On the Nineteenth Anniversary of His passing
Mostafa Sid Ahmed: A Ray of light in a Time of Darkness
Written by Dr. Kamal A.M. Tayeb Alasma
Toronto
In addition to his creative style, unmatched talents and experiences, the Sudanese singer Mostafa Sid Ahmed, earned a broad fan base since his songs highlighted the suffering of the Sudanese people. Being a singer who opted to be with a patriotic and nationalistic mission, drew the attention of the Sudanese political leadership and rendered them concerned. This led to stigmatizing him as being an active member of one of the banned political parties, and that was an enough reason to deprive him of recording his songs and having them broadcasted on the national radio and television. From his side, Mostafa was proud to support the Sudanese people in their humanitarian struggle and sufferings without paying any consideration to the consequences that he might face as a person or a singer.
Mostafa's songs embody and project the sense of the Sudanese people's struggles and were able to spread widely among different generations of the Sudanese community. For him that was his musical project, message and the purpose that he adopted and defended all his life. It will definitely be mentioned in the history of Sudanese music for generations, and definitely the shame and disgrace will continue to chase those who strive in vain to silence a voice that was full of love for humanity and calls for peace, justice and equality in his home land that was craving for democracy. They are silent, forgotten and gone but Mostafa's lyrics and music are alive, and they will continue to motivate his people for times to come.
Mostafa Sid Ahmed who was born in January 17, 1953 was also a writer and composer who joined the Khartoum-South musical group from the late 1975 onwards until his death in 1996. During his lifetime, he released more than 50-60 songs. According to an article published after his death.
During the Sudanese people revolution time in 2018/19, he was remembered for performing expressive poems that reflected the Sudanese people's sufferings. He was a teacher who studied at the Institute of Music and Drama in Khartoum. He contributed in composing his own melodies that revealed his deep musical skills. He was also known for his careful selection of the poems which he sang. One of those was written by the well-known Sudanese poet, Mohamed Al-Hassan Salim, known as Hummaid.
Mostafa Sid Ahmed, who was born in Wad Sulfab village, Al Jazirah State in central Sudan, often mentioned his brother Al-Magbool who passed away at the age of 27. He repeatedly alluded to how that brother motivated him to continue this career.
Mostafa Sid Ahmed started primary education in Al-Hasa Hisa, close to his home village, and then he moved to Port Sudan, the capital of Red Sea state, where he received his secondary education. His first appearance in public as a singer was in 1971 at the Teachers Training Institute, but soon he quit working as a teacher to concentrate on his musical career. Mostafa spent four years studying at the Institute of Music and Drama in Khartoum and graduated in the late 1970s. He is considered the pioneer of a new style of Sudanese singing labelled as sophisticated and as "political singing" because of his nationalistic poems and affectionate music and performance.
During his time in Qatar, Sid Ahmed released many songs, most of which expressed the suffering and struggle of the Sudanese against the regime at that time. His songs reflected the humanitarian situation truly and courageously and described the condition of the less fortunate classes crushed by dictatorships. Definitely, one of the best-known songs of his repertoire, “‘Amm Abd al-Rahim”, (Uncle Abd al-Rahim), is an example. It highlights the death of a peasant ruined by the expropriation of his lands, who left for work in the morning on his chariot pulled by a tired animal. He was overwhelmed by his thoughts about his family that he loved dearly, but was unable to provide for, nor meet their basic and essential needs. He mulled over his children’s overly worn clothes, and of his wife’s face as she sought to console him about their misery. So lost is he in these preoccupations he failed to hear the sound of an approaching train that crushed him.
That song was and remains to be a symbol of the situation of oppression in which the disadvantaged classes live. Since Uncle Abdul Rahim's poem is considered a symbolic poem that supports the vulnerable segment of society and how their rights are taken away by the ruling dictatorship, it has been classified as a work of political motives, criticism and protest.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, no one was able to carry on or rejuvenate Mostafa Sid Ahmed’s musical legacy. Many tried, but none was capable of duplicating him. He was not an ordinary singer, but an artist who combined instinctive talent with a deep sense of humanity and the conviction that his singing had become a national responsibility. He brought a new brand of singing into popular culture for many. Some reached the mainstream by duplicating his style, but he remains sole in that realm of singing.
Like a candle in the wind that danced all the way to the end and was blown off by a tyrannical wind, like a star that became so bright before being out of sight, Mostafa Sid Ahmed didn’t live long, but his songs do and they remain inspiring, moving and motivating as ever. Beyond his musical legacy, Mostafa's life story stands as an example of how one person can affect the life of so many others. Let’s honor his legacy and be vocal that art can be for noble purposes.
I Have the Right to Sing for My People
By: M.H.S. Hummaid
I have the right to sing for my people
And my people have a right over me
You won't stop my heart with your hand
And my heart does not belong to your hands
I sing for those who have been patient for years
On the twisted state
Holding on Embers
And the ember is burning at the height of its inflammation
Oh, my heart, don't rush
Walk the path little by little.
And we will reach a point that should not be postponed
For the day with the strong sun
Longing taught us to dismount
We bear the pain of arrival.
Falcon and wind don’t shake off a bird's nest.
He has the right to sing frankly
Descendant behind descendant
As well, I have the right to sing for a world of
Creativity, knowledge and freedom.
I sing for humanity
Live peace with tenderness and gentleness
On friendliness they meet
No tribe. No color or ethnicity
Led by our white intention
Didn't we all come from Adam?
Isn't he the father of humanity?
Extend your hand Oh human beings and repeat
Freedom, peace and justice
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