Dusé Mohamed Ali (; 21 November 1866 – 25 June 1945) was a Sudanese-Egyptian actor and political activist, who became known for his

African nationalism African nationalism is an umbrella term which refers to a group of political ideologies in sub-Saharan Africa, which are based on the idea of national self-determination and the creation of nation states.African Times and Orient Review,'' later revived as the ''African and Orient Review'', which published in total through 1920. He lived and worked mostly in England, alongside the United States and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

respectively. In the latter location, he founded the Comet Press Ltd, and ''The Comet'' newspaper in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Early life

Ali was born in 1866 in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt. His father, Abdul Salem Ali, was an officer in the

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

. His mother was

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

ese. He received his early training in Egypt, but at the age of nine or 10, his father arranged for him to go to England to be educated,David Dabydeen, John Gilmore, Cecily Jones (eds), ''The Oxford Companion to Black British History'', Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 25. Ali had originally intended to study as a doctor and had started on related studies before his father's death. His father died in 1882 while serving at the

Battle of Tel el-Kebir The Battle of Tel El Kebir (often spelled Tel-El-Kebir) was fought on 13 September 1882 at Tell El Kebir in Egypt, 110 km north-north-east of Cairo. An entrenched Egyptian force under the command of Ahmed ʻUrabi was defeated by a British ...

in Egypt. After that, the younger Ali, then 16, was forced to return to Egypt, settling affairs with his father's estate, Ali returned to England. Afterward he wanted to write and act. On completing his studies at the University of London. As the ward of Canon Berry, he pursued studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

Actor and playwright

Ali was in the theatre company of

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End theatre, West End, winning ...

and in

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

's production of ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'' at the Royal Princess Theatre, London. As an actor, Ali toured the British Isles. He produced ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' and ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' at Hull, Yorkshire, in 1902, playing the parts of

and the Prince of Morocco. He earned praise from the British press. He wrote several plays, producing ''The Jew's Revenge'' (1903) at the Royal Surrey Theatre in London, ''A Cleopatra Night'' (1907) at

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, and the '' Lily of Bermuda'' (1909), a musical comedy at the Theatre Royal, Manchester. The productions were praised by the British and American press. His production and performance in ''A Daughter of Judah'' (1906), which he first produced in the Glasgow Empire Theatre (GET) received particularly good reviews. Mohamed toured in the United States, where he produced several plays and won recognition as an actor. In London, he founded the Hull Shakespeare Society, of which Sir

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

was the first President. Representing his political interests and ''considerable British interest in the Orient'', he founded the Anglo-Ottoman Society, London. Its members included Lords Newton,

Lamington A lamington is an Australian cake made from squares of butter cake or sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, ...

, Stourton and Mowbray. In 1915 Ali founded and was Secretary of the Indian Muslim Soldiers' Widows' and Orphans' War Fund. Among its patrons were Consuelo, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Right Hon. D. Lloyd George,

Sir Edward Grey Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who was the main force behind British foreign policy in the era of the Fir ...

, Lord and Lady Lamington, Lord and Lady Newton, the Marquis and Marchioness of Crew, Mrs. H. H. Asquith, Sir Austen and Lady Chamberlain, Lord Curzon, and almost all the members, of the British Cabinet.

Lecturer and journalist

After the First Universal Races Congress held at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1911, Ali, with the help of John Eldred Jones, a journalist from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

, in 1912 founded the '' African Times and Orient Review'' (''ATOR'') in London. Financial assistance in launching the paper was given by some West Africans who were temporarily in London, including J. E. Casely Hayford, a journalist and activist; Francis T. Dove and C. W. Betts from

, founded as a British colony; and Dr. Oguntola Sapara from

, Nigeria. The journal advocated Pan-African nationalism. It became a forum for African and other intellectuals and activists from around the world. It attracted numerous contributors, including

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

Annie Besant Annie Besant (; Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was an English socialist, Theosophy (Blavatskian), theosophist, freemason, women's rights and Home Rule activist, educationist and campaigner for Indian nationalism. She was an arden ...

, Sir Harry H. Johnston, Henry Francis Downing, and William H. Ferris. The young

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...

, then studying in London from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, frequently visited Ali's

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

office and was mentored by him. The journal covered issues in the United States, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, West Africa, South Africa, and Egypt. Garvey briefly worked for Ali and contributed an article to the journal's October 1913 issue. The journal ceased publication in October 1918 during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, after it was banned by the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and British colonies in Africa in order to prevent unrest. It was succeeded by the '' African and Orient Review'', which operated through most of 1920. In Europe Mohamed Ali was considered an authority on Oriental eaning the Near East at the timeaffairs, political and social. Mohamed Ali also contributed to several leading European and American periodicals; his articles were translated and published in Germany, France,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and Japan. In 1921, following the demise of the ''African and Orient Review'', Ali travelled to the United States, never returning to Britain. In the US he briefly worked with Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) movement. He also contributed articles on African issues to UNIA's the '' Negro World.'' He taught in a department of African affairs.

Travels and settlement in Nigeria

Ali first travelled to Nigeria in July 1921. The

community welcomed him at the Shitta-Bey Mosque, Martin Street, Lagos Island. He returned to Lagos in 1931, primarily to watch over his interests in the Cocoa business. He settled in Lagos, where he was appointed Editor of the '' Nigerian Daily Times''. On October 3, 1932, Ali produced the play ''A Daughter of Pharaoh'' in the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos. According to the ''Nigerian Daily Times'', it "set a new standard in Lagos entertainment, introducing real stagecraft." Before long Ali became editor of the Nigerian ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'', having as his immediate assistant Ayo Lijadu (subsequently editor of the ''Nigerian Daily Times''. Expanding his publishing interests, on 27 July 1933 Ali began publication of '' The Comet'', a weekly newspaper. He took great interest in the educational and general welfare of the Muslim community in Lagos. Following a protracted illness, Mohamed Ali died at the age of 78 in the African Hospital, Lagos, on 25 June 1945. His funeral took place on 27 June 1945. Attendees numbered well over 5,000, including political, social and religious leaders. A short '' khutba'' (sermon) in English was delivered by L. B. Agusto, President of the Islamic Society of Nigeria. A short oration in Arabic was also delivered by D. Couri, a friend. A large funeral procession went through the streets to Okesuna Muslim Cemetery, where Ali was buried.

Plays

* '' The Jew's Revenge'' (1903) * '' A Daughter of Judah'' (1906) * '' A Cleopatra Night'' (1907) * '' Lily of Bermuda'' (1909), musical comedy

Journals and newspapers

*Founded '' African Times and Orient Review'' (1912) in London; superseded by ''African and Orient Review'' (1919) *Founded ''The Comet'' newspaper,

, Nigeria

References

External links

The Official UNIA-ACL WebsiteAbdelwahid, Mustafa A. ''The Autobiography of Dusé Mohamed Ali, 1866–1945: A Pioneer of Pan-Africanism and Afro-Asian Solidarity Movements''
Africa World Press Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Duse Mohamed 1866 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople Alumni of King's College London British emigrants to Nigeria British male journalists British male stage actors Egyptian activists Egyptian emigrants to Nigeria Egyptian journalists Egyptian male stage actors Nigerian journalists Nigerian newspaper founders Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League members People from the Khedivate of Egypt