CAIRO - They are truly ‘human treasures', as UNESCO described them in a recent report, published in 2010, stressing that folkloric artists should be appreciated and taken care of. UNESCO has saved many monuments and now it's trying to save humans with a message. The Folkloric Arts Committee in Egypt's Ministry of Culture is also trying to help. One of the country's most famous folkloric troupes is the Nile Folklore Music Troupe, founded in 1957 by Egyptian writer Zakariya el-Hegawy (1915-1975), as an assignment from the Ministry of National Guidance. El-Hegawy went on his famous tour of Egyptian villages, gathering folkloric artists, musicians, singers and dancers, whom he moulded into the first folk art troupe in Egypt, named ‘ El- Falaheen Troupe' (The Villagers'Troupe). The troupe based itself in Cairo and put on shows for national and religious occasions and feasts, performing for large audiences. It continued working until 1969 under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. Then in 1970, Egyptian researcher and composer Soleiman Gamil (1924-1995) took over the administration of the troupe from el-Hegawy, limiting its membership to musicians who used folkloric instruments in their performances. He also composed several musical pieces with special orchestration for them. Five years later, Egyptian director Abdel- Rahman el-Shafei took up the challenge, going on another tour to gather the best folkloric artists from the cities, towns and villages of Upper Egypt, the Delta and the oases. Ever since, the troupe has concentrated on presenting the essential Egyptian folkloric artist. To maintain authenticity, only the very best artists are chosen. Under el-Shafei, the troupe has adapted folkloric music and singing for theatrical shows. The Nile Folklore Music Troupe, affiliated to the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces, is now the country's cultural ‘mother troupe'. These bands and troupes have helped the Ministry of Culture safeguard the nation's folkloric heritage, allowing artists to express their creativity in the regional cultural centres as professionals. "Egypt is the geographical heart of the world, the cornerstone of civilisation. It is also the gate to Africa and part of Asia, overlooking Europe on its North Coast. It is the confluence of the great Nile on its sacred journey from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean coast. Egypt is land, sea and desert.Through its geographical location, long history and several eras of civilised experience Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic Egypt has enjoyed tremendous cultural variation. Meanwhile, its huge artistic heritage is struggling not to be borne away by the currents of cultural diversion. “And now the Ministry of Culture is protecting it," says el-Shafei.The troupe has participated in local and international festivals; back in 1975, it performed in France, having been invited by artist Farouq Hosni, the Egyptian cultural adviser in Paris at the time. Since then, the troupe has performed in the United States, Italy, France, China, Russia, North Korea, England, Canada, Australia, India, Austria, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Ireland, Denmark and Oman. Its most recent foreign performance was last month in Malta, where the troupe went down a treat with a multinational audience. "The members of the troupe are all professional, devoted solely to this kind of art," the director stresses, although the Government pays them very little. "You really have to love this kind of work to persevere, as the pay is abysmal. "Like everything else, music has become very hitech. The players of folk instruments have to be very skilful and concentrate hard.” The members of the troupe use the following instruments: wind instruments like the pipe, argool, setaweya and mizmar; stringed instruments like the tamboura, simismiya and rababa; and percussion instruments like the dirbakka, d u f f, tabla, naqqara and sagat. Sagats are Arab instruments made of dried wood and ivory. The musician plucks his sagats to activate the rhythm. Sagats are used in pairs, fixed in the thumbs of both hands.This instrument first appeared in Pharaonic Egypt, but its emergence was delayed because of the difficulty of manufacturing it from metal. In the Middle Ages, it moved to Europe via Andalusia, and thus it was first used in Spain before moving to other countries. Mohamed Hussein Abdel-Meguid Kholousi, 58, plays this percussion instrument. "European people always love my instrument, which is verysimilar to a Spanish o n e used in flamenco," Kholousi says. "Europeans really encourage artists to show off their talent.” Another percussion artist, Nabil Abdel- Fattah,53, says that Egyptians young and old love their musical performances. "Folkloric artists have to be calm and concentrate to perform well," he comments. The mizmar, another Arab instrument, is a cylindrical-like pipe with seven holes. The pipe gradually widens till it ends with a horn and, on the tight edge of the pipe, there is a double feather made of reed and boxwood. The mizmar is made of apricot or hazelnut wood. Famous Egyptian percussionist Ragab Sadek, 46, started playing as a hobby as a teenager, but now he has devoted his whole life to it. "I have performed with the troupe all over the world. Westerners really appreciate this kind of art. They're fond of oriental music," says this bass drum player. The bass drum ( el- Tabla el-Kebira), a circular wooden frame with patches of leather tightened on both sides, is beaten by wooden or bamboo sticks. It belongs to a family of drums that dates back to the Old Kingdom in Pharaonic times. Tanoura dance is usually performed as a main show in any concert. The tanoura dancer whirls round and round, like the Dervish dancers in the Levant and Turkey. They wear long colourful skirts that create a beautiful image as the dancer revolves faster and faster, seeking inner purity, in order to satisfy God. Each colour on the skirt represents a Sufi order. Moustafa Abdullah, a 30-year-old tanoura dancer, is the youngest member in the troupe. He started his career as a folk dancer, then he was taken by tanour a dancing. "I read a lot about tanoura and its philosophy, and it attracted me greatly. I worked in many hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh and elsewhere, and the tourists were fascinated by my art," Moustafa says. In their recent performance in Malta, the European audience were astonished by the Egyptian troupe and its Oriental folkloric music. They were amazed that Moustafa didn't get dizzy while performing his tanoura dance. When he starts swirling round, Moustafa becomes separated from the material world. "It a matter of tagali [transfiguration]; when I dance, I feel that I'm very close to everything I love and want to be with," he says. The troupe's rababa player is Shaker Ismail, 52 years old. A member of the troupe for 30 years, he started as a violin player, before switching to the rababa, a compound musical instrument that consists of the following: Forearm: a wooden tube with two keys installed on top of it to tighten the strings. The other end reaches the sonorous box of the instrument. Sonorous box: a totally hollow coconut opened from its topside like a circle, while a patch of leather is tied and tightened on the top opening. Many holes are opened on the lower side of the coconut. It is fixed to the forearm with an iron spit. Strings: thin threads of horsehair or wire tied in a metal circle and fixed to the wall of the coconut. Bow: a bamboo stick, simply bowed by tying both ends with horsehair threads. Shaker, born in Upper Egypt and brought up in Cairo, made his own rababa from horsehair and a coconut. "All the good old players are gone now, but there are some youngsters beginning to emerge. There are also good,” he comments. Although Shaker is appreciated all over the world or his rababa player, the Government isn't quite so appreciative. "When Abdel-Rahman el-Shafei asked me to join the troupe, I welcomed the idea. But I was shocked when the Ministry of Culture told me that my contract would be like that of a security guard, not an artist, because I have no educational certificates. So I refused," he says. In fact, almost all the members of the troupe have the same problem for the same reason. This is why Shaker has been working with a temporary contract for the past three decades, without any security or pension rights. "European people are fascinated by my rababa and my playing, but…” Shaker, who has worked with legendary Egyptian composers like Ammar el-Sherie and Yasser Abdel -Rahman, fails to complete his sentence.
