22 April 2010 - Anisa Wahab, the famous theatre star of the country, quiets us inaudibly on the night of 18 April in Kabul.

She was born in the Shash Darak area of Kabul 53 years ago, of which she spent 46 years in the service of theatre in the country. She was also married to an actor and had no children.

Ms Wahab was a little kid of seven years, when she began coming to the corridors of Radio Kabul or to the theatre to play, cry, and work.

After her tragic death on Sunday, the Minister for Information and Culture, Sayed Makhdoom Raheen, said that Anissa Wahab dedicated her life to the service of theatre.

“In this field, she came across a lot of difficulties and challenges, but with an unbelievable resistance that was clear from her delicate and short stature, as she smilingly tolerated them. Alas! She is not with us anymore, but her memories will never be forgotten,” he added.

Ms Wahab gave thousands of performances during her 46 years on stage in different roles for which she won several artistic awards. She made people laugh and cry. She spread, through her work, messages of human rights and women’s rights. She also proved that even in the middle of a traditional war-torn society, a woman from the arts can achieve great things.

She also worked towards promoting the culture of peace, as a participant in UNAMA’s campaign for International Peace Day 2007 with Peace Ambassador and Hollywood actor Jude Law.

Shoresh Kalantari, head of UNAMA’ s multimedia unit, who worked with her on multiple occasions said ”she was a great human being who never worked for money.”

Qader Farokh, Afghanistan’s most famous living tenor, said: “this is a huge artistic loss that is irreplaceable. She starred in five disciplines: theatre, radio, television, children’s theater and cinema. Her immense artistic repertoire includes thousands of irrepressible performances.”

By Nilab Mobarez, UNAMA