Singers During War Time: Singing at Bazaars Sideline

Sudan Events – Magda Hassan

These days, the Egyptian capital, Cairo, is hosting a group of artistic bodies, the most prominent of which is the Sudanese Singers Association in Egypt, and perhaps the most recent of them – under formation – is the Popular Arts Association, and these groups are active in artistic works, each according to their vision.

Convictions

Perhaps an observer of the artistic presence in Cairo will observe the secondary role of the artist, who most of the time accompanies a bazaar, or sings in a café. The singer Mohamed Hassan Haj Al-Khader, who resides in Cairo, said that singing in those places does not add anything to the artist, pointing out the limited number of serious, attractive activities. In which the artist may find himself and participate according to his convictions.

Fixed

The musician Dr. Anas Al-Aqib, what Al-Khader said, that the Sudanese in Cairo are singing to each other, an indication that rules out any artistic breakthrough that could be achieved by the large number of artists present there.

Levels

It is noted that the artistic work is moving on two levels, the level of official gatherings, such as the Sudanese Singers Association, which organizes serious artistic nights and receives condolences today for the deceased of the country and the late artist, Mohamed Mirghani, and previously set up a mourning pavilion for the late artist Mohamed Al-Amin. The other level is appearing through (bazaars) as an accompanying entertainment activity.

The departure of the giants

During this year, the artistic community lost important pillars, the most recent of which are Mohamed Al-Amin and Mohamed Mirghani. On the same road, Salah bin Al-Badia, Hamad Al-Rih, Al-Kabli, Bashir Abbas, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Abdul-Aziz Al-Mubarak, Osman Mustafa, Al-Sunni Al-Dhawi, and Ali Ibrahim went.
Old age and illness took hold of those who remained alive – may Allah extend their lives and grant them health and well-being – and creativity stopped again after it had fully fulfilled its mission.

Emptiness

All of this has created a huge vacuum in the artistic arena. Since the passing of Mustafa Sayed Ahmed, the last of the giants, dozens of young men and women have been scrambling to fill this artistic void. Many of them were given the opportunity to present themselves and reveal their talents, abilities and artistic potential. These young people wasted their energies trying to master imitating great artists and pioneers. They missed opportunities for renewal for themselves and for art.

Art message

And here is a new stage in the war period that represents a real test for the message and its service to serious issues and the current issue of the homeland. Until the voice of art unites around the homeland and its issues, there will remain a transitional stage, longer or shorter, filled by artists on the sidelines of the bazaars, in order to possess and monopolize the stardom of the stage. With singing and dancing, it represents the last stages of decline and artistic misery.