Fête de la Musique
It was during my three years living in Paris that I was first exposed to the Fête de la musique, an annual event that fills the air in the France’s towns and villages with music. Brass bands play on street corners a few metres away from rappers performing outside restaurants. Inside small bars, guitarists entertain. Cafés, parks and monuments are all full of performances on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year.
If you told me one year ago today, listening to bands play in Paris, that in twelve months time I would be reliving a slice of this in Sudan’s capital, still fêting la musique, it would have been a struggle to believe.
But the francophones of Centre Culturel Français in Khartoum did good - the roof of the centre was filled by a mix of Sudanese & expatriates. A mix of bands & students took to the stage, breaking many stereotypes of the country. The music was a mix of Western classics, improvised slam and Sudanese songs that brought the assembled crowd to their feet. A solitary fan provided little respite from the unrelenting heat of the day’s sun, blowing air in the direction of the French ambassador and his wife.
Ça va ou quoi ? shouted one rather vocal rapper. Ça va bien.
Sudan Boombox
“Am I still in Sudan?” I asked myself as I was dancing, barefoot on green grass, to hip-hop. International DJs were on stage in front of me, lights issued over the crowd, and a circle formed with break-dancers at its centre.
This was thanks to the vision of Sayf and Mohammed, two friends who run the Sudan Boombox radio show. They had flown in DJs from the US, Europe and other African countries. Much of the crowd—and their dedicated following—was made up of Southern Sudanese.
House of Pain was mixed in, and the entire congregation followed when told to Jump Around.
I wondered where these people were during the day. Guys with big afros, girls dressed as though they were on a night out in London, not Khartoum. This was a long way from my habitual vision of the streets Sudan.
As the night wound up, cars were waiting outside to whisk people away. The dress of some of these girls would see them facing the police if they were on the street. In the sanctuary of this event, though, they could express themselves as they wished.
Hommage à Amigo
The Orchestre des amis d’amigo, conducted by Dr. Kamal Youssif, perform on the rooftop terrace of the Centre Culturel Français, Khartoum.
Sufi Dancing @ Cairo
The Al-Tannoura Traditional Troup perform a few times per week at the Wekalet El-Ghouri Arts Centre, near Khan al-Khalili.
Sufism is where mysticism meets Islam. The basis of this dancing is to separate the mind from the body through the repetition of movement, to become closer to God. Or at least that’s how it was explained to me. I’m not sure how far removed they really become on stage, dancing with strict coordination as the live musicians provide the rhythm to which their movements anchor, but in any case, it’s quite the show.
Entrance is free if you’re in town.
DamaSCENE
Noun Ya played their mix of flute & oud at the Centre Culturel Français one cold, December evening in Damascus. The mix of traditional Arabic sounds and French-influences made for an interesting night, and the current trend of recording a rhythm and playing over the top of it worked well with the oud.
A week later, I went to a concert at the Damascus Opera House, where an orchestra was complemented by some Middle Eastern instruments, and where Arabic poetry was put into song.
Amid the car-horns, the hawkers, the bustle and shouting of the streets, it’s nice to step out of it all…
