I Loved you for your Voice!

What can I say?

It's been a while since I've written a book review on my blog, but this book HAD to be written about. wow. I just finished it and want to share it with all the dancers i know! Actually, anyone interested in music and poetry will find it fascinating too, not to mention anyone who has ever been in love...............

If you have ever heard the singing of om kalthoum, if you have ever danced to her music, if you have ever seen someone dance to her music... then you must read this book. I wish i had read it years ago.

It' s called 'I Loved Your Voice' by Selim Nassib and its written as if by the poet, Ahmed Rami, who wrote 137 of the 283 songs she sang.

The book is a love story, of Rami's Love for 'his Diva' and a story of Egypt, the people and the politics, the hopes and dreams.

It talks in detail of her fued with Mohammed Abdel Wahab and of their later reconciliation. It also talks of the other great poets and composers of the time, Qsabji, Ahmed Shawqi (The Emir of Poets), Da'ud Husni and many more. Her relationships with the heads of state and the press, and the people are detialed, yet all take a back seat to her relationship with love and music. She was brought up to believe she was special, chosen by God.... and it influenced everything she did, everything she sang.

Om Kalthoum is written about in this book with such respect, reverance and admiration, almost awe, that it has really made me rethink how i could ever dance to her music! Her Compositions are by far my favourite music to dance to. Now I am pulled in 2 directions.... How can i ever hope to convey from my dance even a percentage of what each song meant to her and to her country when she sang them? on the other hand, how can i not try?

The way her concert is described in the book when she performs Enta Omri (my all time favourite song) had me literally in tears reading it. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to actually be in that audience!

It's an emotional, compulsive read . 'Unputdownable' ( a word i made up as a young child and which the teachers couldn't fault me for when I used it in book reports in school!)

In fact it was so well written I'm going to check out other books by the same author, because although it was the subject matter that really enthralled me, it was the writing style that made it a pleasure to read rather than a history lesson!

I seldom read a book more than once...... no matter how much I enjoy it... but this is a book I feel I will come back to again very soon, to enjoy and to study in more depth.

The sunflowers have nothing to do with the book... but they make me feel happy... i have 2 big bunches of them in my flat..... they are so cheap to buy here and make me smile just by looking at them so i wanted to include a photo here so they can make you feel happy too!

Educating myself....

I tried to be good- honest I did.

i had booked a private class... and the teachers car broke down on the way here....

then I decided to stretch- and managed just over an hour before I discovered my wireless internet connection was actually working in the studio. Damn facebook and my low willpower!

My day today in photo form..... (oh and yes- my excuse for doing so little involves the tissues and the Olbas Oil you can see here!!!)

I have however, on the up side, managed a lot of reading today- currently I am reading a book I bought 2 years ago and have been putting off and putting off because I thought it looked so 'heavy'. Something I felt I 'should' read rather than something I wanted to which you can understand when i say its name; 'Journey of the Jihadist- Inside Muslim Militancy'.

However.... i have become quite involved in it and recommend it for anyone trying to understand world politics today especially in relation to Jihad and Islam. It written by a Lebanese Christian, Fawaz a.Gerges ... and you might think it would therefore be very biased against Islam- however... I have found it hugely educational and interesting and I have learned positive things about Islam from it as well as some very frightening things about Islamists and Jihadists (and also I know the difference now too!!!!).

I didn't know for instance that the majority of Osama bin Ladan's followers in Afghanistan were from Egypt. Or that the main support for Jihad began in Egypt in the time of Sadat. It's worth the read......... just give it a little effort in the very beginning.

oh- and I learned that if you read something interesting while you stretch you can hold a position much deeper for much longer!!!

I also learned today that if I stand still on my left leg only for any length of time it hurts like hell!!! All my balance and control is in my right leg!!!! More stork standing for me from now on.

I have a movie night in tonight- plan on watching the film 'the dancer and the tabla player'. Will give you my thoughts on it tomorrow!!!!

Book Review, long overdue

I was reminded by a friend today that I used to write a lot in here about the books I have read. I haven't done that for a while... partly because I went though a phase of not being able to get my hands on anymore translated arabic novels, that I hadn't already read (I figured most people who read the blog are more interested in these) and partly because I got so carried away with life I forgot that some people really like to know these things!

I feel my blogging standards have gone downwards in direct correlation with the increase of houseguests.........!!! sorry guys..........

so....... my good friend Emily leant me a lovely book which I just finished this week.

A Border Passage
(from Cairo to America-A womans journey)
by Leila Ahmed
published by Penguin Books.

It was interesting on many levels.

firstly- written by an Egyptian woman ( and I meet so few Egyptian women that its hard to believe I actually live in the same country as them- so any insights as to our similarities and differences are always welcome!!!!)

secondly- Leila comes from an educated 'westernised' family and makes some very interesting observations on education and culture in both Egypt and UK, and especially about the way 'europe' as a culture was viewed at that time in Egypt.

thirdly- 'that time' being the years around the revolution.......... with lots of things emotionally , politically , financially culturally going on................

forthly- being interested in womens issues and rights, Leila is writing about all of this from the womans perspective- the discriptions of daily life at home with other women and their various interactions were what glued me to the book.

what can I say? Thanks Emily for lending it to me.......... and I recommend it to anyone interested in Egypt, Egyptian politics, and in what it means to be an Egyptian woman.

Political awareness- in 3 books...

I have never been a politically minded person... never enjoyed watching the news or reading the paper. There- its out, I have admitted it.

Living here has changed me in that respect slightly, not hugely, but a definate change. I think the thing is that to me, at home in UK politics are all much of a muchness.... it doesn't seem to make much real difference to the people on the street who is in government, they all have good stuff and bad stuff and vary just slightly on policy. ( i know a lot of people, and some good friends, will argue these points- but thats how I , as an ignorant to politics sees it- sorry!)

Here it is VERY difference. People are hugely interested in politics- not just of their own country but of the whole Middle East. Every slight change seems to affect peoples lives hugely on a personal level. I became aware of my own ignorance.

In particular my ignorance of 2 major 'civil' wars. Lebanon and Israel/Palestine. The problems have been going on in these countries longer than I have been alive and it seemed naive of me to pretend they weren't happening anymore... so I trotted down to Diwan- my favourite bookshop in Cairo and decided to see what I could learn.

'The Lemon Tree' by Sandy Tolan is a FABULOUS book which discusses the Arab v's Jewish issues from a personal, religious and political viewpoint. One minute it is telling the story through the eyes of a Jewish family forced to flee Europe due to persecution there, and you really feel for their dilema. Next you are inside a Palestinian family home and hearing how they are forced out their homes and unable to return. It shows the whole complexity of trying to find a solution for everyone.... and when you are reading each viewpoint you totally see it from their side and then next chapter you change perspective. Very well written. Lots of facts and figures and dates which kinda blinded me ( being relatively new to all this) a bit... but i recommend it to anyone interested in learning more. It also led onto very interesting conversations with people I work beside when they asked me what my book was about. My dresser kept asking- so , what is happening now... has such and such happened yet... etc etc so I got to hear a lot of the story from an egyptian perspective too.

'Midnight Tales' by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi is a very good read for anyone who enjoys reading blogs and is interested in arab culture and tradtions. It also tells the background to the war in Lebanon from the side of someone growing up there but not from there. The author is a dancer, which is why I picked up the book, and part of it is set in Egypt. But interestingly enough there is really no mention of dance- just huge chunks of social and cultural insights, easily packaged and very easy to read, which can only add to my overall cultural awareness and thus improve my undertanding of music and dance which comes from this culture! I say its good for anyone who reads blogs because I felt it could have been a blog. Each chapter was like a separate 'blog entry' although of course the book calls them 'essays'. I have read books by her before and I like the simple style in which they are written. I recommend it.

I am currently reading another book which is stories from Egyptian Taxi drivers...........'Taxi' by Khaled Al Khamissi. I STRONGLY recommend this one , even though I have only just started reading it this morning. It is very interesting for anyone who has had (or intends on having!) any experience within these crazy black and white rollercoaster carts. Very illuminating and was seemingly very popular when it was 1st released in arabic here in Cairo. Stories which help you understand why taxi drivers are the way they are!