DESCRIPTION:
El Tanbura Capturing a Vanishing Spirit
Genre: Documentary
Production Company Philippe L.Dib (Egypt)
Co-Production Company: El Mastaba Center
Producer: Philippe Dib
Associated Producer: Zakaria Ibrahim
Recorded: 2006
Duration: 51 min
Director: Philippe Dib
Camera: Claude Stemmelin, Karim Al Hakim
Editor: Mamdouh ElKady
Author: Philippe Dib

Zakaria Ibrahim, director of El-Tanbura, recounts his journey towards the resurrection, re-formation and subsequent revival of the musical tradition of the 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.