Let’s Rock! Popular Culture

Introduction

• Arabic, even under the Ottomans, became the language of anti-colonialism, nationalism, cultural renaissance

– Thus Arabic dominated popular culture, and did not exclude non-Muslim Arabs

– It is pop culture that made people from Morocco to Oman feel as though they are all “Arabs”

• The Geography

– Beirut and Cairo competed with one another for title of cultural capital

• Publishing, music, film and television all centered between these two

• Dubai would love to displace both

– This excludes Iran, Israel and Turkey, which have their own strong traditions in their own languages.

• Iran and Israel have been particularly strong in international cinema

Music

• Beirut, specifically the National Conservatory of Music, was the center of classical music instruction

– Cairo also has Institute for Arabic Music

– Students learned many forms and styles, not all widespread, from near and far in the Arab World

Musicians

• Sayyid Darwish (Egypt)

– Wrote socially-conscious operettas (light themed operas with acting)

– Identified as first Arab musician making music for mass audience, not just ruling court

– Thus tied to Nationalism

• Most of his work told from a working class perspective

– Died young, but later canonized as “father” of modern Arab music

Musicians (cont.)

• Singers

– Umm Kulthum (Egypt)

• From peasant family, trained in her youth through Quranic Recitation

• Unofficial spokesperson for Egypt, its brand of modernity and nationalism

• Broadcast over radio to a pan-Arab audience

– Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab (Egypt)

• Singer, actor, composer

• Left his poor upbringing, Islamic education to join a group of singers

• First a royalist, then nationalist

– Composed Oman, UAR’s anthems

Singers

– Farid-Al Atrash (Egypt)

• The “sad singer”, also a renowned actor

• Also master of the “ud” a lute-like instrument

• Known equally for being a playboy celebrity

– Fairuz (Lebanon)

• Nouhad Haddad, grew up in conservative Christian family in Beirut

• Became arguably the most famous female singer, could do both Western and Arabic style

• Close association with Rabbani brothers

• Continues to release work today

– 1500 songs, sold 80 million albums

Music (cont.)

• Rai (Algeria)

– Brought with migrants from the country side in Algeria to Oran

– Became a dance, gender mixing music

• One of earliest “World Music” genre’s

– Originally nationalistic, soon became romantic, even anti-Islamic

• Banned during civil war, popularity continued in France

• In 1980’s merged with pop, rock (see Rachid Taha) later with house music

– Sha’bi, an Egyptian folk style, has taken a similar turn since Hakim (Egypt, singer, rocker) and Natacha Atlas (Belgium, singer, electronic music)

• Al Jeel is another Egyptian style mixing traditional and synthesizer music, led by leading seller Amr Diab (Egypt)

Music (cont.)

• Lebanese Pop

– Beirut is center of Arab pop (in line of Western pop), music video productions

• Elissa, Haifa Wehbe, Nancy Ajram (all Lebanon) amongst leaders of late-1990’s early 2000’s female singer crop

• Music in the Arab Spring

– Chants, young musicians were key parts of the protest.

• None more so than Ibrahim Qashoush, a Syrian firefighter who came up with the anthem “Bashar must go.”

– He was found killed a few months after writing the song, almost certainly by Syrian security forces.

Poetry

• Remained more vibrant as a folk tradition longer than in the West

• Is context dependent: urban migrants relate their experience, Bedouin tell of regret of settlement policies

• Like other art forms, got bound up in Nationalism in early to mid-20^th century

– Some Islamist leaders, including Fadhlallah of Hezbollah, wrote romantic poetry

• By Romantic, mean tragically Romantic

Literature

• Because Arabic script was sacred due its connection to Quran, printed books were slow to emerge in the Ottoman empire

• Literacy was relatively low in the region until mid 20^th century

• The newspaper, as opposed to publishing house, begins the literary revolution

– Newspaper not just political, but as tool of leisure

Press Revolution

• First Arab newspaper Jurnal al-Iraq in 1816

– Soon followed in Algeria, Istanbul, Damascus

• European’s often brought presses with them to manipulate opinion

– Early papers read aloud at coffeehouses for the illiterate

– Most were not dailies until Egypt’s al-Ahram (1875) becomes a success

• Cairo early center, with Beirut challenging from time to time

Novels

• Like elsewhere, novels usually appeared as serials in newspapers

– Often shorter than European counterparts

• By 1960’s and 1970’s, Palestinian writers using short novel to popularize their cause

• By the 1930’s, became most popular form of literature in Egypt

– Includes local authors, translations of European works

• Scientific and political texts were also translated

• Recent years, seen a resurgence of a new generation getting international attention

– Alaa Al Aswany’s Yacoubian Building touched on a lot of taboos in Egypt

– In Iran, since the late 1990’s, women writers have vastly outsold men.

Novel Themes

• The futile struggle of activists

• Ambiguous observation of polarized situations

• Country vs. city, tradition vs. modernity

• Interplay between Classic and Colonial Pasts

• Nationalism

• Sometimes purged other influences, other times tried to upend old tradition

• Palestine

Naguib Mahfouz

• From Cairo, studied philosophy, struggled in foreign languages

• Placed in charge of regulating Egyptian film industry

• Wrote of common and middle class people (especially urban people) and their lives

– Early on hoped for another grand Egyptian nation

– Later in life, held laughing at desperate circumstances as the best way of fighting power

• Most famous books: The Cairo Triology

• A social critic as much as a political one

• Won Nobel Prize in 1988

Freedom of Speech

• Colonial powers (the Ottomans less than others) often shut down papers, arrested journalists

• Post-independence, most states also put a tight leash on expression

– Colonial languages have had an uneven fate

• Tradition of publishing work elsewhere (another Arab state, Paris or London) if critical of your home government

– Especially true of satires, like Munif’s Cities of Salt, about Persian Gulf oil wealth

– For Iran, Dubai is a site were musical acts perform, Los Angeles home of exile satellite TV

• However, Iran has the most active newspaper readership, publishing of any state in M.E.

Theater

• Drew on European works at first, then increasingly on folklore, local literature, broad comedy, and satire

– Unique were the Algerian shadow plays

• Mid-20^th century, it is again Cairo and Lebanon which vie for prominence, innovation

– Many trained in Soviet fine art schools

Film

• Beginning mid-century films take on three big subjects

– Corruption of Old Regimes

– Algerian Independence

– Palestine

• Palestinians have early, and recent history of their own film-making

– Films like Syrian Bride are collaborations with Israelis; Paradise Now received the Oscar nod in 2006; The Time That Remains big at this year’s Cannes

– In the late-1980’s and 1990’s, Iranian filmmakers were doing extrememely well on the festival circuit

• But also, historical films popular early on concerning better times

– Often musicals

• For many years, films also had a pro-nationalist undertone

Electronic Media

• Radio

– Sawt-al-Arab (Voice of the Arabs) first regional broadcast network (from Cairo)

– Most governments realized propaganda potential of radio, established stations

• Found in many households, brought other cultural forms into houses

Electronic Media (cont.)

• Television

– Iraq, Lebanon early pioneers

– Many states could receive Western channels

– Egypt most aggressive bringing it rural areas, setting up transmitters, subsidizing receivers

– By end of century, undisputed influence leader in the region

• Most local channels get programming from abroad (cheaper)

• Local programming still inexpensive; includes long concerts, religious leaders/others giving advice to callers

– Egypt, Lebanon (LBC) leaders in content

• Egyptian Soap Operas are widely watched, especially during Ramadan

– Effect gender roles, especially in rural areas

Satellite TV

• Region is leader in free-to-air programming

– MBC: Saudi-owned, Dubai-based

• has Arabic entertainment on MBC 1, English on MBC 2

• Many channels coming to Dubai’s Media City

– Rotana: Owned by Saudi/Lebanese Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal , 85% share of Arab recorded music market, has moved into music video and film channels, distributing Fox Series

– One TV: Dubai owned

• First free to air expatriate satellite channel

– Supplement’s Dubai’s Dubai 92 radio station

– BBC News also free

– Dozens of video/text messaging channels playing Arab and Western videos

Satellite TV

• Future TV

– Owned by Rafik Hariri, plays Superstar (Arab Pop Idol), Open for Discussion

• Al-Jazeera

– Started, maintained by grant from the Qatari ruler

• Most of staff came from defunct BBC Arabic channel

– Completely editorially independent

• Seen by those in region as alternative to state, as well as CNN news

– Also does sports, children’s programming

• Al-Manar

– Television station run by Hezbollah

– Folds Hezbollah’s militant message into talk shows, game shows, children’s programming