Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She lived in Nazareth with her three children.
She died on 24 March 2018, aged 51, in a hospital in her hometown of Nazareth, Palestine following a lengthy and brave battle with breast cancer, which she openly shared with her numerous fans through social media. She met her husband, Ukrainian guitarist Leonid Alexeyenko, while studying music together at the Higher Music Conservatory in Moscow and they married in 1991, and divorced in 2010.
Banna first achieved popularity in the early 1990s, after recording her own versions of traditional Palestinian children's songs that were on the verge of being forgotten.
Banna also composed her own songs and set Palestinian poetry to music. Her message is often focused on the suffering of Palestinians. Her music is described as "haunting, emotional, at times bordering on kitsch." She described her music as a means of cultural self-assertion:
A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music.
In this way, Banna does more than mimic the traditional techniques and representations of the pieces she interprets. She blends them with modern singing styles because,
Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental… But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians.
She performed live in the West Bank and she reached audiences in Gaza through live webcasts. She performed her first concert in Syria on 8 January 2009 and also performed in Tunisia on 25 July 2011. Her first concert in Beirut took place on 22 March 2012.
Banna's popularity in Europe began after Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad invited her to participate on the CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003) and Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, who also took part on this production in a duet with Rim Banna, invited her to Oslo. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists did a show together.
The album, dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway," brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
The Mirrors of My Soul, which was dedicated to all the Palestinian and Arab political detainees in the Israeli prisons, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a Norwegean quintet, it features "Western pop styling" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics.
Although the style differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late Palestinian leader and PA president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
Discography
Jafra (1985)
Your tears Mother (1986)
The Dream (1993)
New Moon (1995)
Mukaghat (1996)
Al Quds Everlasting (2002)
Krybberom (2003) Rim Banna & SKRUK
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003 – Various female artists)
The Mirrors of My Soul (2005, Valley Entertainment)
This was not my story (2006) Rim Banna & Henrik Koitz
Seasons of violet (2007)
Songs across Walls of Separation (2008 – Various artists from the Middle East, Africa, Central America, North America, and Europe)
April Blossoms (2009) an album for children, was dedicated to the children martyrs in Gaza
A Time to cry (2010), was recorded in one of the houses in Sheikh Jarrah under constant threat of eviction from the part of their house (with three Palestinian singers)
"Tomorrow" (Bokra) 2011, a single song of the American legend composer Quincy Jones, who chose Rim Banna to represent Palestine in this project which will be released in an Album and a video clip in September 2011
Revelation of Ecstasy and Rebellion (2013); produced by Bugge Wesseltoft
Songs from a Stolen Spring (2014, Valley Entertainment/Kirkelig Kulturverksted - Various Artists), featuring "Break Your Fears"
Al Quds Everlasting
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
بلحظات كل الناس كتبوا عن القدس
بلحظات دونوا ، صوروا شهداء و أحزان
بلحظات شعروا ، نغموا لذكرى الألام
بعد التصوير و تسجيل الاغاني الجديدة
بعد ما انكتبت عناوين و تقارير الجريدة
وحدها بتبقى القدس ناطرة الناس الي راحو
وحدها بتبقى القدس تحلم برجوع الي راحو
أحنا مش لحدى
أحنا موش فرجة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدى
بلحظات كل العالم غرقونا وعود
بلحظات كل العالم صاروا المجلود
بلحظات حرروا برروا رؤساء و أحزاب
بلحظات مولوا صرحوا تضامنوا وراء الباب
وزراء بتروح و بتجي زي ركب الحمام
غضب اللحظات واضح عوجوه الحكام
شو بقو و ماصار تظاهرة مع الشعب و جراحو
شو بقو و ماصار نستهجن نستنكر قتل الي راحوا
احنا مش فكرة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
احنا مش فكرة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
وحدها بتبقى القدس
الشاهد للناس الي راحوا
وحدها بتبقى القدس
تستنى لرجوع الي راحوا
احنا مش فرجة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
احنا مش فرجة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
وحدها بتبقى القدس
وحدها بتبقى القدس
احنا مش فكرة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
احنا مش فكرة لحدا
أحنا مش لحدا
وحدها بتبقى القدس.
ahzi10
The lyrics to Rim Banna's song "Al Quds Everlasting" are a powerful tribute to the city of Jerusalem and the people who have fought for its survival. The first verse speaks of moments where people sing and write about Jerusalem, capture images of its pain and suffering, and play music to remember its struggles. The second verse describes how the world has tried to support the cause of Jerusalem, but often falls short in meaningful action. The chorus repeats the phrase "we are not a spectacle for anyone," emphasizing that the people of Jerusalem are not just a source of entertainment or a cause to be exploited for political gain.
Throughout the song, Rim Banna's lyrics convey a sense of defiance and solidarity. She acknowledges the many challenges and obstacles faced by the people of Jerusalem, but also insists that they will not be broken by them. The repeated refrain of "Jerusalem remains" reinforces the idea that the city is a symbol of resilience and perseverance, and that the struggle for its freedom and survival will continue.
Overall, "Al Quds Everlasting" is a powerful and emotionally charged call to action. It urges listeners to remember the ongoing struggles of the people of Jerusalem and to stand with them in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
بلحظات كل الناس غنوا عن القدس
In moments, all people sing about Jerusalem
بلحظات كل الناس كتبوا عن القدس
In moments, all people wrote about Jerusalem
بلحظات دونوا ، صوروا شهداء و أحزان
In moments, they documented, photographed the martyrs and the sorrows
بلحظات شعروا ، نغموا لذكرى الألام
In moments, they felt, sang for the memory of pain
بعد التصوير و تسجيل الاغاني الجديدة
After filming and recording new songs
بعد ما انكتبت عناوين و تقارير الجريدة
After the headlines and newspaper reports were written
وحدها بتبقى القدس ناطرة الناس الي راحو
Only Jerusalem remains, waiting for the people who have gone
وحدها بتبقى القدس تحلم برجوع الي راحو
Only Jerusalem dreams of the return of those who have gone
احنا موش فرجة لحدا
We are not a show for anyone
أحنا مش لحدى
We are not owned by anyone
بلحظات كل العالم غرقونا وعود
In moments, the whole world drowned us in promises
بلحظات كل العالم صاروا المجلود
In moments, the whole world became enslaved
بلحظات حرروا برروا رؤساء و أحزاب
In moments, they liberated, protected leaders and parties
بلحظات مولوا صرحوا تضامنوا وراء الباب
In moments, they funded institutions, showed solidarity behind closed doors
وزراء بتروح و بتجي زي ركب الحمام
Ministers come and go like a flock of doves
غضب اللحظات واضح عوجوه الحكام
The anger of the moments is evident on the faces of the rulers
شو بقو و ماصار تظاهرة مع الشعب و جراحو
What is left that hasn't become a protest with the people and their wounds
شو بقو و ماصار نستهجن نستنكر قتل الي راحوا
What is left that we don't condemn the killing of those who have gone
وحدها بتبقى القدس الشاهد للناس الي راحوا
Only Jerusalem remains, the witness to the people who have gone
وحدها بتبقى القدس تستنى لرجوع الي راحوا
Only Jerusalem waits for the return of those who have gone
احنا مش فرجة لحدا
We are not a show for anyone
أحنا مش لحدى
We are not owned by anyone
وحدها بتبقى القدس
Only Jerusalem remains
احنا مش فكرة لحدا
We are not an idea for anyone
أحنا مش لحدى
We are not owned by anyone
وحدها بتبقى القدس
Only Jerusalem remains
Contributed by Molly Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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القدس - أقرب
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