#sawtuha

[beanewgirl]

(sawtuha)

[kmanjah]

Album: Sawtuha

With a girl on of the crowd and a girl behind the wheels of the motorcycle on the way to “حرية/horreya” as in “freedom” this is how the album introduces itself.  Sawtuha, which is the Arabic word for Her voice is a collaboration between nine female singers and musicians to translate freedom but this time with the female voice we don’t instantly think of when we think of the word freedom, especially when it’s spoken in Arabic in the Arab world.  The album was released on January, 2014 by Jakarta Records. And it is a musical rebellion against the gender inequality, all the bloody politics, corruption and injustice the artists faced growing up and even more recently, during the Arab Spring.  Sawtuha has 12 tracks including 4 bonus ones and a collaboration with Rasha Rizk. The nine female musicians that made this gem that has rap, pop and instrumental tunes happen:

From Tunis: -Nawel Ben Kraiem -Badiaa Bouhrizi -Medusa -Houwaida From Libya:  -Nada From Egypt: -Donia Massoud -Maryam Saleh -Youssra El Hawary From Syria:  -Rasha Rizk +the produces/mixers  Three of my favourites from the album:  2-Youssra El Hawary - Ghareeb An El Medina (Brenk Remix) 5-Badiaa Bouhrizi - Mana'a (Blundetto Remix) 8-Rasha Rizk - Elegie (Shuko Production)

Extra links:  You can buy/listen to the album here: https://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/sawtuha

And here’s a Vice article about it: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/you-need-to-listen-to-the-all-girl-arab-collective-sawtuha

[browntourage]

A few weeks ago I found this album somewhat randomly while gathering music for a mixtape, and it couldn't have been a more perfect album for Browntourage to share with you, our esteemed readers. It is a post "Arab Spring" gathering of female voices from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria weaving together the regional Arabic influences and contemporary studio productions with producers such as Olof Dreijer of The Knife and Sudanese/American producer, Oddisee. The production is on point and the message of rebellion against imperialistic and military repression still very much relevant today.

We want to introduce our new contributor, Saniya, who translates, analyzes, and contextualizes this compelling album for you.-Jaqi

"Women were, and still continue to be, in the front-lines of these revolutions, leading efforts to counter violence and exclusion from the public sphere, particularly as gender is instrumentalized for the imagining and preservation of a patriarchal nation. Art has thus functioned as a tool for women’s own self-representation and counter-narratives, of challenging and redefining womanhood through their own cultural production, and it is from within this context that Sawtuha emerges." 

CLICK TO READ THE ESSAY!

[thehigheroctave-blog]

"A little less then three years ago the political situation in many countries of the Arab world changed dramatically. Uprisings started in rural areas of Tunisia and from there spread to various countries in the region. Millions gathered in the streets united by their demand for more democracy, rights and participation in the political process. In most cases the reaction of the governing dictators were relentless and severe towards every form of protests. Violence in the streets of Cairo, Tunis and Bengasi escalated and resulted in the overthrow of the governments in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia. A year later a group of female singers and musicians from Tunisia (Nawel Ben Kraiem, Badiaa Bouhrizi, Medusa, Houwaida), Libya (Nada) and Egypt (Donia Massoud, Maryam Saleh, Youssra El Hawary) met in Mohsen Matri Studio in Tunis to sing- against corruption, despotism, patronization and narrow-mindedness. The song with Syrian artist Rasha Rizk was recorded some months later in her political asylum in Cairo. Sudanese/American producer Oddisee and Olof Dreijer of the Swedish pop duo The Knife joined the session, participating in the creation of the musical backdrop as well as the often multi-instrumentalist female singers."