Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi. Sharif Karim / Reuters
Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi. Sharif Karim / Reuters
Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi. Sharif Karim / Reuters
Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi. Sharif Karim / Reuters

Majida El Roumi to perform at Cairo's historic Qubba Palace


Saeed Saeed
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  • Arabic

Majida El Roumi will perform at Egypt’s Qubba Palace.

The Lebanese singer will take the stage of the historic 19th century venue on Friday, April 2.

The event marks the first public concert held at the lavish grounds since it was built in 1872.

El Roumi announced the news on her Instagram account on Sunday with the message "and we meet again."

The event marks the concert return of El Roumi after her last major performance at Abu Dhabi Festival in February 2020.

With the pandemic scrapping her tour dates, El Roumi spent time in the studio, releasing two singles Gha'no Bi Kel Lough'at (Sing In All Languages) and Love Letter to Lebanon.

The latter is a powerful spoken word poem that speaks of her homeland's rich heritage and tragedy.

A collaboration with Vogue Arabia, Love Letter to Lebanon is accompanied with a video of El Roumi strolling across various parts of Lebanon draped in the national flag.

"This land is flooded with tears, whoever can stop us from loving it," she says, as part of the poem. "Treachery? Fear? War and hunger? Whoever can keep us away from its bosom?"

Despite a career spanning four decades, the project was the first time the enigmatic chanteuse has been photographed for a magazine cover.

"I did not pose for any magazine cover for more than 45 years. It didn't affect me," she said in her interview with Vogue Arabia.

"An artist’s prestige lies in making their fans long to see them perform. Recurrent appearances don’t serve the artist, but rather make their presence mundane, in a way that will not impact people.”

Indeed, El Roumi's historic Cairo concert in April will only serve to enhance her prestige as one of the Arab world's most influential singers.

Home to kings and leaders

Built across five years, from 1867 to 1872, Qubba Palace was one of the most lavish constructions during Egypt's Muhammad Ali dynasty.

Located north of downtown Cairo, the palace served as the official residence of King Fuad I after his ascension to the Egyptian throne in 1917.

Egyptians gather outside the Qubba Palace during the anti-coup rallies following the Friday prayers on October 11, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. Getty Images
Egyptians gather outside the Qubba Palace during the anti-coup rallies following the Friday prayers on October 11, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. Getty Images

Spanning 300,000 square metres (30 hectares), the palace complex came with its own train station for visiting dignitaries arriving from Cairo and Alexandria.

After the 1952 revolution in which Egypt became a republic, Qubba Palace was declared a presidential palace and is still used to host international leaders and other notable visitors.

As part of his 2009 visit to Egypt, then US president Barack Obama received a red carpet reception at Qubba Palace.

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5