Afropop Worldwide

As we were launching our Hip Deep program Lebanon 2: Diasporas, we got a surprisingly on-point email.  Our friend in Beirut, Akram Rayess, sent us a track recorded by Fairuz (subject of our first Lebanon program) in Brazil, (primary location of our second program). [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114887233" params="" width=" 50%" height="53" iframe="true" /] Here's what Akram told us about this fascinating moment. "After the success of Fairuz in Baalbeck ( 1957, 1959, 1961) and the popular success of the concept of Lebanese folkloric nights, the Baalbeck festival committee organized in 1961 a South American tour for Fairuz and the Lebanese Popular Troup with composers The Rahbani Brothers and producer Sabri Cherif. The tour included several concerts in Brazil and Argentina and was a huge success. It's even said that when Fairuz sang "Shatti ya dinii" (Call for Rain) during one of Brazil concerts, it actually and suddenly rained after several years of draught! Want more? Check out a medley of folkloric songs by Fairuz from the same tour.