Friday, October 22, 2010

Upfront Africa-Voice Of America: Upfront with Alsarah




Sudanese singer Alsarah wears many hats-- songwriter,ethnomusicologist,activist and all round world citizen. She started her musical training at the age of 12 in Khartoum.She says that her sound is influenced by her life in Sudan,Yemen and the US where she moved as a teenager in the 90's.
Alsarah speaks passionately about the situation in Sudan ahead of a historical referendum that could separate the north from the south. "We are going to lose of big part of our people and culture" She says. Currently resident in Manhattan,Alsarah performs to audiences from around the world. Her performances are eclectic, electrifying, eccentric--a combination of genres--hip hop,African soul and gnawa dropping coy manifestos and clever metaphors about socio-political issues like elections,human rights etc. A few weeks ago she joined activists at the UN headquarters to bring attention to Sudan. I reached her in New York -- a melting pot of cultures--where her unique sense of self has shaped her world view and in essence her music.