Egyptian artists have expressed their disappointment at the fact that prominent Lebanese singer Fairouz is holding a tour around the United States of America, despite the fact that it is the country that is ruthlessly occupying Iraq. It was revealed that admirers of Fairouz in Egypt were in shock when they learned of the tour and questioned how could she want to sing in a country that supports Israel and has caused so much suffering to the Iraqi people.
Egyptian director Hisham Abu El Nasr, who stresses his anti-Israeli stance in most of his films, stated that it is inappropriate for the prominent singer, who has sung songs in favor of Palestine and the Palestinian crisis, to sing in a country that is acting in the same manner towards Arab as Israel. According to the London based daily, Al Quds Al Arabi, Nasr added that the excuse used by singer to want to sing for the Arabs living in the US is no longer a valid reason, and that any cooperation with the US at the current time only shows lack of support to the entire Arab nation and its principles.
Other artists expressed that any form of relationship with the US or Israel is mere negligence of the Arab unity and that all Arab singers should take a unifying stance and embargo everything American and Israeli. More criticism was made regarding Fairouz’s trip, which is seen as falling in the trap created by the US to give an image of Americans being peace seekers.
Fairouz arrived in the United States of America on the 6th of October, after receiving a special invitation from producer Yousif Harb to undergo a tour around the US, marking her first in the past 20 years. It has been revealed that an orchestra of 40 musicians has accompanied Fairouz.
The schedule for the concerts has already been released, in which she will perform in different cities around the US starting on October 11, 2003 in Connecticut alongside her son Ziad Rahbani.
The tour is sponsored by the Canadian company Planet of Performers and is expected to achieve enormous success due to the fact that the singer enjoys lots of popularity among the Arabs living around the US and people of other nationalities.
Born and educated in Beirut, Fairouz began her musical career as a chorus member at the Lebanese Radio Station. In the late 1950s her talent as a singer became fully acknowledged due to her unprecedented enthusiasm and vocal superiority. Fairouz's early songs featured the singer's distinct vocal timbre and lyrics expressing romantic love and nostalgia for village life.
By the early 1960s Fairouz was already one of the main attractions at the annual Baalbeck Festival and a celebrity not only in Lebanon but also throughout the Arab world. During most of her singing career, Fairouz was part of a three-member team that included the two Rahbani brothers. Generally, Mansour Rahbani wrote her lyrics, and the tunes were composed and arranged by his brother Assi, Fairouz's former husband. Fairouz's songs owe a great deal to the musical and poetic genius of these two Lebanese artists. –Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
