Yasmin Aga Khan is a princess recognized for raising awareness about degenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's; her project consists of exposing how the connections of brain cells collapse and succumb, causing memory loss and the deterioration of mental functions.
Despite having studied art, Yasmin's main work is to give lectures and be a representative of non-governmental health foundations, with the purpose of developing public knowledge about neuro-cerebral conditions that not only affect affected people, but also all those around them.
Yasmin Aga Khan (center) focuses her actions on promoting awareness of degenerative diseases.
Source: Justice all the way at the English language Wikipedia
In her philanthropic role, the artist aims to show the first symptoms that individuals who suffer from these disorders show, as well as the care they need. Its focus is early prevention.
Yasmin's vocation arose through the experience she had with her mother, the famous film actress Margarita Cansino (better known as Rita Hayworth), who passed away at age 68 without having a specific diagnosis. However, her life is not only focused on altruistic activities, since she also participated in the field of film and television.
Biography
Yasmin Aga Khan was born on December 28, 1949 in Lausanne, Switzerland. She was the second daughter of American actress and dancer Margarita Cansino (Rita Hayworth), and the only female heir to Prince Ali Khan, Pakistan's spokesperson at the United Nations.
During his early years he lived with his mother Margarita and sister, Rebecca Welles Manning (1944-2004). In 1951 her parents became estranged, after Margarita declared that Ali was betraying her. This separation continues to occupy one of the first places among the most expensive in history, since at the beginning $ 48,000 was agreed for the maintenance of Yasmin.
The divorce was formalized in September 1953 under two conditions: one was the creation of an annual fund of 1,000,000 dollars, which should ensure the well-being of both the princess and her mother.
The second condition consisted in that from the age of 7 Yasmin should know the teachings of the Ismaili current, a cult professed by the paternal family. Yasmin grew up following the Christian religion and also what is exposed by Ismailism.
In his childhood he attended Buxton boarding school in Williamstown, located in Massachusetts. Some time later she was transferred to the international school in Geneva. Finally, in 1973 she graduated with a degree in Art from Bennington College in the United States; Yasmin's dream was to be an opera singer.
Family life
In 1985, when Yasmin was 36 years old, she married the economist Basil Embiricos, with whom in 1986 she had her first and only child, Andrew Ali Aga Khan Embiricos.
The marriage did not last more than two years, because in 1987 the couple divorced. This separation became final in 2011, when Andrew passed away for unknown reasons.
The eldest son was 25 years old when his body was found in his apartment in New York City. The cause of his death is usually attributed to the toxins that contaminated his blood system, although this is only a hypothesis, because his relatives did not come out publicly to explain the true reason.
After her first marital breakup, Yasmin had a second wedding again in 1989, but this time with attorney Christopher Michael Jeffries. After four years of marriage, Jeffries filed for divorce, exposing apathy and indisposition on the part of the wife as the cause.
Philanthropy emerges
Due to her diverse ancestry (Hindu, Spanish and Irish), Yasmin Aga Khan expressed that as a child she felt immense pleasure in helping and guiding others. The catalyst for her philanthropy was the illness her mother began to develop in the mid-1960s.
In the documentary titled I Remember Better When I Paint (2009), Khan expressed the helplessness and pain he felt seeing his mother, one of the world's most recognized dancers and actresses, in such a vulnerable state.
When Yasmin was 11 years old, she experienced an episode in which Margarita did not recognize her. From that moment, diagnostic tests began, which ended in May 1987.
Margarita's disease did not have a precise diagnosis. Many doctors said that her memory loss was the result of the trauma she had experienced in her childhood when her father tried to abuse her. It is important to clarify that in the 1970s Alzheimer's was still an unexplored condition.
From there Yasmin's scientific interest emerged: knowing and informing as much as possible about this disease. For this reason, after her mother died, she joined various citizen protection organizations.
Foundations
Affected by her mother's condition, Yasmin joined the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association, where she is currently vice president. She also serves as president of the International Alzheimer's Foundation and is a member of the National Council of the Salk Institute.
In addition, he assumed the role of speaker of the Board of Visitors of the Boston University School of Medicine and is on the board of the Aga Khan Foundation.
Yasmin's goal in joining every organization is for people not to experience the despair and misinformation that her mother, sister, and herself found themselves in for 37 years.
Artistic life
Although she did not focus on artistic life, Yasmin played some film roles. She did not get to perform a leading role, but she managed to fulfill her dream of acting and singing. The six films in which he participated will be mentioned below:
- The merry thieves (1961).
- Sanam Teri Kasam (1982).
- Grahasthi (1984).
- Diljalaa (1987).
- Hatya (1888).
- Do not enter (2005).
His most relevant film was Sanam Teri Kasam, since he shared scenes with his mother. That film had a symbolic performance because it was one of the last leading roles Rita had before her brain cells failed.
References
- Brozan, N. (2005). The mystery of the Khan family. Retrieved on May 24, 2019 from New York Social Diary: newssocialdiary.com
- Burgos, J. (2010). The decline of Margarita. Retrieved on May 24, 2019 from Science, Art and Literature: jotdown.es
- Gitau, R. (2010). Yasmin Aga Khan and Alzheimer's. Retrieved on May 24, 2019 from Boston University: book.bu.edu
- Gordin, C. (2014). Interviews: princess Yasmin Aga Khan. Retrieved on May 24, 2019 from University of Cambridge: archived.cam.ac
- Patrick, D. (2007). Princess Yasmin Aga Khan engaged to Basil Embiricos. Retrieved on May 24, 2019 University of New York: document.nyu.edu