Waleed Khaleel, a great Yemeni singer and actor talks to Yemen Times: Yemenis: Soaring birds [Archives:2002/24/Culture]
June 10 2002
Empty songs which are loved by others are rejected and discarded by Khaleel. He spares no efforts to develop both modern and folk Yemeni songs.
He has become one of the well-known film stars in the world.
Ridhwan al-Saqqaf of the Yemen Times met up with him and filed the following interview.
Q: How did your career start?
A: It started when I was a student in Cairo at the Students Syndicate. My artistic experience began to be shaped during celebrations organized by the Yemens Sons League for the Arab and Yemeni communities at the Cairo stages. My beginning was in 1980 where I played a vital role along with Yemeni and Egyptian classmates.
Q: In your point of view, how do you view the notion of art?
A: Undoubtedly, art plays a vital part in mans life which is similar to that of politics. Art and politics are two sides of the same coin.
The art addresses the intellect and emotions of the human being. Any country without art is like a bread without flour. Art raises awareness among the people especially the young. Any society which takes keen interest in art and literature will reach the highest level of prosperity.
The worlds horizons are widened for the benefit of the human being in all aspects of life. Art can play a vital role in all aspects like nothing else. Art is an indispensable factor for politicians, media, theater, music and cinema in contemporary life
A: My interests in cinema is closely related to my music work. Ive performed several works during my studies in Cairo. Ive also performed in different films showing day-to-day life in my homeland and the world. Two distinguished actors were chosen, Mohammed Hunaidi and Khaled Assowi.
A short political film was performed dealing with human drama. I also performed a film with prominent Egyptian film stars including Khaled Assabahi, Saleh Dhu Alfakar and Mohsen Mohee Addeen.
In addition to this, I have written some films, and prepared documentary films on the 26 September Revolution and the War of Liberation in the south. During a political and historical film titled (An Arab Tale) I acted together with the great Yemeni poet, Nabeel al-Hakimi.
During my stay in Cairo, I came across some Yemeni revolutionaries including major general Mohammed Qaed Saif. I got acquainted with him and he gave me good advice during my stay in Cairo.
I also met up with Abdurahman al-Baidhani, and talked with him about several topics including his famous oratories recorded in the Voice of Arab. My experience with Yemenis abroad has paved the way for me to prosper and become a film star.
With a great sorrow, there is no room for talking about Yemeni films and of course there is no interest at all that deserve mentioning by the concerned bodies. When I came back to Yemen in 1989 I didnt work as a film director due to the above-mentioned reason.
Q: What are your recent artistic works?
A: My recent works are a continuation and revival of the previous ones. This has been achieved from three standpoints:
First I compiled historical and cultural documents with a view of writing a complete work narrating the contemporary history of Aden.
This will be dealt from different angles including the strategic location of Aden City at that time, its social, political, literary and artistic aspects along with the revolutionary movements which had a great effect on the political arena in Yemen at that time.
This has been done in a attentive way together with some corrections of historical facts since the entering of Henz to Aden, a British captain.
This of course will take a lot of time. So, the book will comprise three parts. The first part of the book is about to be finished soon and the other two parts are going to be finished at regular intervals.
Second, Ive taken part in a foreign film written and composed by brother Sami along with his wife, a Danish film director. The film is entitled The Family and was photographed in Denmark, Sanaa, and Aden. I attended the film festival titled Odense in August in 2001, a city in Denmark. The new film is a realistic and social one.
Third, preparations are in full swing to record documentary films on Yemeni antiques, along with interested bodies in the field of old civilizations in the world. Yemen is known for being the cradle of civilization, but its still not well-known for its antique-lovers.
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