Palestinian singer Marwan Abado who is residing in Austria, participated in the Poets Spring Celebrations in France through songs from his new CD Marakeb (Ships) which he inspired from the Palestinian sea heritage.
“Although our sea heritage is very rich, we unfortunately did not benefit from it except very little in the musical aspect despite the fact that many Arab countries overlook the sea. I found the script Marakeb in a book entitled “Labor and workers Songs in Palestine” by Ali al Khalili. It is an old script that has not been tuned which talks about the moments of welcoming the returning ship. The farewell is very fast but waiting is slow,” Abado told the London-based daily al Hayat.
He added, “I seek to be modern from the personal and artistic point of view. From this point my tie with the heritage unites. It is a rich tradition which to me is a reference but not the only reference.”
The CD, Ships, includes songs in both classical and colloquial Arabic such as Rain is Coming and Time Seller by Talal Haider.
According to Abado, this is attributed to a personal factor, which prompts him to select colloquial and classical scripts due to his presence in Europe since 17 years. “Through poetry written in classical Arabic, I maintain continuity with my mother culture. Colloquial language is very vital in Arabic and I feel that I can express myself through it better than classical. The way I select the script whether in colloquial or classical Arabic is linked with the topic that suits me as an artist,” said Abado.
He pointed out that “ he is enthusiastic to the Muwashahat (terza meraza), Egyptian old school, but that is the only thing as he considers that the Arabic music culture can assimilate many new experiences.” -- Albawaba.com
