Ghannam Al-Dikkan.. What is the story of the artist who drew the map of traditional arts in the Gulf, and what is his relationship with sailors?

The interview program (25/12/2022) hosted the Kuwaiti composer Ghannam Al-Dikan to talk about his artistic career, which is the house of music in Kuwait and the trustee of his country’s heritage and music.

What is the story of this composer?

Al-Dikan began to narrate the events of his artistic path, beginning with his interest in the musical note, and his passion for learning to play the oud instrument, up to a stage in which he became an icon in the world of Gulf art and a stronghold for Kuwait's popular heritage.

And about the beginning of his artistic career, Al-Dikan explained that he grew up in an artistic family inspired by the world of music, and during the seventies he approached the door of professionalism in composing, as he presented his artistic work to Kuwaiti radio, and his tune was approved.

Al-Dikan lived with the most prominent symbols of Kuwaiti art during that period, and among them were the composer Ahmed Baqer, the singer Awad Dokhi, the musician Youssef Dokhi, as well as the composer Ibrahim Al-Solah and the composer Abdul Rahman Al-Baijan.

Al-Dikan recalled his melodies of patriotic and popular songs that had a great resonance with the Kuwaiti society, and he cited the melodies of the song "Ya Mairis", which was performed by Hussein Jassim, which was very popular artistically and was a great breakthrough for her in the field of composing.

Sailor songs

Al-Dikan also told the story of his great interest in writing down the rhythms of folk arts, especially those related to the songs of sailors, whom he tried to approach to learn the secrets of these arts, but they refused, and he was the first to write down the Gulf rhythm because there was an urgent need to understand this art.

After that, he sought the help of the artists Najm Al-Amiri and Youssef Al-Muhanna, and began writing about the songs of sailors, defining their types and details, although it was a great challenge, but he insisted on recording popular rhythms and drawing a map of traditional arts in the Gulf region.

It is noteworthy that Al-Dikan is considered one of the most prominent stars of music in Kuwait. He was born in 1943 in the Al-Mirqab neighborhood, and was influenced by his grandfather, a music lover, and his brother, an oud player, and one of the founders of the TV band.

His love for music made him obtain a music diploma from the Free Studies Department of the Arab Music Institute in Egypt in 1975.