As outlined in TOAD a couple of weeks ago, Abu Dhabi is on the verge of a massive season of live music. But before Yasalam gets going, there’s Salam Ya Quds, a one-off evening of entertainment from the cream of local and regional talent at Emirates Palace, organised by Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF). The line-up may not match up to the forthcoming F1 shows in terms of international interest, but there’s a deeper message behind the evening that you’re not likely to get from the likes of Kanye West and Linkin Park. All proceeds are being donated to children’s charity A Child, A Promise (ACAP), a cause dedicated to helping kids from war-torn Palestine enjoy life as fully as they can. We spoke to charity founder Tania Sfeir about what she hopes next week’s show will achieve.
What sort of things will the money raised at the show be used for?
It’s going to be used to support institutions already existing in Palestinian territories. Places such as orphanages, schools for mentally disabled children and summer camps, which we organise for the disabled children in the refugee camps or in the isolated regions. Scholarships, too, which we grant for the needy, good students who want to study and can’t, because they don’t have the means.
How much do you hope to raise?
It all depends on the generosity of the people who come. In any case, we usually collect enough money to go on with our work for two more years. When the drawers are empty – as we say in France – we start thinking of another event to organise. We don’t like to ask directly for money; instead we hold events like this which entertain people.
What have been the big landmark moments in the charity’s history?
We’ve really come a long way since 2003, because ACAP is now known in all the Palestinian territories. We’ve become a charity that our partners in Palestine can count on. We take initiatives in emergency situations, and are immediately present on the ground to help as best as we can, just as we were in Gaza during the war. We helped out in the hospitals, we repaired water wells, and we opened a community centre for the traumatised children. And we were able to intervene and do all this thanks to the last event we held in Abu Dhabi, and thanks to the generosity of the city’s people.
What are the charity’s goals for the future?
To keep on with our work. To always give the children the things they’ve been deprived of, to offer them things they can call their own, to give them a chance to learn music, arts and culture. This is our main goal.
There are some big names appearing at the show. Did you approach them or vice versa?
Some of them are close friends of the charity, others I haven’t met yet. We approached the artists, and when we said it was an evening for the children of Palestine they immediately said ‘present!’
What about the evening itself? What have we got to look forward to?
I think we’re going to offer the public of Abu Dhabi an evening of nostalgia, of memories. An evening of happy shivers, communion with music, culture and history. It’s going to be a melting pot of Arabic music – the new and the old together, the heritage. It’s going to be really vivid, lively and full of surprises.
Salam Ya Quds takes place at Emirates Palace on Thursday, October 28. Tickets cost Dhs200 from www.timeouttickets.com
On the bill
As well as a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, your ticket to next week’s show will get you access to these people
Macadi Nahas
A young Jordanian artist famed for reinventing the traditional sound of Middle Eastern folk music with a modern twist. She’s rumoured to be opening the show with a typically emphatic number.
Abir Nasraoui
A Tunisian singer with a degree in ethnic musicology from Paris’s Sorbonne University. She’s a regular at local music fests, thanks to a powerful voice that recalls traditional Arabian motifs.
Yolla Khalife
Having toured across Europe and America with her musical partner and husband Marcel Khalife, the Lebanese songstress returns to the Arab world ahead of the release of her latest album.
Zahi Wehbi
Brought up on the outskirts of Palestinian Galilee, this treasured Lebanese poet knows only too well the cost of conflict. His work is hugely influential across the region, and has been recited at many high-profile events.
Aicha Redouane
A self-taught singer, this Moroccan-born performer is also fairly handy with a qanun – a harp-like string instrument used in traditional Arabic music.
