On February 3, it will be exactly fifty years since the legendary singer Umm Kulthum passed away at the age of seventy. In honor of this, the Concertgebouw is organizing the project Umm Al Funun, which means “Mother of Music.” Singers Nai Barghouti and Ghalia Benali, presenter Abdelkader Benali, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and various Arab musicians will come together to present a theatrical tribute.
The death of the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum on February 3, 1975, was a profound moment for millions around the world, including in Amsterdam. It was as if the world stood still. People took to the streets globally, expressing their grief with songs and tears. The mother of music and the mother of all Arabs was gone.
The music of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum is deeply embedded in generations of the Arab and Moroccan communities. She has become a symbol of migration and the emancipation of the first generation of Moroccans and other Arab peoples in the Netherlands. Her music provided support and perspective. She sings about life in all its aspects and does not shy away from poetically addressing difficult issues in the world. In this way, Umm Kulthum became a symbol for a generation, a true “Mother of Music.”
On the initiative of Moroccan-Dutch businesswoman Rahma El Mouden, the Concertgebouw is organizing the project Umm Al Funun, meaning “Mother of Music.” This theatrical tribute honors the life and work of Umm Kulthum. Singers Nai Barghouti and Ghalia Benali, together with Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Arab musicians, will perform in the Concertgebouw’s Main Hall. Writer, presenter, and director Abdelkader Benali will frame the evening with texts and short stories about Umm Kulthum’s work and life. In this way, the path of emancipation and integration of the first Moroccan and other Arab Dutch communities since the early 1970s will be portrayed, as well as the role that Umm Kulthum’s music, inspiration, and life have played in that journey.