Last Month I had the chance to attend a concert for Marcel Khalife in Tyre- a city in the south of Lebanon. Nothing compares to listening to Marcel live, to feel the waves of his voice directly, to sense his passion as he caressed the strings of his oud, or as he ignited the desire of the lustful female in it. To say it was a great concert or breath-taking would be underestimating to its real worth. That night, Marcel’s songs brought up lots of memories, smiles, shivers and when Omaima Khalil sang “عصفور” I teared!
Marcel Khalife,to me, is family, childhood, laughs, freedom, joy, family, dad, home, naive childish dreams, safety, laughs, Palestine, belonging, resistance, fighting, children, innocence, west Beirut, east Beirut, Lebanon, sorrow, tears, laughs,passion, love…
Whenever we had a family visit, especially when my sisters, brother and I were kids, we had a crisis about what music to listen to in the car. A whole hour, and sometimes more, of dull music of Um Kulthoum, Farid Al-Atrash or Sabah Fakhri can never be tolerated! An hour of Um Kulthoum repeating the same verse over and over and over again is plain torture. Not to mention how boring is Farid Al-Atrash and how annoying he is with his depressive songs. Similarly, dad would never tolerate listening to Amr Diab, George Wassouf, Michel Jackson or Bon Jovi. We needed a compromise, a solution that fits both sides, and makes family visits less annoying!
Finally we agreed on Marcel Khalife. As a kid my favorite songs were: تووت تووت ع بيروت، عصفور، طفل وطيارة. Till now these songs are able to send chills down my spine. What’s funny is that I didn’t understand these songs back then :D. I had no idea that there was a hidden message in the lyrics neither did I know what was the situation in Lebanon! To me, Marcel Khalife was never a symbol for revolution, or a symbol for the communist party in Lebanon. For God’s sake, I didn’t even know what is the meaning of the word “communist”. Marcel was the songs that connected me to the past lives of Mom and Dad in Lebanon. Lives that I’ve created in places I never know, I imagined the people, the streets, the conversations, the laughs and the huge friends’ gatherings. Marcel was never a rebel, he was the joys in the long car rides till we reach my uncle’s or aunt’s place. Then how Mom used to preach us about behaving, being polite and not to fight with each other or with our cousins. Last minute MANNERS lessons :D. I love you Mom, you are so adorable.
Then I grew up and I started to understand what Marcel Khalife was really saying in his songs. I grew up an I learned about the Lebanese civil war! I learned how Beirut “the magical place” was torn into 2 cities, east Beirut and west Beirut. I knew what Marcel meant by his song الليلة بدي خلّي الكاس.
A few years later the “Intifada” started and طفل و طيارة became clear as well. The image of a twelve years old boy confronting a military tank with a stone, and a terrifying look from solid eyes shown through a slit in the Kuffeye wrapped around his head, explained what this sentence means; طارت الحدود، حدود الولدنة…برق ورعود تقصف ع الدني. وطارت اللعبة وطارت معها القصة وصاروا الولاد شقفة من القصة…
Only then I knew what it’s like to never be a child, to loose the ability of having childish dreams. To be men since the moment of birth. The term child does not exist for Palestinians. Those youngsters are conscious about their battle, no one forced them to fight, they chose to. They didn’t choose not to be children but they chose to never get squished under the burden of occupation.
Every song for Marcel has a story, each song has a special place in my heart! Marcel’s music has accompanied me through my whole life! Each period in my life has its identification for Marcel which in turn identifies my awareness in that period!
Marcel Khalife is more that just a oud master and performer. Marcel Khalife made history and helped in its documentation.
PS: Today I enjoy Um kulthoum, Farid Al-Atrash and Sabah Fakhri songs.
I look the other way, but some weird strings keep pulling me to watch, to follow the wrinkles’ lines, to get into the depth of his eyes. To live his life, to get all his experience, to ask why old people are this cynical?!
Zouz 