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"
Umamiyyah Anthem
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arise ye prisoners of want
For reason in revolt now thunders
And at last ends the age of cant.
Away with all your superstitions
Servile masses arise, arise
We'll change henceforth the old tradition
And spurn the dust to win the prize.
Refrain:
So comrades, come rally
And the last fight let us face
The Internationale unites the human race.
No more deluded by reaction
On tyrants only we'll make war
The soldiers too will take strike action
They'll break ranks and fight no more
And if those cannibals keep trying
To sacrifice us to their pride
They soon shall hear the bullets flying
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.
No saviour from on high delivers
No faith have we in prince or peer
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear
E'er the thieves will out with their booty
And give to all a happier lot.
Each at the forge must do their duty
And we'll strike while the iron is hot.
The lyrics of Rim Banna's Umamiyyah Anthem, sung in Arabic, are actually a translation of the famous socialist anthem, "The Internationale". It begins with a call to the workers and those in poverty to awaken and rise up against the oppressive societal systems that have kept them down. The lyrics then move to exhort the people to throw off the shackles of superstition, to unite and to work for a just society free from oppression. The refrain urges comrades to unite and to fight the last battle together, with the Internationale serving as a unifying anthem for all of humanity.
The musician's interpretation of the song emphasizes the injustice felt by Palestinians living in the Umamiyyah refugee camp. It makes a connection between the struggle for social justice and the Palestinian experience, urging people to look beyond their own struggles and see how they connect to the struggles of other oppressed people. This song is particularly relevant in the Palestinian context where the systematic oppression of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation throughout the past 70 years has led to increased poverty and decreased opportunities for many people living in refugee camps, such as the Umamiyyah camp.
Overall, Rim Banna's Umamiyyah Anthem is a powerful call for solidarity and unity in the face of injustice. It serves to amplify the Palestinian voice and connect it with the voices of oppressed people throughout the world who are fighting for a just society.
Line by Line Meaning
Arise ye workers from your slumbers
Wake up, laborers, from your sleep and inactivity.
Arise ye prisoners of want
Rise up, prisoners of poverty and material deprivation.
For reason in revolt now thunders
The power of reason is demanding change and revolution.
And at last ends the age of cant.
The era of empty, hypocritical talk and false promises is coming to an end.
Away with all your superstitions
Abandon all unfounded beliefs and false practices.
Servile masses arise, arise
People who have been subjugated and oppressed should stand up and claim their rights.
We'll change henceforth the old tradition
We will now shift away from our traditional ways and change the existing uniformities.
And spurn the dust to win the prize.
We will discard our failures and go forth to secure our victory.
Refrain: So comrades, come rally
Here's an appeal to fellow activists to join us.
And the last fight let us face
Let us gear up and be prepared to fight our final battle.
The Internationale unites the human race.
The Internationale brings together people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities.
No more deluded by reaction
We will no longer be deceived by methods of resistance or opposition to progress.
On tyrants only we'll make war
Our struggle will be against the oppressors and dictators.
The soldiers too will take strike action
Even the soldiers will act against their oppressors by going on strike.
They'll break ranks and fight no more
They will leave behind their enforced hierarchy and renounce violence.
And if those cannibals keep trying
If our oppressors keep trying to sacrifice us to their pride and greed,
To sacrifice us to their pride
To sacrifice us to their vanity and hubris.
They soon shall hear the bullets flying
Then they will face the consequences.
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.
We will eliminate the generals, even those on our own side, who oppress and exploit us.
No saviour from on high delivers
There will be no divine help or intervention.
No faith have we in prince or peer
We have no trust in monarchy or the aristocracy.
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
We, ourselves, must break the chains that bind us.
Chains of hatred, greed and fear
These chains are rooted in anger, avarice, and anxiety.
E'er the thieves will out with their booty
Eventually, thieves will reveal their plundered wealth.
And give to all a happier lot.
The wealth will be shared, resulting in joy and happiness for everyone.
Each at the forge must do their duty
Each person must work together harmoniously in their own role.
And we'll strike while the iron is hot.
We will take action when the opportunity arises.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Rim Banna
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hisham
on Two Kinds of Love
I love you with two different kinds of love - the love of passion and of admiration
And I love you because you deserve both kinds of love
The first kind of love, which is the love of passion,
In this love, I am occupied with thoughts of you, and you alone
The second kind of love, which you are deserving of,
In this love, you reveal yourself to me so that I may see you clearly
I do not find happiness in one kind of love over the other
Rather, you are the one deserving of my gratitude for bringing both kinds of love to my life
And when I realized that my heart was empty
You filled it with love for you and pushed all other thoughts aside
You filled my entire being with your love,
Until there was no room left for anyone or anything other than you
So my heart is filled with passion and adoration for you
And I cannot stop speaking of you
Wherever I turn, my eyes are searching for you
Your essence encompasses every aspect of my being
And I cannot listen to anyone else
Unless they speak of you with the same admiration and love