Death does not stop voice of this Palestinian singer
A posthumous album by Rim Banna titled "Voice of Resistance" expresses her hope and despair for Palestine through her own texts while she battled cancer.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Death has not stopped Rim Banna, known as Palestine’s "Voice of Revolution,” from singing her songs of resistance in a posthumous album that was released last month, just as thousands of Palestinians marked the 70th anniversary of the Nakba with "Great Return March" protests.
Norwegian production company Kirkelig Kulturverksted (KKV) released "Sawt al-Moukawama” (“Voice of Resistance”) a month after Banna, a singer and activist known for her modern interpretation of traditional Palestinian songs, died of breast cancer March 24 at the age of 51. The album, which uses new technology to recreate and boost Banna’s fading voice, consists of 15 songs — 14 written by her and one by Lebanese poet Zahi Wehbe.
Work on the album began after damage to Banna's vocal cords caused her voice to change a few years ago. In January, in one of her last statements to the press, Banna said she wanted her album to be “daring and special” rather than dark and sad. “It is a creative act of resistance facing all forms of injustice and occupation,” she was quoted as saying by the Jana news portal.
Banna, born and raised in the city of Nazareth, was often called “White Gazelle,” a nickname her mother, poet Zuhaira Sabbagh, gave her. Sabbagh announced her daughter’s death on her Facebook page: “My White Gazelle is gone. But her smile still lights up her beautiful face to make the anguish of separation a bit bearable.”
