World-renowned Algerian pop-star Soad Massi will stage three concerts in Cairo as part of the worldwide musical festival aimed at fusing world musical trends and bringing together pop stars from different countries, announced the French cultural center at a press conference on Monday.
The France-based record-breaking best-selling vocalist will perform in Egypt for the first time to a big crowd of fans on June 21 at the Citadel, on June 20 at the Patronage Club, Heliopolis and, June 19 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The Algerian diva of Amaziri descent sings in French, Spanish, Arabic and Amaziri, a diversity that receives wide appeal in a globalized world.
Universal Music, the record company Massi is signed with dubbed 2006 the Massi Year, since it witnessed the biggest sale of her albums.
Massi’s move to France in 1999 to pursue a musical career continues to be politically-tainted ever since she sang “Amazi, where she lamented the fortunes of the Amaziri tribe to which she belongs.
“The song caused ripples because it expressed the dilemma of the Amaziris who aspire to express their own identity amid the restrictions imposed on them by the government, said Massi at the press conference.
She added: “We have our own language, traditions and arts and we can’t simply forget that and succumb to attempts to stifle them.
Responding to a Daily Star Egypt inquiry about whether the aspirations of the Amaziri in Algeria are bound to add to the crises of an Arab region already hit by civil wars in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq, she said: “I agree that we have been going through a lot of strife, but we also have to realize that violence is the result of repressing minorities and putting restrictions on freedom of expression.
Having become the most important pop-star in Europe and the Mediterranean, Massi stressed that surviving in Europe while singing in Arabic is a big challenge.
“Once an Arab performer becomes successful in Europe, he or she has to battle for continuity. It isn’t an easy task to survive amid waves of bias and fierce competition, she noted.
Despite the difficulties she encountered at the beginning of her career in France, many believe that her success was triggered by the fact that she is an Amaziri Algerian.
“After I presented my second song titled Rawi about the challenges facing an Amaziri young man, I was invited to perform in France. But that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my two brothers, both musicians, she said.
What gives Massi an edge is also the fact that he had written and composed some of her most successful songs. She is particularly preoccupied with issues of persecution, racism, male chauvinism or religious bias.
“Having experienced some of these prejudices myself, this subject is close to my heart. Besides the racist practices suffered by the Amaziris in Algeria, being a woman from a conservative family that has never been sympathetic with having a singer for their daughter was another challenge, she said.
“Over the years only few women studied music and this was why many of them could not make compose. But I am sure some will emerge in the near future to vie with men.
