Moneim Adwan (Palestine)

POPULAR AND SACRED SONGS ON PALESTINE

Moneim Adwan

Moneim Adwan was born in 1970 in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. He began to sing Palestinian folk songs and praises of the Prophet Mohamed in his childhood. At the age of 17 he became interested in the lute and a few years later he left for the University of Tripoli (Libya) where he obtained a Masters Degree in musicology with Professor Fateh El Ramiz (song) and Abdallah Sebaï (oud-lute).

After a tour that took him to Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Iraq, in 1994 he began working for various events organised by the new Palestinian government, the Ministry of Education, theatre, and cinema until January 2000 when he wrote a piece of overture music in Bethlehem.

Since 1999 he has recorded three disks in France: Chicha ( an encounter with the world of provençal music) Nawah (an encounter with the singer Françoise Atlan and Sephardic songs with Buda Musique), Motayem - le Fou d'Amour (an encounter with the group of Iraqi influences - "Pearl Fisherman" - a Muance production).

Moneim Adwan's songs are inspired by the traditional Palestinian heritage and by the classical Arab repertoire. His words recount the tales of the history of his country, of Palestinian daily life and of love. His compositions are an attempt to keep the tradition alive so that it may follow a sometimes difficult development in a country where oppression and fear have now replaced reconstruction and hope. This singer's warm voice, sometimes powerful and sometimes tender, is the most beautiful instrument to convey a human message in the midst of war and destruction.

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