Top Stories - AFP
Palestinians savour rare chance of victory by West Bank crooner
Date: Wed, Aug 25, 2004
SALFIT, West Bank (AFP) - His portraits line walls alongside the "martyrs" killed by Israeli forces but reverence for Ammar Hassan stems not from his exploits in the Palestinian uprising, but for his voice which could propel him to victory this weekend in a hugely popular television talent show.
Hassan, originally from the West Bank village of Salfit but now living in Dubai, has given the Palestinian people a much-welcome respite from the daily grind of life in the occupied territories.
Since his debut three months ago in the pan-Arab Superstar contest, aired by Lebanon's Futur TV, the 27-year-old has steadily acquired star status in the eyes of a population desperate for heroes after a four-year cycle of violence.
Each Sunday, dozens of residents of Salfit have flocked to the family's home in Salfit, which lies close to Ramallah, to cheer on Hassan along with his parents and five brothers and sisters.
Elsewhere in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites), thousands of people have been packing into restaurants, coffee shops and even theatres to watch him on giant screens.
"Ammar's qualification for the final is not only an honour for me and for my family but for the whole Palestinian people," his mother Itidal told AFP.
At the end of each programme, thousands of Palestinians have been jamming the phone lines to register their votes for the young crooner or else registering their approval via the internet or text messages.
The local papers can't get enough of him while his own website, ammarhasan.com, has been inundated with messages of admiration and adulation.
"To represent all the people is an enormous responsibility. The support that I have received from Palestinians living in the occupied territories and throughout the world as well as from fellow Arabs has given me great joy," he said on his website.
After gaining a diploma in music from Al-Najah university in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Hassan left for the relative calm of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates three years ago.
Since the first round of the contest more than three months ago, Hassan's fans have been eagerly awaiting the results of the weekend voting every Monday morning.
For the final however, voting has been extended for the whole week and the winner of the standoff between Hassan and a young Libyan singer will not be known until Sunday, August 29.
"It is the duty of every Palestinian to vote for Ammar, not only because he is a Palestinian but also because he's got a beautiful vocie," said 22-year-old student Attaf Abu Odeh who has spent hours on the phone to her friends trying to persuade them to vote for Hassan.
In his performances on the show, Hassan has been singing renditions of classics by Egyptian stars such as Abdelhalim Hafez and Mohammed Abdel Wahab as well as the Lebanese singer Wadih Al-Safi.
The local obsession with Hassan is not universally welcomed, with some arguing that it is a distraction from the suffering of the Palestinian people and their fight against the Israeli occupation.
"All of this is just stupid. The Arabs are suffering defeat after defeat and the only thing that seems to interest people is this singer," said Wahid Joudeh, a 23-year-old resident of Ramallah.
The fact that the finals of Superstar are coinciding with a solidarity campaign for Palestinian prisoners who are on hunger strike in Israeli jails has also prompted the grinding of teeth.
As a mark of protest, some Palestinian militants have even vandalised giant screens on which Sunday's vote will be broadcast.
But accroding to the Palestinian cultural critic Yussef Al-Shayeb, most people will regard success for Hassan as "a major victory".
"They are desperate for victory after tasting so much defeat."
SOURCE
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