France: Avignon Festival celebrates Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum

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France: Avignon Festival celebrates Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum  Seven artists performed modern renditions of Umm Kulthum's songs, in a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of her death.  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/07/15/france-avignon-festival-celebrates-egyptian-diva-umm-kulthum  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

Transcript

00:00In France, the Avignon Festival on Monday celebrated the Arabic language

00:05and paid tribute to singer Um Kultham, an iconic figure in Egyptian music.

00:10A show called The Voice of Women celebrated the 50th anniversary of her passing.

00:15The concert in the emblematic Palais des Papes featured seven artists,

00:18including Camelia Jordana and Suad Masi.

00:21They performed modern renditions of the Egyptian divas' songs.

00:25The purists should not be offended.

00:34This is not about replicating Um Kultham, but paying homage to her, expressing how we love and sing her.

00:40That's basically what I've done with the music.

00:42I wanted to savour what I admired in her and in the composers and arrangers who worked with her.

00:47I believe it's crucial to honour our peoples, our culture, to showcase something valuable,

00:52something grand and noble, and to say we are here, we exist, our art is strong,

00:57we deserve protection, love and respect.

01:00We are equals among all people.

01:07The show created by Lebanese producer Zid Hamdan

01:10sought to highlight the grandeur and nobility of Arab culture

01:14too often reduced to stereotypes.

01:16In this concert, each performer already has their own identity,

01:25and that was what made it interesting from the start.

01:28We were all curious to see how each of us would reinterpret Um Kultham in our own way

01:33and what that would produce.

01:40Um Kultham is considered a national treasure in her native Egypt.

01:44Throughout her five-decade career,

01:46she became known as the Star of the East and as the Fourth Pyramid.

01:53She represents the Arab woman, elegant, musical and also a feminist.

02:01Um Kultham died in 1975.

02:04Her funeral procession was followed by four million people

02:07who gathered in the streets of Cairo.

02:08In Avignon, her spirit was reignited for one night.

02:11The concert was a highlight of the festival.

02:14It transcended cultural and generational differences

02:16and captivated audiences.

02:18Thank you very much.

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