Dusé Mohamed Ali was an Egyptian actor, writer, businessman, entrepreneur and political activist. Between 1899 and 1904, Ali intermittently resided in Hull working as an actor and journalist. He is one of the most famous Africans to have lived and worked in the region.
Mohamed Ali (later Dusé Mohamed) was born in Alexandria, Egypt on 21 November 1866.[1] He was the son of Abdul Salem Ali, an Egyptian army officer and his Sudanese wife. At the age of 9 or 10, Ali was sent to England to study history at Kings College in London.[2] A decision which may have been shaped by the widening political divisions in Egypt and the threat of war. Britain and France’s increased power in the northeast African country generated anger and anxieties which eventually resulted in the outbreak of the 'Urabi Revolution' in 1879. In June 1882, after violence had erupted in Alexandria, the British bombarded the city killing Ali’s father and brother. This conflict eventually resulted in the British occupation of Egypt. Although, Ali was only 16 when these events occurred, they made a great impression on his life and played a crucial role in shaping his anti-imperial stance in later life.
After his father’s death, Ali had no financial support and had to leave school.[3] At first, he made his living as an actor with Wilson Barrett’s theatrical company, adopting the non-Arabic name Dusé, moving with them to USA and Canada in 1886. [4] While in America, he also worked as a ‘penny-a-liner’ journalist and a clerk for several years before returning to Britain.
By February 1899, Ali had settled in Hull as is evidenced by a letter he wrote to the Hull Daily Mail commenting on Lord Meath’s scheme for education.[5] At first, Ali found it difficult to gain employment in the region and like most Africans gravitated towards Hull’s maritime sphere. According to his autobiography, at first the only work he could find was as a docker, but after three or four weeks working in inclement weather he became very ill. On his return to work, he was given the less arduous job of cargo checker and after three months he rose to assistant shipping clerk for Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. (the Wilson Line of Hull), which he followed by a brief spell as a foreman in the North Eastern Railway Company’s timber yard.[6]
After his father’s death, Ali had no financial support and had to leave school.[3] At first, he made his living as an actor with Wilson Barrett’s theatrical company, adopting the non-Arabic name Dusé, moving with them to USA and Canada in 1886. [4] While in America, he also worked as a ‘penny-a-liner’ journalist and a clerk for several years before returning to Britain.
By February 1899, Ali had settled in Hull as is evidenced by a letter he wrote to the Hull Daily Mail commenting on Lord Meath’s scheme for education.[5] At first, Ali found it difficult to gain employment in the region and like most Africans gravitated towards Hull’s maritime sphere. According to his autobiography, at first the only work he could find was as a docker, but after three or four weeks working in inclement weather he became very ill. On his return to work, he was given the less arduous job of cargo checker and after three months he rose to assistant shipping clerk for Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. (the Wilson Line of Hull), which he followed by a brief spell as a foreman in the North Eastern Railway Company’s timber yard.[6]
In 1901, Ali was living in 223 Westgate in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The 1901 census details that he was a single, male actor boarding with the Cordiner family.[7] He also features in the same census as a visitor at the Martin residence, 4 Duchy Avenue in Harrogate, the home of his future wife.[8] In the summer of 1901 Ali married Elizabeth Mary Brunyee, a bookkeeper from Hull, who was living with her aunt in Harrogate at the time.[9] On their marriage certificate he is described as a widower, however the identity of his first wife remains unknown. Shortly after their wedding, Ali began touring the country as an actor while working as a journalist for regional newspapers and a short-lived women’s magazine called the Hull Lady. His photograph and a brief biography appeared in a feature about the magazine’s staff in June 1902, (see below) as did an advertisement for his services as a teacher of elocution, (see left). [10] C. L. Innes has advised that, ‘As a freelance journalist in Hull…he contributed to romantic stories, historical and autobiographical sketches, and a 286-line ode, ‘Hull’s Coronation Ode,’ to the Hull Lady.’[11] Towards the end of 1902, Ali performed on several occasions for audiences around East Yorkshire. On 3 October, the Hull Daily Mail advised that ‘every effort is being made to make Mr Duse Mohamed’s Shakespearian and operatic recital in the Lecture Hall on…23rd and 24th a success.’ The article went on to detail that around 60 locals would be performing, indicating that Ali had made many connections while living in the region. The event was very well received and it was reported that the ‘chief interest… lay on the dramatic recitals, in which Mr Mohamed took a prominent part.’ He played a Jew in the ‘The Hebrew Father’ and the 'Prince of Morocco' in an adaptation of the Shakespearian play ‘Merchant of Venice.’ A month later, on 24 November 1902, Ali performed recitals at the Osborne Street Chapel in Hull.[12] Two weeks after, on 10 December Ali appeared at the Assembly Rooms in Beverley where he presented “dramatic and humorous recitations assisted by Mrs. Mohamed.” He was billed as “the only English-speaking actor the East has yet produced.” Ali tried hard to establish a niche for himself in Hull, becoming a founding member of the Shakespearean Society in 1903.[13]
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During his time in the region, Ali played an active role in the organisation and production of many events, demonstrating that he was accepted within the community. A sentiment that Ian Duffield has elaborated upon in volume one of his groundbreaking thesis, Duse Mohamed Ali and the Development of Pan-Africanism 1866-1945. Duffield advised, “It is clear that Dusé developed a considerable affection for Hull, although he was lured away in summer 1900 to fulfill a theatre engagement in London, he returned to Hull…and in all spent…some three or four happy years… there”, adding perceptively, ‘Perhaps for this brief time he felt a fully accepted member of a British community.’[14]
After 1903, Ali performed in plays across the country. It is likely that the strain of travelling resulted in the breakdown of his second marriage.[15] In 1909, he wrote for New Age commenting upon the problems in society such as racism and oppression. He also strongly advocated Egyptian nationalism.[16]
After 1903, Ali performed in plays across the country. It is likely that the strain of travelling resulted in the breakdown of his second marriage.[15] In 1909, he wrote for New Age commenting upon the problems in society such as racism and oppression. He also strongly advocated Egyptian nationalism.[16]
By 1911 Ali had moved to London and was residing at 55 Victoria Mansions, South Lambeth Road with his third wife Beatrice, to whom he had been married for six years.[17] Perhaps they had married in a Muslim ceremony as Beatrice was born in Turkey despite the census data advising that her birth place was Stafford.[18] Now based in London, Ali began to take a keener interest in racial politics. Having been annoyed by a speech about Egypt by American President, Theodore Roosevelt, he wrote In the Land of the Pharaohs which was published in 1911 by way of repudiation. Initially, it received excellent reviews from critics raving about Ali’s exploration of racism and his anti-imperial stance. However, once it was realised that he had heavily plagiarised from the works of Wilfred Scawen Blunt, Theodore Rothstein and the Earl of Cromer the author received heavy criticisms.[19] Nevertheless, the book made a great impact in America and West Africa, centralising Ali’s position as a defender of Black rights. After its publication, he received an invitation to attend the Universal Races Congress and was elected as a corresponding member of the Negro Society for Historical Research based in New York.[20]
Ali went on to have an illustrious career as the editor of several magazines including the African Times and Orient Review which announced itself as |
'a Pan-Oriental, Pan-African journal at the seat of the British Empire which would lay the aims, desires, and intentions of the Black, Brown, and Yellow races- within and without the Empire- at the throne of Caesar.’[21] Contributors to this publication included Anglo-African composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the former MP for Finsbury Central, and founding father of Indian nationalism, Dadabhai Naoroji. Marcus Garvey also worked with Ali on the journal for a while. The magazine ceased publication for the duration of the First World War – which must have been a relief to the Government which was heavily criticised in each issue. As Lionel Morrison pointed out in his book, A Century of Black Journalism in Britain, ‘The quality of the African Times and Orient Review was consistently high and built an international circulation. It was read by black intellectuals in Africa, north America and the West Indies and expounded Afro-Asian solidarity…it was disliked and rather feared by the Colonial Office, Foreign Office and the India Office.’[22] When the paper resumed after its hiatus, the government banned its circulation in Africa and India due to its militant nature and criticisms of imperialism.[23]
In 1920, Ali ventured to Africa on a business trip. He boarded the Abinsi in Liverpool on 30 June and arrived at Accra, Ghana shortly after.[24] His suggestion was to set up a native bank to break European monopolies in West Africa. Although, Mohamed was well received he was only successful in gaining support in the Gold Coast where he set up the Inter-Colonial Corporation. To further business interest he travelled to New York in 1921 on board the Cedric from Liverpool to do business and give lectures.[25] He remained in America for several years, receiving his U.S. naturalization papers on 3 September 1926.[26] While in the United States, Ali helped to popularise Islam amongst African-Americans, influencing the founders of the Black Muslim movement which eventually produced political activists such as Malcolm X.
In 1931, with his fourth wife, the American actress Gertrude La Page, he returned to Africa and went to live in Lagos, Nigeria. He became the editor of the Lagos Times and founded the country’s most popular magazine, the Comet. He remained in Africa until his death on 25 June 1945.
In 1931, with his fourth wife, the American actress Gertrude La Page, he returned to Africa and went to live in Lagos, Nigeria. He became the editor of the Lagos Times and founded the country’s most popular magazine, the Comet. He remained in Africa until his death on 25 June 1945.
Footnotes
[1] Michigan, Federal Naturalization Records 1887-1931, records of District Courts of the United States, RG21, The National Archives (TNA), Chicago.
[2] Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, A History of Islam in America (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 204 and C. L. Innes, A History of Black and Asian Writing in Britain, 1700-2000 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. 182.
[3] Hakim Adi and Marika Sherwood, Pan-Africa History: Political figures from Africa and the Diaspora since 1787 (London: Routledge, 2003), p. 1
[4] Wilson Barrett was one of the most famous actors on the London stage in the 1880s.
[5] Hull Daily Mail, 7 February 1899, p. 6
[6] Duse Mohamed Ali’s autobiography, “Leaves from an Active Life”, was serialised from 12 June 1937 – 5 March 1938 in the magazine, The Comet, which he founded and edited in Nigeria in the 1930s.
[7] Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
[8] Ibid
[9] Ibid
[10] Ali’s advertisement also featured in the Hull Daily Mail 28 and 31 October 1902, p. 2
[11] C. L. Innes, A History of Black and Asian Writing in Britain, p. 184
[12] Hull Daily Mail, 25 November 1902, p. 4
[13] Hull Daily Mail, 3 November 1902, p. 4 and Hull Daily Mail, 12 January 1903.
[14] Duffield thesis, pp 57-8
[15] Ali and Elizabeth must have divorced between 1903 and 1906. Elizabeth M. Mohamed went on to marry John W. Alexander in Edmonton, in the summer of 1913 and their daughter Ruth L. Mohamed (mother’s maiden name Brunyee) was recorded at the end of the same year.
[16] Hakim Adi and Marika Sherwood, Pan-Africa History, p. 1
[17] Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
[18] Michigan, Federal Naturalization Records 1887-1931, records of District Courts of the United States, RG21, TNA, Chicago.
[19] Peter Fryer, Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain (London: Pluto Press, 1984), p. 288
[20] Robert A. Hill (eds), The Marcus Garvey: And Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, vol.1 (California: University of California Press, 1983), p.520
[21] African Times and Orient Review, I:I (1912), p. I
[22] Lionel Morrison, A Century of Black Journalism in Britain, Truebay Ltd., London, 2007, pp 18-19.
[23] Humayun Ansari, The Infidel Within: Muslims in Britain since 1800, (London: C. Hurst & Co., 2004), p. 87-88
[24] Passenger lists leaving Britain, 1890- 1960, 3913: 214
[25] New York Passenger lists: Arrivals, M237 and T715
[26] U.S. Naturalization Records Index, 1794-1995, records of district courts of the United States, 21, TNA, Washington
[1] Michigan, Federal Naturalization Records 1887-1931, records of District Courts of the United States, RG21, The National Archives (TNA), Chicago.
[2] Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, A History of Islam in America (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 204 and C. L. Innes, A History of Black and Asian Writing in Britain, 1700-2000 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. 182.
[3] Hakim Adi and Marika Sherwood, Pan-Africa History: Political figures from Africa and the Diaspora since 1787 (London: Routledge, 2003), p. 1
[4] Wilson Barrett was one of the most famous actors on the London stage in the 1880s.
[5] Hull Daily Mail, 7 February 1899, p. 6
[6] Duse Mohamed Ali’s autobiography, “Leaves from an Active Life”, was serialised from 12 June 1937 – 5 March 1938 in the magazine, The Comet, which he founded and edited in Nigeria in the 1930s.
[7] Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
[8] Ibid
[9] Ibid
[10] Ali’s advertisement also featured in the Hull Daily Mail 28 and 31 October 1902, p. 2
[11] C. L. Innes, A History of Black and Asian Writing in Britain, p. 184
[12] Hull Daily Mail, 25 November 1902, p. 4
[13] Hull Daily Mail, 3 November 1902, p. 4 and Hull Daily Mail, 12 January 1903.
[14] Duffield thesis, pp 57-8
[15] Ali and Elizabeth must have divorced between 1903 and 1906. Elizabeth M. Mohamed went on to marry John W. Alexander in Edmonton, in the summer of 1913 and their daughter Ruth L. Mohamed (mother’s maiden name Brunyee) was recorded at the end of the same year.
[16] Hakim Adi and Marika Sherwood, Pan-Africa History, p. 1
[17] Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
[18] Michigan, Federal Naturalization Records 1887-1931, records of District Courts of the United States, RG21, TNA, Chicago.
[19] Peter Fryer, Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain (London: Pluto Press, 1984), p. 288
[20] Robert A. Hill (eds), The Marcus Garvey: And Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, vol.1 (California: University of California Press, 1983), p.520
[21] African Times and Orient Review, I:I (1912), p. I
[22] Lionel Morrison, A Century of Black Journalism in Britain, Truebay Ltd., London, 2007, pp 18-19.
[23] Humayun Ansari, The Infidel Within: Muslims in Britain since 1800, (London: C. Hurst & Co., 2004), p. 87-88
[24] Passenger lists leaving Britain, 1890- 1960, 3913: 214
[25] New York Passenger lists: Arrivals, M237 and T715
[26] U.S. Naturalization Records Index, 1794-1995, records of district courts of the United States, 21, TNA, Washington