El Tanbura - Capturing a Vanishing Spirit (2006)

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In an age of rapid change and mass media, cultural heritage is under threat. In Port Said, a small Mediterranean Egyptian town at the entrance of the Suez Canal, a group of people are struggling to revive the spirit of their community and share it with the rest of the world. Zakaria Ibrahim, director of El-Tanbura, recounts his journey towards the resurrection, re-formation and subsequent revival of the musical tradition of the ancient Egyptian lyre Simsimiya, El-Dama and El-Haz in Port-Said. Within the context of exile, urban uprooting, cultural amnesia in post-revolutionary Egypt, Zakaria and members of El Tanbura troupe narrate their journeys towards the conservation of Egyptian folklore. El-Tanbura, a sonic voyage across the cultural heritage of Port-Said, offers a unique vista towards Egyptian modern history and the understanding of music as a form of political resistance, by way of trance-like sound escapes and gatherings, and the veneration of the human spirit.