Sudanese folklore
Kor Magla

Mohamed Adam © Kor Magla by Mohamed Adam

Tribes in Sudan, like the Arab Levant and part of East and West Africa have a lot of similarities in terms of rhythms and maqam. In Sudan, Faza' is a call for the tribe and its allies where they recite Kor Magla to infuse the enthusiasm of men. The production has been realized Mohammad Adam with several artists from the region and the States to bring together these similarities in one artwork.    

Adam Mohamed

Mirathmusic

It is one of the enthusiastic and ritual types of poetry in Sudanese folklore; it’s recited in a calling for support and rescue from tribesman or a group. It's called Faza'. Faza' is a tradition that some tribes in Sudan are famous for, especially in the states of Kordofan and it is a tradition that has been known and rooted among the tribes since the early days known in history.
 
Faza' is a call for the tribe and its allies to support in any hardship that was happening, such as defending the livestock or searching for it when it’s lost. It is also used as a call for their rights to food from other tribes and for other circumstances.

The countries of the Arab Levant and part of East and West Africa, such as Sudan, Kenya and Mauritania, have a lot of similarities in terms of rhythms, maqam, names and the musical instruments. In Sudan too, tribes share rhythms and dances to lyrical shrines. Generally, these maqams or modes are part of the cultural identity of a particular region or tribe. Every singer sings a free solo at the end of the song in which we reflect the country’s distinctiveness through maqams or modes.
 
This song talks about the role of men and women in tackling crisis and it expresses the old methods to maintaining the enthusiasm that is about to disappear, he says at the beginning.

She walks us for a while
And returned back
The beautiful girl
From the fear that encouraged us


When the time for Faza' came, his beloved walked with us for a short distance, then she returned and the fear faded from within them and gave them hope.
 
The song talks about courage, generosity, simplicity, asceticism, strength, rigor and wisdom; all the noble and original values that rural communities enjoyed by the wisdom of the farmers in Sudan. All of these qualities are used in Kor Magla to infuse the enthusiasm of men with their important role towards their society in preserving their property and protecting their land.
  • Mohamed Adam © Mohamed Adam
  • Mohamed Adam © Mohamed Adam
  • Mohamed Adam © Mohamed Adam

The musical arrangement and production was done in cooperation with a Boston based musician and producer, Mohamed Araki and sound engineer Luca Zadra, who lives in Los Angeles. Both are Grammy nominees and studied music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, United States. They were accompanied by Mohamad Sharhabil on Bass and Drums from New York City.
 
Amel Zen from Algeria and Zaid Hilal from Palestine participated by singing alongside Mohamad Adam from Sudan, in addition to Mohamed Sailaa who joined the virtual group from Algeria on the Bendir instrument; which is used in the Sufi rituals, similar to the (Tar) instrument here in Sudan. Singer Zaid Hilal, also played the instrument (buzuq), which is considered to belong to the Oud family due to the similarities in design and shape.
 
Aarki used a Sudanese traditional rhythm pattern called (Irage), which is famous for the Afro Arabian tribes in Western Sudan. He added the Sanjak clap used in (GHAZAL) , where young people clap in a certain way accompanied by (EL-HADAAI), a term used for male singers, followed by the chorus.

Image has become an important and popular language among people in this era.  In today’s world, people and societies express themselves visually and pictorially, and these images need a serious and insightful vision in order to strongly and effectively contribute to the world of images and the visual technology. A video was produced to make the audio track visible.
 
 

Mohamed Adam © Mohamed Adam Mohamed Adam

I’m Mohamed Adam, Originally from west Sudan (DAR FOUR) now residing in Omdurman. My music career kicked-off as an average singer in a band called Childhood friends in Nyalla (South Dar-Four state) Sudan and went through several stages till finally settled down in folk music. I'm a singer, composer and researcher for different rhythms, style, mood, in each and each ethnic group in Sudan for its ability to reflect the identity of peoples and the great role it plays in uniting peoples and spreading peacefulcoexistence between them. I'm also a co-founder of Negara Project, which aims to collect and promote ethnic and traditional music in Sudan that tag along with their daily lives. I’m interested in contemporary Sudanese music because through it you can remove borders between sudan regions , raise awareness and rebind the cultural ties between generations and ancestors to change the image and re-present Sudan as wealthy in diversity, and rich in culture.


More productions

API-Error