أم كلثوم; Umm Kultūm – ‘al-Sitt’ (the Lady of Egypt)

A lovely women!

DIANABUJA'S BLOG: Africa, The Middle East, Agriculture, History and Culture

37 years ago, on the 3rd February, the great Egyptian diva and songwriter – Umm Kalthum – died, well into her 70s.  Last night BBC Worldservice  aired a brief program about her, whichyou can download here.

This remarkable woman, born in a small village in the Delta (northern Egypt), rose to become the most beloved singer of Egypt and is widely considered to be the greatest singer in the Arab world.  She was a living legend, her classical Arabic songs often lasted three hours or more – during which the audience would respond to her singing – an exchange called ‘tarab’ :

“Tarab is a concept of enchantment… usually associated with vocal music, although instrumental music can produce the same effect, in which the listener is completely enveloped in the sound and the meaning in a broad experiential sense, and is just completely carried away by the…

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