Celebrations in memory of his passing..and a "People's Museum" includes his belongings
Al-Ghouriya neighborhood in Cairo did not forget the “people’s singer” Imam Issa
Sheikh Imam Lovers Association maintains his heritage.
archival
A picture on a wall of Sheikh Imam (left) and another of the poet Ahmed Fouad Negm.
archival
Hawsh foot inhabited by Sheikh Imam.
archival
picture
Fans of the revolutionary political singer, Sheikh Imam Issa, celebrated his 27th anniversary in Cairo, Ramallah, Tunisia and Syria, and the celebrations included real and virtual events. This month's celebration acquired a qualitative character to accompany it with the anniversary, and the association highlighted the success of its efforts in establishing and developing the Folk Museum, which includes its holdings, which represented an important step in perpetuating his biography.
Sheikh Imam Issa, who was born in 1918 to a poor family in the town of Abu Al-Nimrous in Giza, and learned to sing at the hands of the great composer Zakaria Ahmed, was known for choosing the color of political singing after meeting the poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, where they represented a protest art phenomenon after the defeat of 1967, and the two met the popular and student movement rejecting The Najm-Imam duo was subjected to imprisonment and political persecution in the eras of Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat, and their fame spread in the Arab world, where they held parties in Aleppo and the Palestinian camps in Syria and Lebanon, and in Tunisia, and Imam Issa passed away on June 7, 1995, after Several bands were formed in his name in different regions of the Arab world.
Sheikh Imam Issa was famous for several songs, including “Egypt, oh, oh, Bahia,” “O Egypt, go and pull the tricks,” “Guevara died,” “O Alexandria, you’re wondering,” “The sea is laughing at me,” and “Lovers gather in Al-Qalaa Prison”, and “O Palestinian woman and the gunman threw you”, and others.
Writer, narrator and translator Ahmed Al-Khamisi, Sheikh Imam's friend and companion on his journey, said in a press statement to the Tangiers website that he "knew to Imam in the House of Writers through Ahmed Fouad Negm after 1967, who led him to a courtyard in Ghouria, and told him that you must attend and listen to weird".
Al-Khamisi continued, "At that time, the wound of defeat was bleeding in the hearts, and we needed not only to stop the bleeding, but to cleanse the wound, and the voices of opposition had completely subsided, so that neither the left nor the right was audible."
He added, "We entered the poor neighborhood that lies between the neighborhood of Al-Ghouriya and Al-Batiniyah, and from there to a poor miserable house, and there I saw Sheikh Imam Issa of little words, always smiling, embracing his oud as if he was the remaining hope that broadcasts his tunes and songs, as if he was whispering in the ear of his beloved."
The Iraqi novelist and politician, Kamel Al-Jabari, wrote on his Facebook page, referring to Imam’s position in the artistic and cultural field, “During Sheikh Imam’s illness and his compulsion to bed, the artist, Ferdous Abdel Hamid, stopped all her artworks and apologized for participating in any television or theatrical work, so that She dedicates herself to taking care of him, and was assisted by the artist Izzat Al-Alayli.
She was transporting Sheikh Imam from one hospital to another at her own expense, she never complained, or told anyone about the great services she provided to the artist of the poor.
memorialize
It is worth noting that large sectors of the cultural and popular circles in Egypt and Arab countries paid wide attention to the memorial of the late popular artist. Dozens of popular groups interested in his heritage were established, and the “Sheikh Imam Lovers of Arts and Letters” association was able to officially register itself in 2015 to continue to celebrate Imam’s art and songs on a large scale. The association has also succeeded in establishing a folk museum near Talaat Harb Square in central Cairo, which opens its doors on Tuesday and Thursday to receive visitors. He also succeeded in forming an entity that continues to celebrate Sheikh Imam’s songs in the Arab country.
It is also mentioned that the family of Counselor Noureddine Al-Akkad, the former Vice-President of the Egyptian State Council, played an important role in collecting Sheikh Imam’s heritage. Mrs. Souad Al-Akkad, who has known the phenomenon of Sheikh Imam since 1972, recorded all his creations on a high-quality “Grundung” device, and presented them As a complete archive, a gift to parties and groups wishing to document his heritage, according to press sources.
Sheikh Imam Issa was speechless, always smiling, embracing his oud as if he was the remaining hope with which he broadcasts his melodies and songs, as if he was whispering in the ear of his beloved.
Sheikh Imam Issa, who was born in 1918 to a poor family in the town of Abu Nimrous in Giza, and learned to sing at the hands of the great composer Zakaria Ahmed, was known for choosing the color of political singing after meeting the poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, where they represented a protest art phenomenon after the 1967 defeat.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news