I do not think for one second that anyone has ever thought that a young lady from Kurdistan would be popular in the Arab world through a Reality TV show.
Parwas Hussein was the only Kurdish Iraqi Contestant that made it to MBC’s Arab Idol “Pop Idol Arabic version” when she does not speak Arabic fluently. She made to the quarter finals in Arab Idol and lost. “Tough to compete with other contestants with their strong voices in that stage”
Of course it was a clever thing from the Arab Idol producers and the MBC to accept Parwas , they did not have to accept someone who is not fluent in Arabic to become the Arab Idol but for sure politics play a role here. This year was the first time Arab Idol would include Kurdistan.
The young wife and mother made it and earned the love of the viewers all over the Arab world and she had to. Her voice is nice and young with beautiful young face. She had a cheerful charisma that made viewers like her despite the language and cultural barriers as well political conflicts.
Hussein made it regularly for the viewers in the Arab world to listen to Kurdish language and even to hear Kurdish songs in the beginning of the show. I do not think that she made to that stage with the votes of the Iraqis and Kurds only when I think about it.
Here was Prawas singing some Kurdish folk song while wearing a Kurdish traditional dress.
Another thing I liked about her during the show was her attempts to sing in Arabic. Of course I think it was bold thing from her to do. She even sang for Um Kulthum , a thing that not so many people can do in a live show.
I am not a reality TV show fan but I love how through this show Arabs knew that the Kurds are normal people and not villains and how Kurds watched the show and listened to the Arab songs to support their representative.
This is how things should be and how ethnic minorities should be invited to be included in the society. What I liked about P was how she celebrated her nation’s culture in pride in one of the most watched reality TV shows in the Arab world. We should not be afraid from including ethnic’s cultures in to our mainstream cultures whether our Arabic cultures or our nations’ cultures. I believe these sub cultures and ethnic cultures actually enriches our Arab/National culture and make it stronger with its diversity.
I do not know if the producers of MBC’s Arab Idol understand what they have done or not but they managed to break the ice for real through Kurdistan and the Arabs through Parwas Hussein. I just wish that after breaking the ice , there will be bridges to mend the gap made from a very long time ago. This is the true soft public diplomacy.
Amazingly from what I see the foreign media was focusing on Mohamed Assaf, the popular Arab Idol Contestant from Palestine and did not pay to attention to that young lady from Kurdistan.
Parwas Hussein did not lose , in fact I believe she won a lot of popularity whether in the Arab world or Iraq or Kurdistan. She also made something politicians failed and it is more significant than being the Arab idol.
Here is the official Parwas’ official FB page.
Parwas Hussein was the only Kurdish Iraqi Contestant that made it to MBC’s Arab Idol “Pop Idol Arabic version” when she does not speak Arabic fluently. She made to the quarter finals in Arab Idol and lost. “Tough to compete with other contestants with their strong voices in that stage”
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| Singing in Beirut while wearing Kurdish traditional dress |
Of course it was a clever thing from the Arab Idol producers and the MBC to accept Parwas , they did not have to accept someone who is not fluent in Arabic to become the Arab Idol but for sure politics play a role here. This year was the first time Arab Idol would include Kurdistan.
The young wife and mother made it and earned the love of the viewers all over the Arab world and she had to. Her voice is nice and young with beautiful young face. She had a cheerful charisma that made viewers like her despite the language and cultural barriers as well political conflicts.
Hussein made it regularly for the viewers in the Arab world to listen to Kurdish language and even to hear Kurdish songs in the beginning of the show. I do not think that she made to that stage with the votes of the Iraqis and Kurds only when I think about it.
Here was Prawas singing some Kurdish folk song while wearing a Kurdish traditional dress.
Singing in Kurdish
P sings a Thuma song
This is how things should be and how ethnic minorities should be invited to be included in the society. What I liked about P was how she celebrated her nation’s culture in pride in one of the most watched reality TV shows in the Arab world. We should not be afraid from including ethnic’s cultures in to our mainstream cultures whether our Arabic cultures or our nations’ cultures. I believe these sub cultures and ethnic cultures actually enriches our Arab/National culture and make it stronger with its diversity.
I do not know if the producers of MBC’s Arab Idol understand what they have done or not but they managed to break the ice for real through Kurdistan and the Arabs through Parwas Hussein. I just wish that after breaking the ice , there will be bridges to mend the gap made from a very long time ago. This is the true soft public diplomacy.
Amazingly from what I see the foreign media was focusing on Mohamed Assaf, the popular Arab Idol Contestant from Palestine and did not pay to attention to that young lady from Kurdistan.
Parwas Hussein did not lose , in fact I believe she won a lot of popularity whether in the Arab world or Iraq or Kurdistan. She also made something politicians failed and it is more significant than being the Arab idol.
Here is the official Parwas’ official FB page.
Egyptian Muslims cannot even peacefully coexist with Egyptian Copts, and you're talking about how tolerant Arabs are for allowing a lowly Kurd to perform on Arab Idol? Whatever. Anyway, a more important question: what's up with Iraqi women and the blond hair thing?
ReplyDeleteI personally agree with you Z. I think she is a remarkable lady and a wonderful ambassador for Kurdistan. Most Arabs I know knew nothing about Kurdistan before and, though I personally do not follow any TV reality shows - Parwas captured my attention the first time I heard her in a family gathering where my cousins were watching the show.
ReplyDeleteI just hope - like you - that Arabs can recognize that these minority cultures, whether Kurdish or Nubian or Shiite (where they are a minority) is something beautiful that we should know more about rather than shun in fear. To each their own culture, but touching that of another can only bring good.
You think she is a natural blond?
DeleteZeinobia: I have to disagree with you. Non Sunni minorities in Sunni majority countries do not need this fake and contrived "tolerance" but what they need is: equal rights
ReplyDeleteAnd here is an example: In the case of Egypt when Egyptians accept that a Shi3a or a woman or a Copt can become the even the prime minster or the president of Egypt then this would be equal rights
Now how can Egypt achieve such thing? Education and teaching children that hate is unaccepted and all Egyptians are equal and that women and Shi3a and the Copts are equal to the Sunni majority and the government should have equal opportunity programs that allow the minorities in Egypt to gain access to education, housing and jobs and when this happens there will be no going back and hate mongers will be marginalized
Can this happen? As long as you have ikhwangiyya in charge there will be more of the same and it is hate and stupidity and providing this fake "tolerance" when needed
I followed Arab Idol just because of her. Since Ragheb decided to include her while she is not speaking Arabic made me feel that this is the kind of arab world I want to belong to. Yet on the other hand singing for a so-called Iraqi Kurdistan not only Iraq made me thought that what a huge propaganda would be made by such beatiful young lady with a beautiful voice in a widely seen show for the cause of her country and a false dream of separation from Iraq. Accepting her that way is the same as accepting Mounir singing as Nuba egypt not from Egypt. The real dream is to accept her among a wide Iraq tolerant and has a place in it for each ethnity not accepting her a manifetation of a torn and broken yet great country. As
ReplyDeleteI am kurdish and I was so happy when she was accepted because kurds and arabs "specially in iraq" have been always against each other politically , so gathering in a nice singing contest like arab idol would be awesome , 'cause us kurds always watch arabic music arabic drama arabic sports , we love arabs , and we always wished that they feel the same about us ,
ReplyDeleteBut theres one thing that arabs don't understand about us , kurdistan used to be a different country a century ago , and it was devided by force among syria , iraq, iran, and turkey , by an agreement called LOZAN .. so thats why you see parwas more passionate about being kurdish than iraqi , becauuse we are actually not iraqis , and thats why we dream about seperation , and maybe gathering all 4 parts just like before .
After all .. seperation from a country is a natural right for nations , no one can prevent it if kurds decide to , just like the soviet decided and south sudan decided
Love for all arabs :)