Music

Umm Kulthum of Voice Egypt

“Umm Kulthum of Voice Egypt”is a story of a young girl who was extraordinarily gifted and bright for her age. She sang live performances of religious songs so that her peasant family could make a living out of her music. She took words from the Koran and sang them in a way nobody else could. She was flawless in stage. Her conservative father would dress her in boys’ clothes because he was insecure with her singing before men he did not know. The society of her time did not approve a woman to address men in public place but she defied all odds and continued to perform bringing all attention to her stage and commanding respect from the society. Later in her life, she performed both on stage and on onscreen arts. Her songs mainly Rubaiyat were composed of poems.

Through her music, she gained confidence and became one of the most celebrated spokesperson of Nasser, and travelled all around Arabic worlds in support of her works and of her government. This was a courageous move for a woman because she was the first woman who took on such responsibility. She was recognized as a wealthy and powerful woman of her time. She was also a confidant to the presidents and kings who viewed her as resourceful. She was named the unofficial ambassador for her work and contribution to the country. She became a model and icon to the society. The documentary shows the response her world had on her and the love they cherished for her music.

Her skills made her the icon but her intelligence kept her there. Her world was strict and she proved to them that she was not just a woman with skirts but she could do more with her self than just cooking and having children. In my view, she is supposed to be an icon to the world Arabic speaking countries are known to be oppressive and domineering to women so for her to have overcome that and gained the respect of the society is commendable. She was given the opportunity to dine with kings and presidents because she proved to the world that she was a woman of courage. If we rise from our cocoons to do great things for the society and ourselves, the society and the world in general learns to appreciate our efforts. They accept the mark we have set for ourselves and we open doors for the benefit of doubt in the eyes of the society to give chances to people to become better.

Umm Kulthum became greater because her father gave her the first opportunity to become better and the chance to prove her worth. For anyone to become better there must be a mentor of people who support one to defy the odds. They may not really believe in the odds of one becoming the best but at least they can identify with the visions. I think she became better because her father held her hand and led the way for her or because he wanted to make money out of her to feed their humble family. Whichever the motives were they paved her way. She remained true to her culture and was shy to leave her home country to another country. Eventually, she did never forget her roots and her fans never forgot her work.

Her works may have been so great than any other woman who may have worked for the government and made her debut because she skillfully used the media to her advantage; never going too close and never staying too far. Her music also attracted the attention of other people to her because she sang well. If anything, her songs made much news than the sideshows to preach well of her country. She however managed to remain in control of work and her life. Her popularity did not necessary bring every woman to their toes and take on their share of the stone to build the country. In fact, she seemed to discourage them from wanting to have the same popularity. However, she remained humble to her audience and loyal to their interests. This gave her a significant advantage because people sensed her good spirit and they made her great. Her legacy still lives, long after the hands of nature had taken her.