Page 44 - Issue 39

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 39, January 2022
Vol.1, Issue 39, January

the importance of keeping up with the “trend” and
observing how people listen to those songs in celebrations
and even in the streets, Dr. Osama noted how important it
is to achieve a general balance between what critics deem
appropriate and what the society wants to hear without
disturbing the public taste. In this context, he also
supported this with the example of festival films, which
in many cases fail to capture the public’s attention despite
achieving many awards.
And because change and following the trend are
significant features of our age, a comparison is always
found between different generations, where they do not

of breaking free from the norms and traditions, believing
that this is the only way to success. Unlike today's the
generation which is more daring and tends to be more
creative, breaking out of the ordinary, and while that may
be fraught with some risks, it is also the only way to
succeed in our time.
Moving on to the controversial topic which has captured
the public’s attention for the past couple of months of
banning some people from singing at parties and
weddings by the head of the Musical Professions
Syndicate, Hany Shaker, Dr. Osama explained to us that
this is where the big issue lies as contrary to what some
people might imagine, the Syndicat’s decisions have great
consensus and support, leading us to a societal division in
differ only in terms of the type of music or the words the views between conservatism and liberalism. While the
used, but such a comparison rather expresses the conservative viewpoint supports those decisions in favor
intellectual differences between generations. In the past, of preventing the presence of any vulgarity in music or
some believed that the "young" singer Abdel Halim Hafez allowing the usage of negative connotations, the liberal
was not fit to compete with the big singing names of the viewpoint goes to leaving complete freedom for the
time, and now Al Andaleeb is considered one of the most society to create the public taste without any pressure or
significant names in the music industry both in Egypt and constraints. The two parties agreed on the necessity of
the whole Arab world. Despite the occurrence of this having a regulatory role for the Syndicate of Musical
change, Dr. Osama believes that the difference of Halim Professions and also a supervisory one on the words and
from those who preceded him, up to the emergence of the expressions used, while also accepting the difference in
80s 90’s generation of Hani Shaker, Amr Diab, and tastes in terms of new melodies and musical genres.
others, was not a big difference because they did not And now comes the important question to those reading
deviate from the norms in a serious way or present our report, “Good Ol’ Music Days”, is the most
something to be deemed as strange, but rather presented a frequently used statement when expressing the
modernized type of music characterized by lighter words differences in tastes and expressive arts presented
and a faster melody. On the contrary, the students between then and now. But do you really believe in it? Or
perceived the existence of such a comparison as is it that , With the passage of time, one’s memory tends
fundamentally unfair, due to the difference in societal to remember all that is beautiful while totally omitting
behaviors and lifestyles in general. This, in addition to what is ugly? Is such a judgement only applicable On the
their view of the generations as being more conservative, artistic aspect, orders the declinism theory control our
especially with regard to everything that is new; their fear minds and without us realising it?

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