"Hebeena, Hebeena" | Georgina Rizk
This photo was taken in 1971 at a party hosted by the late musician Farid al-Atrash at his home in Louaize, Lebanon, in honor of Georgina Rizk after she was crowned Miss Universe. When the musician invited her to dinner, her schedule was already filled with appointments and invitations.
Because she was eager to meet him, she did not want to cancel the invitation. She found no free time except for the night before her departure, as she was about to embark on a long tour of several countries around the world. Thus, she finished packing all her bags early and went to attend the dinner party. Among the guests were some of Farid al-Atrash's friends and his fiancée, Salwa Al-Qudsi. Georgina arrived at the party with her fiancé, Philippe, her father George, her mother, her sister Felicina, and her friends Georgina Jrou and Silvana Bedrakan.
The party was enlivened by the dancer Katkouta with Abboud Abdel Aal’s band. To the tune of the song "Lektob Ala Awraq Al Shajar," Katkouta invited Georgina to dance. She swayed shyly with her, and although she was enjoying the party, she did not stay up late to be ready for her trip the next day. The musician Farid al-Atrash had asked the poet Tawfiq Barakat to write a song that began with the words "Georgina, Georgina, hebeena, hebeena," and he composed it. However, Lebanese radio censorship rejected it, as their regulations prohibited the use of public figures' names in songs. The lyrics were later modified to become "Hebeena, Hebeena" and Farid al-Atrash sang it for Mervat Amin in the last film he made before his death, "Nagham Fi Hayaty"
By May Serbey Chehab, from the book "Street of the Stars"
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