LEBANON: IRAQI MUSICAN ILHAM AL MEDFAI PROMOTES HIS NEW ALBUM AT MILLENNIUM FESTIVAL IN BEIRUT

Record ID: 389176

  • Title: LEBANON: IRAQI MUSICAN ILHAM AL MEDFAI PROMOTES HIS NEW ALBUM AT MILLENNIUM FESTIVAL IN BEIRUT
  • Date: 6th January 2000
  • Summary: (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEDFAI "I sang in Australia and also in Italy. My audience is mainly Iraqi expatriates and other Arab nationals. There are roots for our heritage and music. I have held 92 concerts during my 17-month stay in the U.S. My audience there was mainly Iraqis who feel their ties to Iraq through my songs. Eighty years ago there were no borders t
  • Embargoed: 21st January 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Communications,Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVADN9IM5EHKZJSLLV3UCAGGXQTG
  • Story Text: He's an artist known for his revolutionary Arabic
    music.Iraqi born musician Ilham Al Medfai has been around for
    decades and has started a powerful comeback with his new
    album.

    Since the 1960's, Al Medfai's music has been a mixture
    of Oriental and Western tunes with Spanish guitars playing
    alongside traditional Iraqi music.

    Medfai bases his lyrics on ancient Iraqi folksongs about
    forgiveness, oppression, love and nostalgia.

    He says "I am one of the early guitar players in this
    region.We started playing in Iraq.Here there are great
    schools of music.Through my contacts with foreign musicians
    in the early sixties I have developed a self-teaching style.

    Latin music, the development of electric guitar and the
    Beatles have helped change the concept of music in the world.

    Our role at the start was to imitate, then I started composing
    my own work based on construction themes.I have learned
    through my engineering studies.To me heritage means
    development as long as it maintains its original identity."
    A self-taught musician, Al Medfai holds a university
    degree in architecture, but now focuses entirely on his music.

    Always on the road, Al Medfai spent a year and a half
    touring the United States - giving 92 concerts during 98 and
    99.

    "I sang in Australia and also in Italy.My audience are mainly
    Iraqi expatriates and other Arab nationals.There are roots
    for our heritage and music.I have held 92 concerts during my
    17-month stay in the U.S.The audience there were mainly
    Iraqis who were reminded of Iraq by my songs.Eighty years ago
    there were no borders.There was soil, palm trees, water, sun
    and moon.We sing for all generations and they like my songs
    because it reminds them of the smell of their land and their
    roots."
    Al Medfai left Iraq in 1979 to work in the UK, Abu Dhabi
    and more recently Jordan where he lives today.

    A truly cosmopolitan man, Medfai sings in Italian, English
    and French.

    For Millennium celebrations, Medfai gave a sensational
    performance for over 15,000 fans at the closing ceremony of
    "Lebanon 2000," a three week millennium festival held in
    Beirut.
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