A snap shot of part of a show preformed on the stage of El-Damma Theatre in Cairo’s Abdeen district. Photos courtesy of Amira Noshokaty.
“We reopened today to commemorate the first death anniversary of my late father,” Hassan Ibrahim told Ahram Online, adding that the theatre will soon reopen to the public.
The venue was packed with Zakaria Ibrahim’s devoted fans and friends, who danced and sang with members of the Al-Tanboura Heritage Troupe and the Nuba Nour Troupe.
Known as El-Rayess Zakaria (Chief Zakaria), Ibrahim dedicated his life to safeguarding and reviving the folk music of his hometown, Port Said. In 1980, he established the Port Said Folk Heritage Troupe, later rebranded as Al-Tanboura, to preserve this musical heritage.
The Semsemya, a traditional string instrument enlisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity of UNESCO, resembles the larger Tanboura, which Nubian workers brought with them while digging the Suez Canal in the mid-19th century. Studies suggest that both instruments share similarities with the ancient Egyptian musical instrument Al-Karana, which translates to "treasure" in hieroglyphics.
In 2000, Ibrahim co-founded the Mastaba Centre for Egyptian Folk Music, committed to documenting and archiving traditional Egyptian songs, music, and instruments while preserving the voices and histories of Egyptian folk musicians. Later, he established El-Damma Theatre in Abdeen, named after the Damma (gathering) social ritual of Port Said, where people would come together to sing national and heritage songs in the streets.
El-Damma Theatre became a cultural hub, hosting weekly performances by heritage troupes from across Egypt and regular shows by the Al-Tanboura Troupe that Ibrahim founded.
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