BELONG brings some of the finest Egyptian traditional musicians playing ancient Egyptian instruments and styles to the south of Luxembourg for workshops with local artists. The results of those workshops is presented in a breathtaking concert.
As famous custodian of Egyptian artistic legacy, the musical director Ahmed El Maghraby wishes to enshrine his contemporary musical creations in his ancestors’ traditions. He takes up the words of Sheikh Amin Elkhouly: “The first step in a renewal is to contain and totally assimilate the old”.
Nass Makan’s music performance brings together on stage the sound of ancient instruments from the Pharaonic era, flutes, citterns and drums, and the sound of modern, guitar and saxophone. Using techniques, forms and warm sounds of their origins, Gypsy music from the Delta joins hands with Zar songs, taking the audience on an exhilarating show.
Zar is a community healing ritual of polyrhythmic drumming and dancing whose tradition is carried on mainly by women (men have the secondary roles) and whose main participants are women. It’s distinctively different from other Egyptian music traditions. This ritual has been widely misconceived as a form of exorcism. However, the goal is to engage participants with their inner selves and workout their tensions and frustrations by freeing their movement, their state, and even their dreams.