ALTHOUGH it's celebrating its 2nd anniversary next month, it was really born on January 25. ‘Ahl el-Maghna' (The People of the Singing) is a musical group, which aims to revive the Egyptian songs of the past generation. When the revolt erupted, its 40 members joined other Egyptians in Al Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the revolution. They stood in front of the statue of the Egyptian nationalist Omar Makram Statue in Al-Tahrir Square, chanting slogans and singing the patriotic songs of the Egyptian legendary Abdel-Halim Hafez (1929-1977) and others. They also sang the songs of famous Egyptian composer-singer Sheikh Imam (1918�"1995), who formed a duo with the famous Egyptian colloquial poet Ahmed Fouad Negm. Their political songs favoured the poor and the working classes. “At first, the passersby just looked at us. But, as the days passed, they started gather- ing round and joining in the singing,” Hossam Samir, the maestro and the founder of ‘Ahl el-Maghna', told The Egyptian Gazette in an interview, adding that the revolt has made them famous. ‘Ahl El-Maghna' started off as a choir for children. When the children's parents started joining in the singing, its founder decided that people of all ages should be made welcome. The members of the group are amateurs, not professional. They include physicians, engineers, students and civil servants �" peo- ple from many different ways of life. “In our concerts, I noticed that the audi- ence loved to sing along with us, so I decid- ed to keep the group as a purely amateur one,” added Samir, who graduated from Faculty of Musical Arts in 1988. The maestro asked Mohamed el-Sawy, the founder of el-Sawy Cultural Centre, a popular place for entertainers located in Zamalek, to host them and he said yes. They rehearse every Friday morning from 8:30 to 11:00 at el-Sawy and also hold most of their concerts regularly there. “Singing national and patriotic songs in that time and in that place [Al Tahrir] impressed me a lot. I was happy that we could entertain the people,” Inas el-Deeb, who sings in the chorus and also solo, told this newspaper. “Participating in the revolt by singing patriotic songs was something unique.” After Mubarak stepped down on February 11, they held a big concert at el-Sawy. “The same people who'd listened to us in Al Tahrir came to the concert. We've become very famous since the revolution. They've continued attending our concerts at the Centre since then,” el-Deeb added. For this 50-year-old physician who works for a pharmaceutical company, singing in such a group is a childhood dream come true. El-Deeb attended music classes at school and university, in her free time. One of her friends told her about the ‘Ahl el-Maghna' group for amateurs two years ago. She went to have a look, had a singing test, passed and became a member. “The wonderful thing about this group is that it has people of every age between eight years and 70 years. Muslims and Christians, children, grandparents �" we're one big happy family who love to sing together,” she says.
