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“The Amigo of the Arabs,” the sweet voice that the Lebanese cherished and the generation of the seventies loved, and which has remained etched in our memories to this day.
Hikmat Wehbe, the famous media personality and native of the town of Batmeh in the Chouf region of Lebanon, was born in January 1952. He began his artistic career at an early age, first on stage participating in some plays, then later moved to work in the field of radio. In the early seventies, Pierre Gedeon and Edmond Hania discovered Hikmat Wehbe’s talent and invited him to join them in the “Ten O'Clock Theatre” on the stage of Casino du Liban, where he impersonated a group of artists.
In 1976, his breakthrough came after he was offered a job at Radio Monte Carlo. He worked there for 17 years and introduced the colloquial dialect to the airwaves after Modern Standard Arabic had been the norm. He presented the program “Mala'eb al-Sighar” (Children’s Playgrounds) on Lebanese television alongside the artist Samar Al-Zein. Through 300 episodes, he was able to reach people’s hearts with his charming style and accessible approach, and he was distinguished by his famous program “Marsal al-Hawa.” Director Nicolas Abou Samah says: “When I was looking for a personality close to the heart to present the program “Mala'eb al-Sighar,” I could find no one but Hikmat.” He was a brilliant broadcaster who carried in his heart a longing to engage with all people and a desire to captivate the conscience of millions of young listeners.
After that, he decided to resign, leaving the radio station to work at Radio Orient in Paris.
The World of Acting
In terms of acting, he participated in the series “Wa Yabqa al-Hob” with Abdel Majid Majzoub and Amal Afich. The distinguished artist Rachid Alameh admired him and cast him in lead roles in the series “Al-Yad al-Jariha,” the film “Hasna wa Amaliqa,” the film “Akher al-Sayf,” and other artistic works. Although he was not a professional singer, he presented a number of songs, the most famous of which is “Ah Ya Tamara,” which is still repeated today, as well as “Kadaba,” “Ya Moussafira,” “Inta Wahdak,” and others.
He married the artist Hala Alameh and they had one son named Jad. Whoever said “he who leaves descendants does not die” was right; Jad Wehbe inherited the talent from the “Amigo” and is today a media personality and presenter at Radio Al Rabia in the UAE.
The Voice of “Monte Carlo”
The artist Hikmat Wehbe, who is considered a media beacon that will not be repeated in the history of Lebanon, and who started at Radio Monte Carlo, passed away on February 10, 1992, at the age of 40. Hikmat Wehbe, before whom radio stations had not known many broadcasters capable of filling the sound space with words, was surprised to find he had a brain tumor and lost his memory while speaking on air on Radio Orient. He bid farewell to the audience of his program “Finjan Qahwa Sukkar Ziyada,” to embark on his treatment journey, headed to the hospital, left his radio career, and decided to spend his final days among his family. Although his life was short, he left his mark, which remains firmly in the hearts of millions.
