“What is happening to the children of Gaza is what prompted me to present this song in which I apologize to every Palestinian youth, child, woman and elderly man.” With these words, Iraqi artist Kazem Al-Saher began his television interview about the details of the new song “Hold Your Fire,” which the star sang in English, stressing that this song aims to give music a human dimension that goes beyond entertainment to be an effective means of supporting peace efforts in Gaza.
Al-Saher said in a television interview that the idea of this song emulates “our wishes for everyone in our Arab world to live in security, love and peace, and for our children to enjoy the rights enjoyed by all the children of the world around us,” adding, “Our children are the future of our Arab homeland, and they must be raised to Science, love and peace. This is why I always call for investing in our children, because they are the great window of hope that will rebuild our countries, just as many countries and societies have done that have returned again to the stage of life after years of destruction.
Messages to the world
The Caesar of the Arabic Song confirmed that the choice of the name of the song came directly and deliberately, with the aim of conveying a special humanitarian message to the world through the window of art, saying, “We fear for all the children of the world, and we do not differentiate between any of them, because our religion taught us to respect the rest of the religions, and to always return to our humanity.” This is humanity that has lost much of its shine due to (the policies) followed in oppressing peoples.” He added, “Through this song, I wanted to deliver a message to the whole world. For this reason, I wrote its words in Arabic, and the poet (Tom Law) drafted it in English, while its musical arrangement was handled by Michel Fadel. As for its production, it was done in cooperation with the United Nations Classical Music Society.” Led by Berinda Vungova.”
Big prison
The Iraqi star revealed his great shock at the story of the place that a close friend told him, and the hardships that people are exposed to in besieged Gaza, saying, “Gaza is a large prison in which freedom of movement and travel is not allowed, and I really did not know this shocking information.” He added, “I was greatly shaken by the scenes of demonstrations denouncing what took place in cities around the world in Europe and the Americas about what Israel is doing to the children of Gaza, and this is what helped the song arrive more quickly.”
In the course of his talk, the Iraqi star stopped at the great role that Arab youth played through social media in arousing the feelings of people in Western societies, noting that they
“Embarrassing politicians” in the West in the right way, as he put it: “The English-speaking public does not know much about what is going on, and the tragic images are seen by no one but us.”
Regarding the role of the Arab artist in supporting humanitarian efforts, the author of the song “School of Love” stressed that everyone is doing their part according to their effort, ability and capabilities, rejecting at the same time the attack that some artists are subjected to because of the concerts they are holding during this period, stressing that everyone has the right to exercise His profession: “Many may not know about the humanitarian positions that this or that artist takes. Therefore, it is not possible to speak in such a harsh tone about any artist.”
Big challenges
Al-Saher revealed that he produced and presented the song, and donated the bulk of its broadcast proceeds to support the humanitarian efforts of the United Nations through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
(UNRWA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme, adding, “I was very nervous while composing this song, to the point that I stopped several times from completing it, and this was also the case during the recording phase, as I was not satisfied with my performance, especially with the English pronunciation.” ». He added, “After sending the song in my voice to the father of one of my friends in the United States, he advised me to practice more times, so I re-recorded it four times, and I was not convinced with the result, until I traveled to New York and asked singers at the opera house to sing it with me so that I could practice proper pronunciation.”
Al-Saher revealed that he sent the song to his granddaughter (Sana), who expressed 70% satisfaction, which prompted him to sing it again, obtaining 95% of her satisfaction, and 97% of the satisfaction of his second granddaughter (Aya).
• “Our wishes are for everyone in our Arab world to live in security, love and peace, and for our children to enjoy the rights that all children in the world around us enjoy.”
