In response to a musician who called him a narrow-minded… Poet Abdul Qader Al-Katibi: “The work we produced has now become the source of livelihood for singers.”

Sudan Events – Magda Hassan

The great poet Abdul Qader Al-Ktayabi sparked controversy with a blog post on his Facebook page.
“The least we could do for our people in Wad Noura is to cancel the announced concerts, singers.” He wrote.
These few words angered the singers, who denounced the fact that this talk came from a prominent Sudanese intellectual.

Livelihood

Musician Mutawakel Ahmed Mustafa responded to him by saying that singing and music are his only source of livelihood and he will not stop doing it as long as no other profession stops during the war period. Mutawakel summarized his point of view by saying: A lot of musicians and artists have derived their livelihood, their source of livelihood, and put food in the table out of these concerts. Many others hold parties and collect donations for hospices and life-saving medicine for civilians and children injured by indiscriminate bombing and stray bullets.
He sent a direct criticism to the writer of the post. “If the intellectual looks at music and singing as all fun and foolishness, this is a disaster.” He commented.
Moutawakel declared his position clearly. “As a musician, I will not stop performing my profession and my duty towards myself, my family and my country, and I regret the narrow-mindedness.” He said.

Narrow-mindedness

Mutawakkil’s letter was from a person who as if was burned by an ember, and it seems that his fervent reproach to the intellectual and poet Abdul Qadir al-Kataybi made him respond to him with a long letter that he began with a reproach for Mutawakkil’s use of the word (narrow-mindedness). He believes that it should not be said to someone like him, as his poems are distributed among singers. “I admonish you for the word ‘narrow-mindedness’. The horizon is our son, Mutawakkil, and I do not really know whether you are a musician or a singer, despite my extensive relations with this community. I am from a generation in which the tendency to sing appeared in the thoughts of its poets and in the fingers of its singers and musicians, just as it appeared in the harp and the caravan, but they did not adopt it as a means of earning a living while they were healthy.” He said.

Earn from our songs

“Indeed, the irony is that what they produced has today become a source of livelihood for generations that came after them. They did not see the saw and the hammer in Al-Kashef’s dilapidated cart, nor did they see Atiq in the mechanic’s overall, nor did they see Wad Al-Rayah squatting on the ground among the pieces of skins, nor did they sit in a library, nor did they witness Muhammad Al-Amin and Mustafa Sayed Ahmed in the textile factory, nor in front of the blackboard in the middle school teachers’ training institute, nor did they witness Othman Hussein, Ibrahim Hussein and Muhammad Hassanein behind the sewing machines.” Al-Katibi criticized the new generation of singers.
Al-Katibi said that those who describe him as narrow-minded make a living from his songs.
“I mean most of the poets of my generation and my person is counted among them, and I am one of those who do not receive a wage for them.” He added.

The purposes of the said phrase

Al-Kitabi criticized his critics for responding with enthusiasm before understanding the intentions of the phrase, and described it as narrow-mindedness, as Al-Kayabi believes that anyone who was not affected by the sight of the funerals of the martyrs lined up in hundreds in El-Geneina, Al-Fasher, the villages of Gezira and Omdurman today in the eighth district did not blink an eyelid as he watched the waves of fleeing people, including their children, women and the elderly being pursued by the shells. As long as the singer does not grieve over the honor of the raped women, the torture of the detainees, the pain of the wounded and refrains from expressing his/her participation in a pause of mourning and canceling a party out of respect for the feelings of their families, relatives, and friends, and out of respect for their being brothers in the homeland, let that singer hold his/her party, for the dead will not be hurt again.” He added.

Great pressure

Whatever the intent of the phrase, it aroused the ire of singers and musicians who continued to be subjected to great pressure calling for them to stop concerts and singing as long as the nation ia bleeding. The singers responded that concerts are their source of livelihood and the way they help others and meet the needs of their families.