Akim El Sikameya
Friday, 21 October 2011, 7:00 pm
Dogra Hall, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas
Alliance Française de Delhi in association with IIT Delhi is bringing to Delhi, worldwide famous Algerian singer and violinist Akim El Sikameya, with his powerful voice; it carries a very singular Arab–Mediterranean universe between gypsy and jazzy tones, sometimes raï, flamenco or klezmer ska.
Akim’s music shifts between two countries, two cultures and two continents. It moves between tradition and modernity, between acoustic and electric, as well as between so-called elitist music and Akim’s will to make it popular. Rather than a ‘copy and paste’ approach to these elements, Akim aims to blend them together in a way that is relevant to his way of life, which embraces cross-cultural dialogue – a blurring of borders and frontiers.
While Akim’s lyrics speak out against fundamentalism and the totalitarianism of his homeland, he does not adopt the plain-speaking lyrical customs of ra?. Rather, he writes in a style more reminiscent of a semi-classical, Andalusian approach, while attempting to remove the elitist reputation of the lyrics to allow them to be accessed by common man.
What adds to his uniqueness is that Akim has transformed the traditional Arab-Andalusian technique of singers being seated while performing and being accompanied by a fiddle placed on their knees. Instead, Akim plays fiddle while standing up, resting the instrument on his thighs, which allows for a dynamic performance that enables him to better use his voice and body, while maximizing the space on stage.
For further information please write to asst_culture@afdelhi.org
