Egyptian sufi singer breaks boundaries with his own revolution
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Thu, 2013-09-12
Borneo Bulletin
Cairo (dpa) - When he appears on stage wearing his southern Egyptian costume, a galabiya and a turban, Sheikh Zain Mahmoud often surprises his audience with his music.
Besides the religious songs he is known for, Mahmoud also has international music up his sleeve.
Born in the southern town of Bani Mazar, in Minya province, he started as a munshid - a person who only chants songs to praise religion and the Prophet.
It was a profession shared with his elder brother, father and grandfather.
Mahmoud was born in 1964 into a family of the Naqshabandi way, a major spiritual order of Sunni Islam Sufism, and his family did not allow him to sing anything other than sufi chants.
He learned to recite the Quran before becoming a lead singer in his family.
But Mahmoud's passion for new types of music prompted him to breach the rules.
His opportunity came when a prominent troupe performed in his town in 1992. After listening to Mahmoud's performance, al-Warsha troupe's director asked him to join them.
Mahmoud began learning about Egyptian folklore and ballad singing with the troupe as well as other forms of music.
"He actually taught me all kinds of arts I needed to know," said Mahmoud.
Mahmoud's first move to break the boundaries of his own society was to perform al-Sira al-Hilaliya, an epic ballad sung to the accompaniment of the rababa - a string instrument from southern Egypt associated with folk music.
"That was my dream. I was a munshid, but my imagination and dreams always went beyond that, and I wanted to learn and sing folk songs and storytelling," Mahmoud told dpa after a recent performance in Cairo.
Two years later, he performed with the troupe in Switzerland before heading to France, the United States and Brazil.
"My country always comes first. But I also love performing in Paris, because the audience has the same warmth I feel while performing here in Egypt. They love art, and really love our art. This is why I feel happy there," he said.
He took part in many of the troupe's performances until the late 2000s. During this time, Mahmoud spent some time familiarizing himself with a range of urban modern music, after which he formed his own band.
Now as he holds concerts around the world, Mahmoud believes he is moving on with his own revolution and tries not to pay much attention to the political developments in the world.
Amid a political stalemate in Egypt and conflicts across the region, Mahmoud feels his art is safe as long has he is there to promote and defend it.
"I believe in what I do, so I do not follow the political developments that much. And when you - whether the people or the artists - really believe in what you do, you should continue with it till the end," he said.
In recent months, Egypt has seen increasing polarization, with some people supporting the army-backed interim government, while others support ousted president Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group.
Some observers regarded the turmoil as the beginning of the fall of political Islam in the Middle East
"Our art is a revolution because we defy the current situation, and always try to defy all difficulties," Mahmoud said.
Since June 30, violence has killed hundreds in Egypt.
"During such circumstances, I confess it is hard to perform," he said, adding that he cancelled concerts that were scheduled in Cairo in July due to violence.
"I could not sing while people were being killed," he added.
Mahmoud has been based in Marseilles since 2007 with his French wife and their daughter Wedad.
In the coastal city, Mahmoud formed a band called Zaman Fabriq, which mixed music from the eastern Mediterranean area, the vocal percussions of Beatboxing along with Arabic lyrics.
"To move from one place to another, there must be development. The yearning sounds and feelings I get from the rababa cannot be found anywhere outside Egypt. This is why it is better to present something that makes the audience feel we fit in this place and time," he said.
While putting on small performances with different musicians in Marseilles, Mahmoud met his colleagues who later formed Zaman Fabriq.
"We spent a whole year preparing for the project, so that we can have something of good quality."
"Later, the project got bigger and we found ourselves very famous not only in Marseilles, but also in Spain and Italy, before performing across the world."
Mahmoud's ambition is unlimited, and while he has a wide range of music to his name, the music of folklore remains his favourite.
"Inshad (Sufi music) fills my heart, just like (Christian) hymns, which I sang and even taught to children in Marseilles. It is very beautiful. But folklore remains my biggest dream."
When he goes back to his birthplace, Bani Mazar, he only performs religious songs, although his family now has accepted his revolutionary style since seeing his development in music.
"They now tell me, you were right."
"But I cannot perform anything other than Inshad in my town, I just feel shy," said Mahmoud smilingly. "They still remember the 13-year old Sheikh Zain and regard me highly."
