Umm Sameh News Today

As the second half of Ramadan rolls in, for some, marathon television watching and quiet nights in after iftar might be starting to feel redundant. Luckily, the holy month in Cairo is also a busy season for the city’s vibrant musical scene. From the age-old musical traditions of Sufi chanting and Zar, to alternative rock

CAIRO, May 15 — A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: It looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them. The music and dance ritual known as “zar”, with centuries-old roots in Ethiopia and Sudan, is...

A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: it looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them.

CAIRO — A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: It looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them.The music and dance ritual known as "zar", with centuries-old roots in Ethiopia and Sudan, is traditionally performed to ward off or exorcise jinn or evil spirits."We're not quacks or witches," said

A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: it looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them.

A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: it looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert, but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them

It looks like a concert of Egyptian folk music — a stage, lights and a mesmerized audience — but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess them. The music and dance ritual known as zar, with centuries-old roots in Ethiopia and Sudan, is traditionally performed to ward off or exorcise jinn or evil spirits. “We’re not quacks or witches,” said Umm Sameh, aged in her 70s, with coal-lined eyes, large hoops in her ears and gold bracelets on her arms. “The...

A stage, a highlight, a mesmerised viewers: it seems like a traditional live performance however Um Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the

The Zar ritual has seen better days, but an Egyptian band has taken upon itself the mission of keeping this ritual alive.

Highlight interviews and performances from WOMEX 2021 in Porto, Portugal.