A nightingale rises from ashes of Swat's once-thriving music community
Sadia Shah says despite gaining popularity, producers pay her little while others steal her work
Sadia Shah, her sister and their teacher Umer Khan. PHOTO: EXPRESS
BANR:
When the Taliban took control of Swat, one of the biggest victims was the community of for Pashto singers, dancers and musicians in a small town called Banr in the valley. Most of the community members fled, while those who remained had no option but to abandon their craft.
Now, years after the area was purged of militants, the musicians have picked up their instruments once again. Among them is a new voice.
Young Sadia Shah has emerged as one of the fresh voices of Swat.
In the short period she has been singing, she has once again captivated the attention of the discerning public to Banr.
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The 17-year-old is the first woman in the area who has trained to play the harmonium while she sings.
“With the emergence of several new Pashto singers in Swat, musical activities have restarted in the area after a long gap of seven years,” Sadia says while talking to The Express Tribune at her residence in Banr.
Asked about the time the Taliban reigned in the valley, suffocating musical activities and artistes, Sadia said that it was a dark time for local musicians and asked for the subject to be changed.
The Taliban considered singing and listening to music as unIslamic and totally banned the practice in areas under their control.
A survey by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Cultural Department found that during the height of the militancy, around 90 per cent of singers and musicians living in the district had fled. The remaining 10 per cent had to leave the profession. Locals said that Shah’s family was among the 90 per cent.
But most of them had returned to their homes, restarting musical activities in the region — including Sadia’s family.
The exercise, though, took an economical as well as an emotional toll on her family.
“My family lost millions [due to the militancy], but so far no one has even asked about our economic condition,” she said, adding that the cultural department had distributed forms, but the department allegedly only assisted those who approached senior officials in the department.
After Malala, another Swat student nominated for International Children's Peace Prize
The militancy in the valley coupled with the dire straits people with her profession find themselves in meant that Sadia and her sister do not have a formal education.
“I wanted to get an education, but my father’s economic condition did not permit us to go to school,” she lamented.
Sadia and her younger sister Maria are quite new to singing, though, having started as recently as 2014. Slain Pashto singer Ghazala Javed — coincidentally hailing from the same area — provided the inspiration for Shah.
“Ghazala Javed was my favourite singer, she too earned fame in a very short time due to her melodious voice and singing,” Sadia shared.
Despite the challenges, fame has been quick to find her.
“I have also sung songs for Pashto movies, which have been very popular,” she says. However, the young singer lamented that her work has not provided her with the monetary response she was looking for.
“Filmmakers pay us a very small amount [for our songs,” she complained.
But low compensation for her work is the least of her problems. Theft of her intellectual property has now emerged as her topmost concern.
“We are poor and no one listens to what we say, but musicians in Peshawar are stealing my voice with other singers lip-syncing to my songs,” Sadia cried, adding that some well-known musicians have resorted to such practices.
Sadia’s teacher Ustad Umer Khan noted that she was a very talented girl who, without having a formal education, has managed to memorise songs while picking up on the harmonium as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2017.
When the Taliban took control of Swat, one of the biggest victims was the community of for Pashto singers, dancers and musicians in a small town called Banr in the valley. Most of the community members fled, while those who remained had no option but to abandon their craft.
Now, years after the area was purged of militants, the musicians have picked up their instruments once again. Among them is a new voice.
Young Sadia Shah has emerged as one of the fresh voices of Swat.
In the short period she has been singing, she has once again captivated the attention of the discerning public to Banr.
Dried fruit unit to be installed in Swat
The 17-year-old is the first woman in the area who has trained to play the harmonium while she sings.
“With the emergence of several new Pashto singers in Swat, musical activities have restarted in the area after a long gap of seven years,” Sadia says while talking to The Express Tribune at her residence in Banr.
Asked about the time the Taliban reigned in the valley, suffocating musical activities and artistes, Sadia said that it was a dark time for local musicians and asked for the subject to be changed.
The Taliban considered singing and listening to music as unIslamic and totally banned the practice in areas under their control.
A survey by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Cultural Department found that during the height of the militancy, around 90 per cent of singers and musicians living in the district had fled. The remaining 10 per cent had to leave the profession. Locals said that Shah’s family was among the 90 per cent.
But most of them had returned to their homes, restarting musical activities in the region — including Sadia’s family.
The exercise, though, took an economical as well as an emotional toll on her family.
“My family lost millions [due to the militancy], but so far no one has even asked about our economic condition,” she said, adding that the cultural department had distributed forms, but the department allegedly only assisted those who approached senior officials in the department.
After Malala, another Swat student nominated for International Children's Peace Prize
The militancy in the valley coupled with the dire straits people with her profession find themselves in meant that Sadia and her sister do not have a formal education.
“I wanted to get an education, but my father’s economic condition did not permit us to go to school,” she lamented.
Sadia and her younger sister Maria are quite new to singing, though, having started as recently as 2014. Slain Pashto singer Ghazala Javed — coincidentally hailing from the same area — provided the inspiration for Shah.
“Ghazala Javed was my favourite singer, she too earned fame in a very short time due to her melodious voice and singing,” Sadia shared.
Despite the challenges, fame has been quick to find her.
“I have also sung songs for Pashto movies, which have been very popular,” she says. However, the young singer lamented that her work has not provided her with the monetary response she was looking for.
“Filmmakers pay us a very small amount [for our songs,” she complained.
But low compensation for her work is the least of her problems. Theft of her intellectual property has now emerged as her topmost concern.
“We are poor and no one listens to what we say, but musicians in Peshawar are stealing my voice with other singers lip-syncing to my songs,” Sadia cried, adding that some well-known musicians have resorted to such practices.
Sadia’s teacher Ustad Umer Khan noted that she was a very talented girl who, without having a formal education, has managed to memorise songs while picking up on the harmonium as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2017.