“I was struck by Yemeni music,” London’s Smith says [Archives:2006/930/Culture]
Shaker Mohammed
Smith works for the Cultural Cooperation, an organization that puts on a biannual festival in London, bringing groups from all over the world. Each festival has a theme based around a country or an idea. For example, the organization held two sacred music festivals. It organized another two festivals around diasporas, in which people spread from one country to another and two cultures interact resulting in a totally vibrant new music.
“It used to be every year when we focused on one country at a time,” Smith said, “but now that we have these themed festivals, it's not practical. Resources are limited and practically all the concerts are free. We don't have any commercial sponsorship either.”
The festival has become very popular under the general title, “World Music.” It tries to bring in musicians and groups without commercial production and whose recordings or CDs generally are unavailable in the UK.
This year's festival is on Muslim world music. “We have had a long connection with musicians from the Muslim world, arranging festivals for Turkey, Morocco and Pakistan, as well as Sofi music in 1998. Another reason is that there is a tendency and need to try to engage people on a social and cultural basis in England. Even the Islamic galleries in London have been refurbished and we are opening them this year,” Smith added.
Attention to the Muslim world also has prompted creation of a Foreign Office post regarding engaging the Islamic world. The post is held by former British Ambassador to Yemen, Francis Guy.
Focusing on Islamic world music, the festival is not necessarily about religious songs. “When we say from the Islamic world, I mean a lot of musicians have a very specific connection with religious music. But it's really inspired by Islam. A lot of Sana'ani music is about love, so some might say this is not Islamic, but it's still within Islamic culture. However, I think it's legitimate. There also will be many wedding songs praising God.”
The 62-year-old Smith is helping a Zanzibar-based musician produce future Hadrami music recordings. Last year, he arranged for two Hadramout groups to participate in different Zanzibar festivals, like the International Festival.
Smith's arrangements included talking to the Ministry of Culture about supporting the London festival and coming here and recording something from Hadramout and Lahj, two very underrepresented areas. It would be a commercial CD, as it generally would be available in shops to let people know about this wonderful music.
Smith first visited Yemen well over 20 years ago, mentioning the reason for his coming: “The reason inspired many other British people to come here as well. In 1974, there was a festival on Islam throughout Britain, but mainly in London. There was a street that was a replica of a Sana'a street souk. It was brilliant. It was created by a lady who wrote a book on qat in Yemen. She brought everything, even the spices and the music. One virtually could smell Sana'a.
“I didn't know anything about Yemen. I went to that exhibition and I said, 'I have to go to this country. It's amazing.' I knew two people, one of whom was coming for a job with UNESCO to teach television industry staff. He told me how to get here, as there was no tourism at all then.”
Smith and his wife did a four-week tour to Sa'ada, Hodeidah, Bayt Al-Faqih, Zabid, Taiz, Ibb, Jibla, Hajarah and many other places. “We had a wonderful time,” he recalled.
Another visit was prompted by his study of Arabic: “I had heard there were language schools here, so I came to language school in 2001.” He was lucky, coming in February and March, before the September 11 events obliged many students to cancel their courses and return home.
He came to Yemen and with the help of the British Council, he got in touch with renowned Yemeni musician, Dr. Nizar Ghanem, “who helped me enormously. He became a good friend.” Smith also made acquaintances from Mukalla and Sayun.
Smith says the festival is very complicated to arrange, considering many group arrangements, the right material, visa problems, group members' names, timely arrivals, etc. He's thankful for telecommunications like e-mail which have facilitated many cross-cultural relations.
Britain's Yemeni community is substantial and dates back a long time. Once in London, Yemeni musicians perform at concerts for the London-based Yemeni community. Last time, Ahmed Al-Ahmadi performed in Cardiff, Liverpool and Sheffield. “Yemenis always come to the concerts and are very supportive,” Smith added.
He says there are no resident Yemeni singers in London, but they are found in other cities where the Yemeni community is larger. He noted that a Palestinian woman working for the BBC produced a three-part series for BBC Radio on the Kurdish, Afghan and Yemeni communities.
Regretfully, Smith said they will not cover other cities: “It's just that we're dealing with communities in London at the moment. Maybe we will have a nationwide outreach in the future.”
Smith knows many Yemeni singers like Fuad Al-Kibsi and icons of Yemeni song like Ali Al-Ansi and Ayyoub Tarish, who are the “aristocracy of Yemeni music.” He also knows many names among the younger generation like Rasheed Al-Harazi, Yousef Al-Badaji and Ahmed Al-Hubaishi.
Asked whether local Yemeni singers are known in Britain, Smith answered, “Yemeni singers are totally unknown in Britain. I think people know a little of Ahmed Fathi, maybe because he is known in the general Arab community. However, his CDs are not generally available.
“There are some Sana'ani music recordings and there is a very fine CD recorded in Ghanem's house that was made several years ago. It's the best introduction of Yemeni music to the Western audience, as it has music from various parts of the country. It's nicely balanced and very beautifully recorded.”
To popularize Yemeni music in the UK and in the West generally, Smith suggests this can be done by real singers going there in person: “There is nothing like the real thing. People want to see. CDs are OK, but they're not enough. They are a memory of something. For something that's unfamiliar, it's much more effective to actually see the real thing.
“Of course, I would like to do a proper festival of Yemeni music and culture in London or something that would travel from London to Cardiff to Liverpool to Sheffield. That would be a wonderful thing to do, but it requires good support from here.”
The Cultural Cooperation chose to celebrate music because it is “a universal language.” As a means of cross-cultural enhancement, Smith describes literature as “more problematic, as it requires very meticulous translation. The visual arts also are problematic. Obviously, the strong aspect of Yemeni visual art is architecture. You can have pictures, but it's not better than the buildings. However, you cannot transport real buildings to Britain. So the best thing is music because everybody understands music: the rhythm, melodies, instruments, expression.”
However, Smith has one reservation regarding Sana'ani music: “It is heavily reliant on poetry. The instruments are to serve the words; I think everybody would agree with that. So we have to be careful that this element is kept balanced because the Western audience cannot understand the words. Sana'ani songs are quite long, thus making them inaccessible for the Western audience on this side. That's why I've been trying to find singers who are aware of this particular problem. We'll see to it that songs last between six to nine minutes. Anything longer than that might be boring.”
There also will be a variety of rhythms, different combinations, pipe (mizmar) performances and Yemeni dancing like bara' to make the atmosphere further vital.
This year's festival runs from June 28 until July 16 and involves three weekends of open-air concerts: one in the Botanical Gardens, one in Regent's Park next to London's Central Mosque and one in another park in east London. In between, there will be many other concerts and small cultural programs. Some activities may be simultaneous, so performers will be very busy.
“It's an opportunity for groups who've not been to London to show people their music and see Britain a little bit. Performers also can talk to each other and play music with each other and will not be kept away from the public,” Smith added, “It's a chance to introduce musicians to people who otherwise would've not ever heard their music. But by no means is it a commercial operation.”
He identifies another festival advantage: “It's not only music that will get boosted. The festival also will make people curious about where the musicians come from, which will help Yemeni tourism and its people.”
Approximately eight Yemeni musicians will participate in the festival, but no decision has been made yet regarding who will participate. “I will take all my photographs and recordings back to Britain. The organization's artistic director makes the decision and it depends on a variety of factors.”
Smith does not hide his wonderful experience with Yemeni music. “I'm here because I love it and I sometimes have to remember my past enthusiasm. I like all the music from the Muslim world, but I think I'm particularly struck by Yemeni music, right from the first time I heard it.
“I'm interested in oud playing and the style because it's very different than the classical maqamat that came out of Iraq. I have oud recordings by Al-Kawkabani brothers dating back to the 1970s. That was a favorite record of mine. I found it in some specialist shop in London and it was recorded by an American. They still are very interesting.”
Smith expects the festival, when it comes off, will help bring more understanding about Yemen to people in Britain. “I hope it will raise Yemen's profile in Britain and encourage people to come here. Generally, it will give people enjoyment. Most importantly, the festival will be an endeavor to give people hope and wipe out some of the imperfections in relations between the West and the Islamic world.”
In addition to music, the Cultural Cooperation has an education program in state schools involving talks and an associated art exhibition as well. The year-round education program sends educators to work with children around a particular theme, such as dealing with a particular religion like Islam, Hinduism, etc.
During the music festival, groups coming from the various countries perform for the children. The program takes place in principle London museums like the British Museum.
According to Smith, the festivals require a lot of organization and funding; therefore, they are held biannually. The Cultural Cooperation is funded by various foundations and some sort of governmental support. However, Smith himself is a volunteer. “I do this job out of love for music.”
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