Rim Banna
| Rim Banna | |
|---|---|
| Native name | ريم بنا |
| Born |
8 December 1966 Nazareth, Israel |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Website | www |
Rim Banna (Arabic: ريم بنا), is a Palestinian Arab Israeli singer, composer, arranger and activist, who is most known for her modern interpretations of traditional Palestinian songs and poetry. Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She currently lives in Nazareth with her three children. She met her husband, Ukrainian guitarist Leonid Alexeyenko, while studying music together at the Higher Music Conservatory in Moscow and they married in 1991, and got divorced in 2010.
Banna first achieved popularity in the early 1990s, after recording her own versions of traditional Palestinian children's songs that were on the verge of being forgotten. Many such songs and rhymes sung by Palestinian families again today are said to be thanks to Banna's work in preserving them via her recordings.
Rim Banna also composes her own songs and adds melody to Palestinian poetry. Her message is often focused on the suffering of Palestinians, particularly those West Bank. Her music is described as "haunting, emotional, at times bordering on kitsch." She describes her music as a means of cultural self-assertion:
A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music.
In this way, Banna does more than mimic the traditional techniques and representations of the pieces she interprets. She blends them with modern singing styles because,
Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental… But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians.
She performs live in the West Bank. She reaches audiences in Gaza, through live webcasts. She performed her first concert in Syria on 8 January 2009 and also performed in Tunisia on 25 July 2011. Her first concert in Beirut took place on 22 March 2012.
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Wikipedia