Lena Chamamyan’s hope for the Levant in “Tariq El Shams”

Renowned Syrian singer and songwriter Lena Chamamyan just released her latest song and music video “Tariq El Shams”, which was filmed in Cairo. In the song, Lena presents a greeting to the peoples of “Tariq El Shams”, the old name for the Levant, which she called for the abundance of goodness and warmth in it, but she has suffered from fatigue and wars since the dawn of history until today.

Even the economic crises and the recent disaster in the port bombing, Syria has been affected by war for ten years, in addition to Iraq and Yemen, the land of ancient civilizations, the pain of Libya and Sudan, and the path of the sun is a tribute to the peoples of these tired regions, in the country and in the diaspora, who chose to survive not only by staying on alive but by gathering their strength, generation after generation, as if the building was and still is their destiny inherited from their ancestors.

While she was in Egypt, Lena was busy filming “Tariq El Shams”, which was written by the Lebanese Maher Sabra, composed by the Palestinian Ahmed Al-Khatib, distributed by the Turkish Jihan Sezer and was directed by the Egyptian director Ahmed Gohar.

Lena presented a focused emotional piece where the embodiment of suffering is a “child” caught in her reality, the painful and luminous future after overcoming life’s struggles, with the child symbolizing this future hope being Maryam Essam Al-Saharti, who is an ideal embodiment that is born from the womb of suffering.

For her part, Lena Chamamyan said: “The work is a salute from us to the brave
souls who chose to survive and insisted upon building on top of the ashes despite
the war, diaspora, and siege in the land of the sun, whose beauty and historical
greatness has always been affected with war and destruction”.

She added: “Our hope is for a new generation that knows their culture and history to have a future.”, “and builds a more merciful and humane world.”. She addressed her words to the Shami people, saying: “What’s more difficult than sustaining a wound, is to heal the wounds. We are strong as we were able to build the past, we can build the future with our own hands. We are all one.”

Chamamyan adds: “I address the song to those who wonder “what role do the
arts and music have during wars?” To them, I say: Because I lived through two
diasporas, both the Armenian and the Syrian ones, I realized that wars do not end
with a cease-fire. The most difficult time comes following the aftermath of war
and the losses that come with it.”

“When unity begins, those who chose survival instead of surrender, deserve a moment of respect and sympathy, and we must provide them with whatever support we can in their journey of rebuilding themselves and their countries. Music may not be able to stop wars, but it will certainly help in calming souls that were affected by them. It will bring us closer
as human beings, our understanding, our sympathy, and mercy towards one
another, we are all one in the end, and what you are going through today, I might
experience tomorrow, it’s then I will need your hand to hold while overcoming it.”

Through her new work, Lena is also launching a public campaign entitled “Tariq
El Shams” to provide support to artists, public figures, and even the public
themselves with the hashtag of the song in solidarity with the peoples of the
Levant. Dedicated to the people suffering for their right to live, a beautiful
future, and a better present, the campaign aims to participate with everyone
whether through words, pictures, or videos for artists to provide their support.

The campaign was launched with the participation of several drama and cinema stars in Egypt, with the participation of artist Tarek Sabry, artist Bushra, director Yousry Nasrallah, and director Amir Ramses, who participated in the clip.

Lena Chamamyan will start her new musical debut this year, through “Tariq El
Shams”, which she started with her first concerts in Cairo and the conclusion of
the Cairo International Film Festival. It falls within a group of new lyrical works
that Lena recorded during her stay in Cairo, including a new song in the Egyptian
dialect.

It is scheduled to appear next month and follows the echoes of the great success which met her first Egyptian centered song, “We will live and see it”, and she intends to appear again to her Egyptian audience with a new concert during the upcoming summer season.

Photography by: MONO // PUNKK