The stage curtain opens. A group of young women wearing dresses in the same color sit on chairs and hold percussion instruments ready to perform. No singer is on the stage except them. A minute later, the group starts singing folklore songs and performing on their percussion instruments amid the interaction and the applause from the happy audience.
That was one of the concerts held by the Tablet El-Sitt (Woman’s Drum), a band of Egyptian female singers and percussionists.
The group was founded by Soha Mohamed in November 2019. She has been a great lover of Egyptian folk songs since her childhood when she learned how to dance Shaabi (folk) and to play drums. Despite graduating from the German language department at the Higher Institute of Languages in Cairo in 2010, she found her future in delving deeper into her childhood hobby of folklore and traditional heritage.
“Since my childhood, I have loved to listen to Egyptian folklore and traditional songs. I was attracted to the percussion instruments, so I decided to learn how to sing and to perform on percussion,” Mohamed, 32, told Majalla.
Mohamed was fond of the Egyptian band “Fun Trio,” a female singing group in the 1950s which was distinguished by its light social works. The Fun Trio band presented a new type of singing that won great admiration, and their songs were, and still are beautiful, fun, and tasteful, and make for an enjoyable performance. Many of their lyrical works were acclaimed for their suitability for most Egyptian occasions, such as Egyptian weddings, birthdays, and important occasions such as the month of Ramadan.
Mohamed learned playing on drums at the hand of famous Egyptian drummer Said El Artist, who played a major role in taking Egyptian Shaabi music to be known worldwide. “Then I joined Reda Troupe, a pioneering group in Egyptian folk-dance.”
In order to be skillful in singing, Mohamed joined the Culture Ministry’s Academy of Arts where she learned how to sing and also to play piano and oud. The academy is a large educational complex in Cairo established in 1959.
After she learned singing and playing on percussion instruments, she wanted to present her talent to people and publicize that kind of folk song in order to save it from extinction.
She preferred not to perform alone, but to be one of a group of women singing and playing percussion at the same time.
“I didn't want to do that individually. I wanted to form a group. I told my colleagues at the Academy about my idea, and they commended it.”
She said that they trained rigorously on the technique of performing on percussion instruments and singing at the same time.
“I hired a studio and bought percussion instruments. We recorded two videos in order to present it to venues to persuade them to host our concerts as most people found the idea strange. When they saw our performance on the recorded videos, they agreed. The first concert was held in November 2019.”
Her band consists of seven songstresses playing on tambourine, drums, duf, dholak and finger cymbals.
There are three male performers in mizmar, kawala and rubab.
“The audience is always encouraging us to perform and hold concerts,” Mohamed said. “They advise us to maintain the essence of the group by singing traditional and folk songs, nothing else,” she said, adding that some fans send Nubian songs to the band’s Facebook page for the band to sing.
BAND’S MIZMAR PLAYER
Sayed El-Husseini is a famous mizmar player in Egypt. He performed music for many TV series and participated in many concerts.
When Mohamed contacted him to join her band as its mizmar player, he raised his eyebrows.
“As a mizmar player for more than 25 years, this is the first time to see a band of girls singing and playing instruments at the same time,” El-Husseini told Majalla.
“In the beginning, I told them that they would get tired. But they told me that they are training hard in order to keep the same high level of singing and playing instruments during the whole concert. Frankly speaking, they do so.”
“I am impressed by their diligence and am honored to be part of their band,” El-Husseini, 42, said.
El-Husseini added that at each concert they perform between ten and twelve songs such as Papa Gai Waraya, Salam Alai, El-Bent Beida, Betnadini Tani Leih, Ah Ya Lalali and El Ataba Gazaz.
Papa Gai Waraya or “Papa is Coming after Me” is composed by Zakaria Ahmed (1896 - 1961). The lyrics say:
“Papa is coming after me…
Don’t talk to me…
For fear that he sees me, gets mad at me
Do you understand? Don’t talk to me”
El-Husseini, who hails from Sharqia governorate north of Cairo, said that the band’s concerts are always fully booked.
“The folklore songs spread a joyful and happy atmosphere, which people need all the time whatever their age is,” he added.
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