Egyptian art show pays homage to diva Umm Kulthum
An exhibition in Cairo casts a nostalgic look at Umm Kulthum, the great Egyptian diva, and her fans who loved the aesthetic life of the '50s and '60s in Egypt.
For Egyptian artist Mostafa Rahma, legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum is the symbol of an elegant Egypt that is long gone, except in his paintings.
“I lament that period that will never come back again,” he told Al-Monitor at his exhibition, “Fans of Umm Kulthum,” in Cairo’s Picasso Art Gallery. “My paintings focus on Egypt in the 1950s and 1960s — the period when you could rarely find women wearing the hijab or niqab, or men sporting beards,” Rahma said, expressing his nostalgia for a time when life was “simple, aesthetic and free of stress.”
He said that Egyptians then enjoyed life to the fullest, attending concerts, watching films, going for picnics and visiting cafes, and laughing, joking and chatting freely with friends.
Rahma, 66, admitted that he feels lonely and isolated in his yearning for the past. “I am still living in that period. I am still watching black-and-white films and Umm Kulthum concerts that allow me to breathe and continue my life.”
