JEDDAH, 11 January 2007 — The Al-Bayareq volunteer group met the world-famous British nasheed singer Sami Yusuf and his “Awakening” team during a recent visit to Jeddah in December. The group presented the singer with their ideas for Yusuf’s new song “Make a Prayer.”
Sami Yusuf’s latest song has been developed with a view to encouraging people to take positive action against poverty in Africa. The British singer and his team are currently pondering over an idea for an accompanying video, which they soon hope to develop.
Among the Al-Bayareq volunteers that met Sami Yusuf were Tamer Farsi, Khaled Kattan, Ibrahim Abbas, Ali Baasiri, Haitham Khoja, Haya El-Azzah, Serene Feteih and Hani Khoja who hosted the meeting at his home. The volunteers are professional creative directors and regularly meet to reshape the world in a positive way.
According to Haya El-Azzah, Al-Bayareq’s senior project director, the team members spent their evenings thinking through a vision of what the video would look like.
“We are aiming — and so is Sami Yusuf — for the video to become available to a global market. We hope it is played on all music channels whether it is MTV or Rotana,” she added.
The Al-Bayareq group presented eight ideas. The first was entitled “Fill the Hole Inside” and is based on the theme that by giving charity people feel more content. The second was entitled “Contrast” and is based on the idea that in order to really understand the plight of poverty-stricken people in Africa then one must try to picture oneself in their position. The third idea was entitled “Blindfold” and is based on the idea that most people do not notice the poverty prevalent in Africa. The fourth idea was entitled “Africa Through the Cracks” and is based on the idea that poor people in Africa are living off handouts instead of being given a real hand to help themselves. The fifth idea was entitled “Bring Africa Back Into Our Life” and is based on the idea that people affected in Africa are our fellow humans and therefore need help. The sixth idea was entitled “The Human Show” and attempts to project the suffering of people on one’s own psyche. The seventh idea was entitled “God’s Gift” and is based on the fact that all blessings are that of God and should thus be shared and not exploited. The eighth idea presented was entitled “African Display” and is based on the idea that people just watch and ignore the harsh African realities.
El-Azzah said that two of the eight ideas listed (Contrast and Bring Africa Back Into Our Life) had been short-listed by the singer. These ideas are being further developed to see which one would be more effective and workable.
According to Feteih, Yusuf and his team were impressed by the wide range of ideas presented. During the presentation, Yusuf would be moved by each idea and would comment that this was “the one.” The British singer also mentioned how important he felt for the music video to appeal to a young global audience and for it to consist of a humanitarian aspect as well.
The Al-Bayareq group began two years ago and has so far completed five projects. The first was the Yalla Shabab TV show for youngsters between the ages of 19 and 25. The show was developed to motivate youngsters to be good Muslims and being trendy at the same time.
The second project was an unemployment campaign that was supported by the Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. The third project was the “Wattanak” (Your Country) video clip to build a sense of national pride among people in Saudi Arabia. The fourth project was the “Read Aloud” toll-free number to encourage mothers to read to their children at least 15 minutes each day. The fifth project was a five-minute mini TV show entitled “Khawatir Shab.” The show was presented by Ahmad Al-Shugairi and was developed with a view to highlighting proper manners and high morals among youngsters in the 18-24 age group.
“While perhaps we cannot force the youth to be motivated, we can certainly inspire hope and create an experience, which can help them motivate themselves,” said El-Azzah.
