In progress:
Queen of the purple flowers
Siama, Queen of the Purple Flowers in her native Kakwa tongue, is a Sudanese singer based in Cairo. She was the first black African woman to sing at the Cairo Opera House. Her last performance was at El-Sawy Cultural Centre, Zamalek, Cairo, on 10 July, when she wowed the audience with her unique incantation, dance and music. Siama sees herself as an African show girl, though one with a poignant pan-African message.
I am an African singer. I sing about Africa and the condition of African people. I sing about women at war. I am Sudanese, but I identify with all the women of Africa, especially those whose men are at war. The women do not start these wars. They are victims of the wars.
I chose the name Maria for one of my songs. After all, it is the name of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. To me Maria represents all African mothers. I sing about their trials and tribulations. These are mothers at war, these are women who lost lovers, husbands, brothers, fathers and sons because of the war.
My name is Siama, Queen of the Purple Flowers, and I am proud of that name. My mother gave me this beautiful name as a special gift. My mother is a real lady. I am just a show girl. I miss her very much. She only breast-fed me for a month, she did not want to spoil her figure. But I do not hold it against her. I survived without my mother's milk. She gave me something far more important. My name is my very identity.
Purple flowers are euphemisms for the black beauties of Africa. Black is beautiful. My mother instilled in us, her children, a pride in our colour.
I was born in the town of Yei, southern Sudan. I grew up in Yei. As a child I sang with my grandfather in church. My grandfather was a preacher. He was a very kindhearted and religious man.
My grandfather raised me. He insisted that I accompany him to church on Sunday mornings. I started to sing in church as a choir girl. I guess my singing talent was discovered in church. I still love to sing in church, but I do not attend church services regularly.
I first came to Egypt in 1996. I have been based in Egypt ever since. I feel at home in Egypt now, even though it was difficult at first. I would, however, like to return to Sudan once peace prevails. I escaped war and oppression in Sudan. The climate was not conducive to artistic expression when I left Sudan. I had to leave. I needed to find a place where I could have a fresh start. I came to Egypt to escape the Sudanese situation.
I do not compete with Sudanese singers, like Jawaher, who sing in Arabic for the commercial Egyptian pop scene. I use my voice for a cause I strongly believe in. I sing in the languages of Africa. I sing in my native Kakwa, in Kiswahili, and in Lingala as well as in Arabic and English. I also sing in the colloquial Sudanese Arabic spoken in Juba, the largest urban centre in southern Sudan.
I sing Malaika, Angel, in Kiswahili. The famous South African singer Miriam Makeba first popularised the song Malaika. I am especially fond of that song. My song, Africa, is especially dear to my heart. I sing about the continent and its many concerns -- famine, war, HIV/AIDS. I sing about hope and about a brighter future.
At the moment I am working on producing an album which would include these and other songs. I am working with Ashraf Abu Haggar to produce the album. He has considerable experience in the Egyptian musical scene and he is very helpful, a real gentleman.
Shien-Shien is a song which has proven very popular with audiences in Egypt. I wrote the lyrics and I sing the song in the colloquial Juba Arabic of southern Sudan. Shien-Shien means a very ugly person. It is a song about a lover who chases her beloved and in the process has become very ugly. She chases her sweetheart up and down the country, chasing him in the glaring sun has burnt her face, chasing him in the rain has ruined her hair. Her clothes are in tatters. The beat is very fast. No one in the audience can stand or sit still. They all jump up and dance to the rhythm of the beat.
When I am on stage I forget about all my worries and concerns. On stage I only want to please my audience. If you insult me on stage I will throw you a kiss. But wait until I get off the stage, I will get my own back.
I am an artist. I write the lyrics, the music, and I sing. I do not have time for marketing my songs and music. I leave that to others, to the professionals.
I have a group of musicians who accompany me on stage. The lead guitarist is John, a southern Sudanese. I have northern and southern Sudanese musicians working with me. I do not discriminate. On the keyboard I have Adel Awad, a northerner. A group of girls regularly dance with me on stage. They are mostly Sudanese. But I had an Iraqi dancer, too. Sadly, she returned to Iraq.
A fortnight ago the girls were involved in a car accident just before the performance started. Thank God they emerged unscathed from the accident, but they were badly shaken and couldn't dance that evening. I was at a loss. Then I picked up the courage to dance on stage without my girls. It was very warm that evening and there was no air conditioning system. I was drenched, but I danced all the same. I sang and I danced.
C a p t i o n :
photo:Randa Shaarh
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 24 - 30 July 2003 (Issue No. 648)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/648/cu2.htm