Sayed Khalifa

Sayed Khalifa (Arabic: سيد خليفة‎) was a Sudanese singer and composer. Khalifa was one of the first Sudanese singers trained in formal music theory. He was mainly active from the 1950s to the 1970s, and sang in both Standard Arabic as well as in Sudanese Arabic. He is best known for his songs "Ya Watani" (My Homeland)[1] and "Izzayakum Keifinnakum" (How are you?).

Sayed Khalifa
Born
Ali Muhammad Khalifa

1928 (1928)
Ad Dibeiba, Condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt
DiedJuly 2, 2001(2001-07-02) (aged 72–73)
Amman, Jordan
OccupationSinger, composer
Years active1958–2001

Life and career

Khalifa was born in 1928 in Ad Dibeiba, near Khartoum, Sudan. In 1947, he won a scholarship to the Arab Music Institute in Cairo, where he studied music. After touring venues in Africa for several years, Khalifa returned to the newly independent Sudan in 1956 and performed the patriotic anthem "Ya Watani". He released other popular songs like "Lailun Wa Khamrun Wa Shifah", "Ana Maly wa Malo" and "Mambo as-Sudani".[2] In 2018, his song Igd Allooli (The Pearl Necklace) was reissued on the CD compilation Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins and Synths of Sudan.[3]

After the ascension of Omar al-Bashir's government to power in 1989, censorship made it difficult for Khalifa to continue with his career. He died on 2 July 2, 2001 from heart problems.[4]

Discography

References
  1. Onyebadi, Uche (2017). Music as a Platform for Political Communication. IGI Global. p. 203.
  2. Aidi, Hisham (2014). Rebel Music: Race, Empire, and the New Muslim Youth Culture. Knopf Doubleday. p. 39. ISBN 0307279979.
  3. "Release "Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan" by Various Artists - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  4. Al Mubarak, Khalid (16 July 2001). "Sayed Khalifa". The Guardian.
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