Home > All our thematic selections > Arab Divas: from Oum kalthoum to Dalida
Arab divas in the second half of the 20th century—iconic singers as well as actresses from musical comedies who also became popular idols—were idolized across the entire Arab world and beyond. Their era is showcased in the IMA exhibition “Arab divas, from Uum Kalthum to Dalida.” https://www.imarabe.org/fr/expositions/divas-arabes
At the heart of this phenomenon reigns a monumental Egyptian performer, Uum Kalthum, who elevated traditional Arab music to a new level. In her wake, other universally respected singers, from the Lebanese Fairuz to the Algerian Warda, captured the hearts of the public. At the same time, musical comedy movies flourished in Egypt, creating new “stars.”
With a frenzied expectation sustained by a long orchestral prelude, followed by brilliant stances and a constantly fluctuating repetition of poetic and musical themes, she cast an ecstatic spell of communion, tarab, over her audience, an emotion sought by Arab listeners from the Mashriq to the Maghreb.
This selection is just a taste of the AWI's rich heritage.
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