Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama has been presented with the Golden Lion Award in Egypt from Egyptian journalist Samir Ragab. The award is presented by the Egyptian magazine "Huriyati" for the best Arab singer for the year 2003.
The singer was given the award at a big celebration that was held specifically for the occasion in which he expressed his honor at receiving the award stressing that it marks a step forward in his career. The singer sang a number of new and old songs as a way of showing his appreciation to the organizers of the big event.
Samsung Electronics, the global leader in digital technology, has recently held extensive negotiations with Ragheb, both sides have reached an agreement to have Ragheb be the official spokesperson for the company. Ragheb has signed a contract for one year to shoot different television commercials for Samsung advertising their different line of mobile phones.
According to the London based Elaph, it was revealed that Ragheb will be heading to Dubai in mid-November where he has received an invitation from the company to hold a press conference to talk about his new contract. The singer is also scheduled to head to Lebanon after completing his conference in Dubai, where he will hold a similar press conference.
Recently, Alama sent out a letter to US President, George W. Bush, telling him that if a Muslim had committed a terrorist act that does not imply that all Muslims are terrorists. The singer sent out his letter at a press conference he held in Bahrain, where he is scheduled to hold a concert.
Ragheb added that the Islamic religion is against all acts of terror and teaches how to be good and peace loving, and it is a shame to refer to the religion and the entire Arab population as supporters of terrorism. The singer stressed that Muslims and Arabs strongly support the fight against terrorism and not the contrary.
The singer ended his conference calling on everyone to support the idea of unifying peace and asked for an immediate stop to the violence that is taking the lives of innocent people around the Arab world, particularly in Iraq and Palestine.
Syrian singer Nancy Za'balawi, who was a former finalist in the Lebanese satellite channel Future show Superstar, has accepted an offer from Ragheb to sing a duet with him by the beginning of next year, after Ragheb expressed his admiration with her voice.
Nancy agreed to the duet without a doubt, knowing that it would be her ticket to stardom and popularity. The singer added that she is not thinking of producing an album at the current time and is busy holding numerous concerts around the Arab world. Nancy was eliminated from the show Superstar in its early stages, but is marked for having a very strong and powerful voice. –Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
