Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Reem Jamil Banna (December 6, 1966 -
March 24, 2018) is a Palestinian singer and composer, arranger and activist.
She was born in Nazareth, the capital of Galilee, and died on March 24, 2018 in
Nazareth, after a long struggle with cancer. She is the daughter of the Palestinian
poet Zuhaira Sabbagh. She studied music and singing at the Higher Institute of
Music in Moscow, and graduated in 1991 after 6 academic years during which she
studied modern singing and leading musical groups. To champion human rights.
Her musical style is characterized by the fusion of traditional Palestinian
chants with modern music.
the beginning of her life
Reem loved singing since she was
young, and she participated in many artistic events, including the Earth Day
Memorial Festival on March 30 and other national and political events. She also
participated in the celebrations held by her school - the Baptist School - in
Nazareth. Reem started her artistic career when she was ten years old. She
studied music and singing at the Gnesins Higher Institute of Music in Moscow.
She specialized in modern singing and leading vocal groups. Reem completed her
6-year academic studies, graduating in 1991. During this period, Reem released
two albums of live singing: Jafra and Your Tears Oh Mother. In 1991, Reem married
Ukrainian musician Leonid Alexianko, who studied music and singing with her at
the Higher Institute of Music in Moscow, where they worked together in the
field of music and composition. They lived together in Nazareth. However, their
marriage did not last long and they divorced in 2010. She lived until the end
of her days in her hometown, Nazareth, with her three children.
Reem's songs are first and foremost
unique; Because she composes most of her songs, and she also has a distinctive
musical way of composing and singing. The lyrics of her songs are inspired by
the conscience of the Palestinian people and their heritage, history and
culture. As for the music and melodies, they stem from the heart of the poem
and its tributaries, and from the sense of the rhythm of the word. The mixing
of words and melodies together takes us beyond the borders of Palestine to
reach all parts of the world. Reem's songs express the suffering and concerns
of the Palestinian people as well as their joys, sorrows and hopes. One of the
most prominent singing styles that Reem performed alone is the traditional
Palestinian Tahalil, which was distinguished by her performance and stuck to
her name.
Reem Al-Banna first rose to fame in
the early 1990s when she recorded her own version of traditional Palestinian
children's songs that she almost forgot. Many songs and poems are still sung by
Palestinian families today, thanks to Reem's efforts to preserve them by
re-recording them. Reem sang many children's songs that she wrote and composed
herself. These songs became widely popular among children, especially when she
performed them in children's festivals such as the Nouar Nissan Festival, the
Farah and Marah Festival, the Jericho Winter Festival, and the Martyrs'
Children Festival.
Rim Banna not only composes her own
songs; She also composes Palestinian poems. Among the poets whose poems Reem
composed were: Tawfiq Ziad, Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim, Zuhaira Sabbagh,
and Sidi Harkash. As for the melodies; Reem and her husband, Leonid, co-author
it together in a creative and unique way. Her music has been described as
"poignant, emotional, and sometimes verging on kitsch."
As for her, she describes her music
as a means of cultural self-expression, saying: Part of our work consists of
collecting uncomposed Palestinian heritage texts, in order to preserve these
texts from being lost. Then we try to compose modern music inspired by the
traditional Palestinian music to be in line with these texts. In this way Rim
Banna does more than just mimic the traditional methods and rendering of the
pieces, she blends them with the modern style of singing. And because the
oriental singing style is usually decorative, which is not in line with Reem's
more than two-dimensional voice. She says: That's why I try to write songs that
fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. This requires
bringing people closer to Palestinian music and soul.
Reem's songs have played an
important role in the production of many films and series, as well as
documentaries that dealt with the Palestinian popular uprising.
Reem performs live concerts in the
West Bank, and reaches her audience in Gaza, where Israel prevents its citizens
from entering. Reem gave her first concert in Syria on January 8, 2009. She
also gave a concert in Tunisia on July 28, 2011, and her first concert in
Beirut was on March 22, 2012. The married couple - Reem and Leonid - By
participating together in many international festivals, representing Palestine.
These festivals were held in Egypt, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the Czech
Republic and Jordan. I also participated in the Caucasian Women's Festival,
which was held in Tunisia, Switzerland, Romania, Denmark and Morocco.
its European audience
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil album
Reem gained fame in Europe after
being invited by Norwegian producer Eric Hellestad to co-sing with singer Kari
Bremens on the album "Lullabies from the Axis of Evil" in 2003. After
that, Reem went to Oslo after accepting Kari Bremens' invitation to go there,
where the two singers performed a joint show.
Then the album “A Musical Message
Against the War to US President Bush from Female Singers from Palestine, Iraq,
Iran and Norway”, brought these women together and others from North Korea,
Syria, Cuba and Afghanistan, to sing lullabies from their cultures in duet form
while presenting their songs in English. Which contributed to the songs
reaching the hearts of the western audience.
Soul mirrors album
Mirrors of the Soul, an album
dedicated to all Palestinians and Arab political detainees in Israeli prisons,
whose style differed from all of her previous works. The album was produced in
collaboration with five Norwegians working in the field of music, and what
distinguishes this album is the blending of the western style of singing called
pop (pop) with the eastern style of singing and the eastern vocal structure
along with the Arabic lyrics. Despite this difference in her singing style from
her predecessors, the content of the lyrical content remained constant. The
album includes songs of despair and hope about the lives of those struggling to
live, as well as a song about Palestinian leader and president Yasser Arafat in
a thoughtful and subtle way.
The voice of resistance
The last album of the late Rim
Banna, which included 15 songs, 14 of which she wrote, and was released two
months after her death at the Yabous Center in Jerusalem.
Reem's artistic message
Reem carries a clear artistic
message in her music, which is to shed light on the suffering of the
Palestinian people, especially the West Bank, and to revive the Palestinian
heritage. It also aspires to achieve several goals, including:
Raising the level of the traditional
and non-traditional Palestinian Arabic song to the level of the international
song.
Developing the ability to listen to
popular music and singing to an appropriate Arab and international level, as
well as liberating the Arabic song from negative influences.
Her latest work
The series of episodes of “Khatira
fi al-Qatra” was the last that Rim Banna presented on the social networking
platform “YouTube”, produced by AJ + Arabic channel. Al-Banna presented the
program based on her personal experience of fighting her illness and losing her
voice, which she considered a weapon to resist the occupation. The program
included 6 episodes on different topics, including excellence, optimism,
resistance, colors, success, and parting.
her death
Reem Al-Banna passed away on March
24, 2018, after a long struggle with breast cancer, which she had contracted
for the first time in 2009. She recovered from it for a while, then the disease
returned again in 2015, and she announced her cessation of singing in 2016.
albums
1985 - Jafra.
1986 - Your Tears, Mother.
1993 - The Dream.
1995 - Qamar Abu Laila (children's
album).
1996 - Makagah (children's album).
2001 - Alone Jerusalem remains.
2003 - Krybberom with SKRUK Choir
(album of Gregorian hymns - participation with many international artists).
2003 - Lullabies from the Axis of
Evil
2005 - Mirrors of the Spirit, an
album presented to Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees in Israeli
prisons.
2006 - That Wasn't My Story, an
album raised to the Lebanese and Palestinian people.
2007 - Seasons of Violet, love songs
from Palestine.
2008 - Songs across Walls of
Separation in collaboration with many international artists.
2009 - Nawar Nisan, children's
songs, dedicated to Palestinian refugee children.
2010 - A Scream from Jerusalem: with
the participation of Palestinian artists.
2011 - the operetta Bakra.
2013 - Manifestations of Existence
and Revolution.
2014 - Songs from a Stolen Spring.
Participation with many international artists.
2018- The Voice of Resistance
Achievements and Awards
Honors and awards
1994 - Rim Banna was awarded the
"Person of the Year" honor and also received the title of
"Ambassador of Peace" in Italy.
1996 - In Oslo - Norway, the
"IBSEN National Theater" award (Norway) was awarded.
1996 - in Alma-Ata - Kazakhstan, at
the «World Song Festival - Voice of Asia» shield «Alma-Ata Municipality»(Kazakhstan).
1997 - "Person of the
Year" from the "Ministry of Women" in Tunisia.
1998 - "Person of the
Year" from the governor of the city of Beja - Tunisia.
2000 - Singer Rim Banna won the
"Palestine Award for Singing of the Year".
2013 - Ibn Rushd Award for Free
Thought.
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