Chan'ad Bahraini

So I went to the Muharraq Summer Festival that I mentioned in my previous post, and I thought I'd share a few pics. It was mostly fun for kids, but I still enjoyed it. And there were loads of local goods on sale also. Whenever they have these types of events, the thing I enjoy the most is the Khaleeji (Gulf) music band that they usually have at these things, pictured above. There are lots of drums playing head-jerking polyrhythms, both of which seem to be influenced by African traditions. And curiously, I've also noticed that most of the musicians in the local Khaleeji bands seem to be of African origin also. Any ethnomusicologists out there that can explain what's been going on? There's also a dude there playing an improvised melody on a reeded wind instrument (sorry, I forget the name). And then of course there are the chorus singers/dancers who also appear to be enjoying themselves:

And some kids:

This entry was posted on Friday, August 27, 2004 at 8/27/2004 12:59:00 am. Permalink