AlKabli
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| AbdelKarim AlKabli | |
|---|---|
 AlKabli Oud Album cover |
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| Country | Sudan |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Genres | Sudanese music |
| Website(s) | http://www.alkabli.net |
AbdelKarim AlKabli (Arabic: عبد الكريم الكابلي ) is a Sudanese singer, poet, composer, songwriter and humanitarian known for his songs with themes of love, passion, nationalism, Sudanese culture and folklore.
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[edit] Early life
AlKabli was born in the city of Port Sudan in 1933. During childhood, he developed an interest in the Arabic language, especially the old Arabic poems, and learned to play music on a pennywhistle. At the age of sixteen, he moved to Khartoum to attend the Khartoum Commercial Secondary School. His musical interest evolved to oud (lute), which he learnt by himself.
[edit] AlKabli's Debut
In 1960, President Jamal Abdelnasser of Egypt decided to visit Sudan following the Bandung Conference. Sudanese officials nominated AlKabli to compose the music and sing the poem Asia wa Africa. Surprisingly, he opposed this request since his area of speciality is composing music. Under persistent requests, AlKabi stood up at Sudan's National Theatre, in Omdurman and sang Asia wa Africa (Asia and Africa), a song that depicts the solidarity of the two continents. It translates from the Arabic thus:
When I play, O Ye My Heart, my old songs
And yet dawn first appears at my Heart, on the wings of a cloud
I shall sing and sing my last lines
For my beloved lands...
For the black shadows of forests from Kenya and Malawi
For my pals in the Asian countries
For Malaya and the young Bandung ...
For the green happy nights in New China
[edit] AlKabli's Songs
AlKabli's songs contain a diversity of topics and scenes including love, passion, revolution, nationalism and Sudanese folklore. Some of his songs are old Arabic poems that can be comprehended by Arabic linguists. Others are in old Sudanese Arabic dialect that might require deep knowledge of the language and customs.
Some of his songs include "Ya Bint Ashreen" (O that Girl in her twenties), "Sukar Sukar" (Sugar Sugar), "Asia wa Africa" (Asia and Africa), "Noama", "Cleopatra", "Limaza" (Why ?), and "Merowi".
[edit] Awards
On May 12, 2002 AlKabli was awarded a honorary doctorate in literature from University of Nyala Nyala, Sudan.
On October 7, 2004, he was awarded the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador for Obstetric Fistula in Sudan for his advocacy for women health, gender equality and human rights.
