Saturday, September 26, 2015

The Yemenis Are Coming! Habib Galbi Occupies Tel-Aviv



Israelis do not like many things Arab, but I know they enjoy using bad Arabic words, taking credit for Arabic favorites food, smoking hookah and now Arabic songs. In face for a long time, Israelis have embraced Arabic songs because many of them have lived in Arabic speaking countries like Yemen, Iraq, Tunis and Morocco.

This last summer it seems one song recorded and performed by three ladies from Yemeni origin has won over the peace-loving (wink...wink) Israelis. The lyrics sound like a folklore from Yemen, the music sounds like anything but.   
The surprise hit Habib Galbi - performed by a band of three Israeli sisters of Yemeni background named A-WA - managed to rise to the top of this country’s music charts, shattering records and all expectations. The song has also proven a major success abroad, with the music video amassing 1.2 million hits and attracting thousands of fans from across the Middle East.
The song is actually based on a tune that the group’s grandmother - who was born in Ibb, Yemen, but moved to Israel in 1949 - taught them, and for sisters Tair, Liron and Tagel singing it was the most natural thing in the world.
But this summer marks the first time in Israeli history that an Arabic-language song has managed to top the charts, and its positive reception across borders in countries Israel has been at war with for nearly 70 years has many experts wondering if the song is a sign of a cultural thaw and hope amid the increasingly bleak political landscape across the region.
Full article can be found here 
A-WA - Habib Galbi - Official Video

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