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Google Doodle celebrates Sudanese composer and oud player Asma Hamza

She was one of the first female composers in Sudan and the Arab world

Published: Mon 17 Jul 2023, 2:03 PM

Updated: Mon 17 Jul 2023, 2:18 PM

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Google has celebrated Sudanese composer and oud player Asma Hamza with its Doodle, on Monday.

It was on July 17, 1997, when Hamza won the Laylat AlQadr AlKubra music competition in Sudan that helped her rise to fame and gain recognition in a field dominated by males.

The Google Doodle shows an animated version of Hamza sitting with her oud.

Who was Asma Hamza?

Asma Hamza was one of the first female composers in Sudan and in the Arab world. Born in 1932, Hamza developed her love for music while growing up. She nurtured the dream of becoming a singer, but her vocal cords did not allow her to pursue that.

Hamza then began to whistle tunes which caught the attention of her father one day. After listening to Hamza whistle in harmony, her father borrowed an oud for her. Oud is an instrument that is similar to a lute, but has a thinner neck and no frets.

Hamza learned to play songs on the oud herself, using her memory and ear for music. At that time, it wasn’t deemed acceptable for women to create music in Sudan. Due to this, according to Hamza, she created her first tunes in secret. However, Hamza's father never clipped her wings and was among the few to support her musical career.

As she got older, Hamza composed melodies for several talented Arab artists and cemented her name as one of the first female composers in Sudan. She kept polishing her oud playing skills and in 1946 became one of the first formally trained women oud players.

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