UAE’s sea songs to set tempo of Sounds of Arabia today

ABU DHABI - The third annual Sounds of Arabia festival, to take place in Abu Dhabi from today to May 15, is a much bigger affair this time.

Taking place at the Emirates Palace auditorium, the nine-day festival is bringing top musicians from throughout the Arab world, North Africa and Iran, some of whom will also hold workshops and lectures alongside the festival.

“There are many types of musical genres from the Gulf that are disappearing because the lifestyle has changed,” said Abdulla Al Ameri, manager of Culture and Arts at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), organiser of the festival.

“Take the music of the sea, for instance. When sailors used to go out diving, they had their own songs, but since pearl diving is no longer practised, their songs fade away too, with each generation.”

What the ADACH is trying to do, through festivals like Sounds of Arabia, is to revive this music, which is part of the UAE’s oral heritage.

To emphasise emirates’ rich and nearly forgotten musical tradition, a newly published book by the authority will be launched at the festival — in both Arabic and English.