I always envied the generation that witnessed and cherished Um Kolthoum’s monthly Thursday night performance, which was broadcast live on the radio to where it could be enjoyed even by those who could not attend the concert. By the time I was born, Um Kolthoum, the Star of the East, had only five more years to perform before she bid the planet farewell.
My adolescent years were spent listening to the “Nightingale” Abdel-Halim Hafez. I did not grow up loving the voice of Um Kolthoum, nor could I enjoy her hours-long performances, or observe the lyrics. By the time I grew up, she dwelled as deeply in my heart as Hafez.
Last week, to mark the diva’s 50th death anniversary, RMC Worldwide brought back Thouma to the best spot in Egypt on what happened to be the coldest day of the month, perhaps of the year. The Voice of Egypt and the Arab world revisited the cradle of civilisation in the presence of thousands of Egyptians who enjoyed that magical comeback on two consecutive nights at the Grand Egyptian Museum’s main hall. According to Ahmed Ebeid, founder and managing director of RMC, both nights saw some 4400 guests. “After the first concert sold out in almost 48 hours, we decided to organise a second night.”
The Fourth Pyramid, as Um Kolthoum is called, was represented by two powerful Egyptian Opera voices, Riham Abdel-Hakim and Mai Farouk. Ebeid had no doubt about their ability to personify “Al-Sett”, or the Lady.
The recital opened with an orchestral performance of Zakareya Ahmed’s composition Ghanni li shewayy shewayy “Sing for me bit by bit”, conducted by Mohamed Al-Mougui. The message here was clear. The lyrics of the song, written by Tunisian-Egyptian poet Beyram Al-Tonsi, ushered the audience into a night to remember. A carefully selected overture: “Sing for me bit by bit, then take my eyes. Singing brings life to the soul, it heals the sick, it treats the wounds that doctors can’t. In darkness, singing brings light to lovers’ eyes.”
Riham Abdel-Hakim’s comeback as “Al-Sett” comes 25 years after her role as the child Um Kolthoum, in a 1999 series narrating the life of the diva, when Abdel-Hakim was only 16.
Abdel-Hakim performed six songs, the first and last being major masterpieces: Enta Omri or “You are my life” was the first collaboration between Thouma and the renowned “Musician of the Generations” Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, and for that reason the piece was dubbed “the clouds’ encounter”, referring to the two stars’ first meeting.
Poet Ahmed Rami’s words echoed all around: “Egypt that’s on my mind and on my lips, I love her, she’s in my blood and soul,” seeing the audience’s eyes and mobile phones turn to the huge statue of Ramses II standing tall, guarding them in glory. Singing a patriotic song dear to all our hearts, produced after the 1952 Revolution, composed by Riyadh Al-Sonbati, the audience was deeply moved.
A remarkable art exhibition celebrating Um Kolthoum’s legacy was organised by Al-Ahram’s Nisf Al-Dunia and Al-Beit magazines alongside the concert. Modern artworks like Mandil Al-Sett “The Diva’s Handkerchief”, Arabic calligraphy, portrait paintings and compositions, besides photography and newspapers commemorating her life, were all on display.
Mai Farouk hit the stage too, she performed six songs. The last two brought special warmth into the cold night. Misr tatahaddath aan nafsaha or “Egypt speaks for herself” also made Ramses II appear as proud as the audience around him, the sons and daughters of the great Pharaoh. This is a poem written by Hafez Ibrahim, known as the Nile Poet: “All creatures stood still to watch how I founded my glory alone...” It made me stare at the forearms and shoulders of the statue in amazement. What a night, what a wonderful venue of heritage to listen to powerful performances. Al-Sett never left Egypt and the Arab world, she continues to exist, inspiring past and present generations.
Many times during the concert, I barely stopped myself from loudly exclaiming azama ala azama ya sett, a phrase that announces the greatness of the performance often heard during the star’s performances, notably from the mouth of her famous fan Hajj Said Al-Tahhan, who never missed a live concert.
The newly appointed Investment Adviser to the Minister of Culture Ahmed Ebeid is making use of Egypt’s decades-old backdrops by fusing cultural content with the country’s heritage sites. For Ebeid and his team, each event is a challenge, “but this one required special preparation because of the legendary character we were bringing back to the audience. Expectations were so high with a huge number of VIPs attending both days in such cold weather.”
In previous events, Ebeid brought back Abdel-Halim Hafez to the GEM in a night titled “Sawwah” after one of his songs, as well as bringing soprano Fatma Said to the Abdine Palace. Ebeid revealed to Al-Ahram Weekly that the next grand show will celebrate Omar Khairat, during the month of May.
The finale of the four-hour show was the song called “One Thousand and One Nights”, a favourite tune composed by the genius Baligh Hamdi: “Oh, my love, this is a sweet night of love, a night of the thousand and one nights, in a whole life, and what is life other than a sweet night, like tonight?”
We left the night warm, happy but insatiate, craving more Thouma.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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