Saber Al Rebai, the legendary Tunisian singer, yesterday (Thursday) took the Sharjah World Music Festival by storm on its opening night at Al Majaz Amphitheatre. This is the star’s first appearance in Sharjah and a thrilled audience, made up of lovers of traditional Arabic music from all over the region, sang and chanted along to his songs.

Thunderous applause greeted the singer as he took to the stage and said, "I am delighted to be with you here in Sharjah, hoping it will always remain bright with its people and all those who sincerely love their country like the UAE. I am extremely happy to visit the emirate for the first time. What is most important for me is that art will remain a strong weapon to use against the difficult circumstances facing some parts of the Arab world.”

Fans shouted out titles or sang verses of songs that they wished to hear, and the renowned artist did not disappoint them, belting out his hits such as 'Bebasata", and then sang "Ya Asal", "Ya Lalla", "Dalloula", "Mezyana", "Ajmal Nisaa El Dounia”, "Ala
Nar", "Ezz Alhabayeb" and "Qadoqa Almayas". Al Rebai then danced around the stage singing “Atahada El Alam”, followed by a long "Mawwal", a traditional genre of vocal music, and concluded the successful evening with his hit songs “Sidi Mansour”, and "Barsha", to the delight of the audience, many of whom leapt from their seats and danced along.

The opening night was attended by a number of artists and media figures from the UAE and beyond, and a huge audience from across the emirates.

The festival management thanked Saber Al Rebai, known as the "Prince of Arabic Tarab", for his wonderful performance and praised his incredible talent. They also expressed appreciation to the artist for saluting his fans who were waiting for him outside the theatre to thank him for the wonderful show.

Al Rebai described the UAE as his second home and said that he felt that he was among his friends and family in Sharjah. He thanked his fans for attending the concert and said, "I am very pleased with the event, the wonderful audiences and distinctive atmosphere of the Sharjah World Music Festival. It was a wonderful and enjoyable evening." Al Rebai thanked the UAE and Sharjah for organising the Festival, and promised to return soon for another show.

Al Rebai added that the misconduct by one audience member at the end of the concert would not change a thing of beauty, adding, “I would like to assure my audiences and fans in the UAE, whom I love, admire and appreciate, and also my fans in Tunisia and all Arab countries, that this conduct represents only the person himself and does not affect the love and appreciation that I have for my audience in the UAE. Such behavior is irresponsible and cannot affect the relationship of fraternity and love between the neighborly people of the UAE and Tunisia."

Al Rebai is referring to an audience member who hurled a piece of plastic at the stage at the end of the show as Al Rebai was leaving the stage. Security immediately

detained the man who is being questioned about the incident and the management has said it intends to take legal action against him. The festival management stressed that this was a single, isolated incident in an otherwise successful and peaceful event.

The festival continues on Saturday at The Flag Island, at 9:00 pm with a concert performed by the Palestinian Le Trio Joubran, which consist of the three brothers, Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran. Emirati singer Arwa Ahmed will kick off the show. Tickets are available at Al Qasba’s Customer Service desk, Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Al Majaz Waterfront and at www.ticketmaster.ae.

Free concerts were also held in Sharjah’s most popular tourist destinations last night as part of the festival. Al Majaz Waterfront, the Heart of Sharjah, and Al Qasba hosted performances from six internationally acclaimed bands from Argentina, Bulgaria, Russia, Syria, Africa and Brazil in a cultural fusion of music, performed in free outdoor shows. The concerts are open to all and will continue nightly until the end of the festival on January 12.

The six-day festival featurings 19 internationally acclaimed artists and bands from 13 countries and is organised by Furat Qaddouri Music Centre, and sponsored by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). The festival aims to raise the cultural and artistic profile of Sharjah and the UAE and introduce the local community to various musical cultures from other parts of the world. It also aims to add to the emirate's rich portfolio of cultural, artistic and tourist milestones.

About Sharjah World Music Festival

The third Sharjah World Music Festival’s main sponsors are Zee Alwan and Zee Aflam channels, and Al Zahia (the first gated community project in Sharjah undertaken by Sharjah Holding Company). The Government of Sharjah and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority are the golden sponsors, and the Emirates Neon Group is the co-sponsor.

The festival was launched in Al Qasba in 2014. Due to its great success, the second edition was expanded to include five venues; Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Qasba, the Heart of Sharjah and The Flag Island. Through this first-of-its kind festival, Furat Qaddouri Music Centre aims to raise the artistic and cultural profile of Sharjah and introduce the local community to various music genres and cultures from all over the world.

About Saber Al Rebai

During his career, Al Rebai has received many prestigious awards and accolades including “The Gold Microphone” in 1997 at the Cairo Festival for his song “Sarkha.” He walked away with the “Best Arab Singer” award in Lebanon in 2004 and 2006 for his album “Atahada El Alam”, and for his album “Ajmal Nisaa El Dounia”. An Egyptian magazine, Shashati, dubbed him the Prince of Arabic Tarab in 2007. He also won the title of the Best Arab Singer in Murex D’or 2012 for his album, “Saber” and was awarded the Best Arab Singer at the Beirut International Awards Festival 2015.

Al Rebai is best known for his ability to sing in various dialects, especially the Lebanese, Egyptian, Tunisian and the Gulf. Since 1991, he has released 15 albums, most notably “Hayyarouni”, 'Alli Gara", “Sidi Mansour”, “Share’ El Gharam”, “Atahada El Alam”, and “Waheshni Giddan”. The renowned artist is the first of his generation to have performed at the prestigious Olympia in Paris, where the world’s most famous and successful musicians have appeared. Only three other Arab musicians have performed at Olympia. They are Abd El Halim Hafez, Umm Kolthoum, and Warda.