he converted, he was viewed as a potentially dangerous outsider,” said Cotterell. Their behavior towards Williamson shifted when Williamson took on the coveted role of inspector of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
“A narrative about his life would never have been published early on, because it was only later, when his knowledge was deemed essential to securing oil concessions, that he regained acceptance from the British,” he continued. “There was a period of time in which he was completely apart from his country of birth.”
Haji, meaning a male who performed the Hajj, became Williamson’s nickname, and indeed, he completed the pilgrimage in 1894, 1898 and 1936.
“What’s communicated in the book — and this is not coming directly from Williamson — is that he found a clarity in Islam beyond what he’d experienced as a Christian,” noted Cotterell.
Studying the Arabic language and culture, Williamson lived in Kuwait and an area close to Basra in Iraq, where he owned a dhow, and traveled widely in the Gulf region. He made a living through pearling, horse trading, and camel dealing. He fitted in, looking like a traditional Arab. One of the unique aspects of Maggs’ book is the curious cover, showing a large frontispiece of the eye-catching Haji Williamson.
“The portrait on the dust-jacket is memorable, showing him in his role as agent for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company,” said Cotterell.” He wears a Western suit but also a ghutrah and golden agal. It’s a kind of between-worlds image.”