Pictures of Iraqi singer Kathem El Saher and large advertisement banners for his upcoming album “Hafiat Al Kadamin” (Barefoot) have flooded the streets of Kuwait giving rise for a political and psychological crises to erupt among Kuwaiti citizens. It was revealed that Kuwaiti people associated Kathem with the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and felt that he belonged to his political regime a matter that makes them skeptical of him.
Upon hearing of the news of how people in Kuwait reacted towards the banners of the singer, Rotana, which is the production company that Kathem belongs to, rushed to every corner on every street and removed all the pictures of the singer and replaced them with those of other singers like Assi Hilani and Ehab Tawfi. It was added that Kathem seems to be the only Iraqi singer whom Kuwaiti people oppose especially since a number of other Iraqi singers enjoy a lot of popularity with record stores posting pictures for them.
The matter of Kathem’s pictures all around Kuwait has also upset a number of political figures with many taking the issue to parliament demanding that those responsible for posting the pictures be prosecuted for causing such a social unrest in the country. Officials wanted to know how could the Kuwaiti Minister of Information allow the works of Kathem to be spread in Kuwait disregarding people’s feelings.
According to the Qatar based Al Jazeera, some parliament members demanded 16 million US dollars in compensation to all the Kuwaiti people who were affected negatively by the existence of such advertisements and works for Kathem, saying the matter should not be taken lightly.
This September witnessed the launching of the Ukaz Festival for Culture and Arts in Amman-Jordan, which features performances by a number of prominent Arab singers. The first day of the festival witnessed a grand performance by Iraqi singer Kathem El Saher and British singer Sarah Brightman, as the two sang their popular duet “War is Over”. Their concert was faced with some complications due to lack of proper management by the organizers of the festival, which left hundreds of people from attending.
Kathem and Sarah have recently held a joint performance at the Beit El Din Festival in Lebanon and had witnessed an enormous success. El Saher and Brightman have recently completed a duet under the title “Intahat El Harb” (War is Over). The singers have come together to show the world that peace can be achieved when the West and East unite. Kathem has made it a point to sing a number of duets with different Western singers since the US-led war on Iraq began. This new song talks about the aftermath of war and how all sides must work together in building a safe and peaceful world.
Kathem announced that the music industry will soon witness one of its biggest surprises which is a duet between him and Lebanese diva Majida Al Roumi. Kathem revealed that the two had met in Tunisia while performing at the Carthage Festival and after Kathem had composed a number of songs for her, they decided to join voices and sing a new song that is surely to succeed in the Arab world and abroad.
Kathem stressed that he is positive of the success of the duet due to extraordinary way the song has been composed. Kathem added that the duet will be released after the release of his upcoming album, which is scheduled to be out this month. –Albawaba.com
