Abdel Karim al Kabli ( ar, عبد الكريم الكابلي), sometimes spelled el Kably or al Kably (13 April 1932 – 2 December 2021), was a popular Sudanese singer-songwriter, poet, composer and humanitarian, known for his songs with themes of love, passion, nationalism,

Sudanese culture Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

Early life

Al Kabli was born in the city of

Port Sudan Port Sudan ( ar, بور سودان, Būr Sūdān) is a port city in eastern Sudan, and the capital of the state of Red Sea. , it has 489,725 residents. Located on the Red Sea, Port Sudan is recognized as Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% ...

in 1932. During childhood, he developed an interest in the

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, especially old Arabic poems, and learned to play music on a

penny whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

. At the age of sixteen, he moved to

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

to attend the Khartoum Commercial Secondary School, where he studied Sudanese folk music and

Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ar, الشعر العربي ''ash-shi‘ru al-‘Arabīyyu'') is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry ...

. Further, his musical interest evolved to the oud (Arabic lute) and shetern (small drum), which he learned by himself.

Al Kabli's songs

Al Kabli's more than 150 songs contain a diversity of topics and references, including love, passion, revolution,

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

and Sudanese folklore. Some of his songs use lyrics from classical Arabic poems by the 10th-century Iraqi poet

Abu Firas al-Hamdani Al-Harith ibn Abi’l-ʿAlaʾ Saʿid ibn Hamdan al-Taghlibi (932–968), better known by his pen name Abu Firas al-Hamdani ( ar, أبو فارس الحمداني), was an Arab prince and poet. He was a cousin of Sayf al-Dawla and a member of the ...

, the

Umayyad Caliph The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

Yazid ibn Mu’awiya, Egyptian poet Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad (1889-1964), as well as by prominent Sudanese poets, for example Muhammad Said el-Abbas (1880-1963), Tawfik Salih Jibril (1897-1966), Muhammad el-Mahdi el-Magzoub (1919-1983), and Muhammad al-Fayturi (1936-2015). Other lyrics are in

Sudanese Arabic Sudanese Arabic, also referred to as the Sudanese dialect (), Colloquial Sudanese () or locally as Common Sudanese () refers to the various related varieties of Arabic spoken in Sudan as well as parts of Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Chad. Sudane ...

dialect that show his appreciation of the country's spoken language and customs. Some of his famous songs include "Ya Bint Ashreen" (Oh that girl in her twenties), "Husenek Fa Masher" (My Love Is More Than The Sweet Perfume...), "Sukker Sukker" (Sugar, Sugar), "Asia wa Africa" (Asia and Africa), "Noama", "Cleopatra", "Limaza" (Why?), and "Merowi" (name of the ancient city Meroë in Sudan).

Humanitarian advocacy

Al Kabli was active in peace and reconciliation efforts in

Darfur Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju, ...

and South Sudan and, through his music and social influence, stressed the rich ethnic diversity in the country. In 2005, he joined other well-known artists and musicians and travelled to South Darfur during the "16 Days of Activism for

Violence Against Women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...

", where he performed in camps for the internally displaced persons and in the

Nyala The lowland nyala or simply nyala (''Tragelaphus angasii'') is a spiral-horned antelope native to southern Africa. It is a species of the family Bovidae and genus ''Tragelaphus'', previously placed in genus ''Nyala''. It was first described in ...

stadium. In his later life, his music and poetry dealt with women's equality and women's health, and he was an honorary Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. - In 2015, his autobiography ''Melodies Not Militants: An African Artist's Message of Hope'' was published by himself and his son Saad.

Death

Al Kabli died on 2 December 2021, in the United States, where he had lived with his family in the years before his death.

Legacy

Commemorating the first anniversary of al Kabli's death, Sudanese literary scholars Eiman El-Nour and Adil Babikir published an essay about his life and work, including English translations of poems he used in his songs. Referring to the strong tradition of

Sufi brotherhoods Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

in Sudan, the authors called al Kabli "a Sufi in his own right", quoting his poem “On the Love of the Divine Being”.

Discography

Abdel Karim al Kably
discography on

discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Contributing artist * ''

The Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa ''The Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1997. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album contains five Algerian tracks, five Egyptian, two Sudanese, and two ...

'' (1997, World Music Network)

Awards

*On 12 May 2002, El Kabli was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Nyala University, Nyala, Sudan *He was presented with the Gold Award by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika *On 7 October 2004, he was awarded the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador for

Obstetric Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...

Fistula in Sudan for his advocacy for women's health, gender equality and human rights. *In January 2008, he was awarded his second honorary doctorate in music and arts from

Sudan University of Science and Technology Sudan University of Science and Technology (abbreviated SUST) is one of the largest public universities in Sudan, with ten campuses in Khartoum state. The main campus is located in the so-called Al Mugran area of Khartoum, the confluence of th ...

References

External links

Al Kabli Official Homepage

Al Kabli KIF Official Organization Homepage

Al Kabli's Facebook page

Al Kabli CDs Online

Al Kabli's Book "Melodies not Militants "Video of commemorative concert in presence of Abdel Karim al Kabli with Sudanese musical artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabli, Abdel Karim 1932 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Sudanese male singers People from Port Sudan 20th-century Sudanese poets Sudanese musicians 21st-century Sudanese poets