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Najwa Karam: I Don’t Fear Change, I Fear Repetition

Lebanese singer Najwa Karam
Lebanese singer Najwa Karam
    Beirut - Fatima Abdallah
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Najwa Karam: I Don’t Fear Change, I Fear Repetition

Lebanese singer Najwa Karam
Lebanese singer Najwa Karam

Like her spirit, Helwe El Denye (The World is Beautiful), Lebanese singer Najwa Karam refuses to give up. In her long-anticipated upbeat new hit, she finally gives her fans what they had been waiting for. Her powerful voice and positive message are like therapy for those who are exhausted and despondent by the difficulties weighing down on them.

Its messages of encouragement and positivity- as she sings and calls on us to see that “the world is beautiful whatever is happening, always look at the cup half fun” and that “every moment we should thank the Lord, oh lord thank you for your blessings-” have clearly struck a chord. The song produced by Rotana has topped the streaming chart in Lebanon and the Arab world.

Known for setting trends, she is hoping to continue to make waves as she did in 2011 with Ma Fee Nom Baad El Yom (There’s No Sleeping After Today). When we asked her whether she worries before releasing the next big thing, especially given how bold her artistic decisions tend to be. Why doesn’t she prefer to take more conventional, safer options with guaranteed results?

Her response is quick and to the point. “I don’t fear renewal. On the contrary, I fear repetition. I started to renew between 2000 and 2001, and since Ashiqat Asmarani (I’m in Love with a Tan Man), Itahimuni Bigharamihi (They Accused me for Whom I Love), and Ma Takun Zaelat (Hope You’re Not Upset)... I decided to change shortly after my career began; it comforts me. I feel like I am keeping up with the times.”

As for thoughts on people’s tendency to link novelty with cheap art, they are equally concise and sharp.

“Change and renewal do not mean that a song is subpar. Rather, it means a song has broken with the familiarity people had been accustomed to from the artist. For me, I do not compromise on the lyrics, melody or the way of performance, all of which must be renewed according to the quality of the rhythm.”

Once we return to the subject of art and its purpose, Najwa tells us that she sees it as “A message, and the message is manifested as it really is in adversities, victories or events. The artist must harness their talent and voice to this end. Then, either we fill the universe with joy and glee, or we build on that setback to create hope and make a comeback that makes us proud.”

Are choices harder to make at this point in her career then, or do opportunities present themselves like flowers in a garden she can easily pick?

“Options are always available, making it difficult to wake to find the suitable sound for the new conditions of the moment while maintaining what I give. It is not easy at all to make and publicly release a song.”

Is that why you prefer absence?

“I pause when I have nothing to offer. When I’m away, I do not like to post on social media for the sake of it. Sometimes absence shines brighter than presence. When we are absent to achieve a goal, it’s just like being present to achieve a goal. I prefer to have a strong impact on people. Remaining relevant does not concern me, and I am not afraid of extinction.”

Before concluding, she wanted to say a couple of words. One to Lebanon, which she carries with her voice, and the second to Saudi Arabia, whose future leadership she admires. On her homeland, four words: “Lebanon is the phoenix.” “But we have to focus on its essence and meanings.” The kingdom? “It is a country confidently moving forward and developing. I congratulate the Saudi people from the bottom of my heart. They understand the art of innovatively adapting to the future. Its rulers are leading their people and their land to a better tomorrow.”

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Varieties

As Baboons Become Bolder, Cape Town Battles for Solutions

A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
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As Baboons Become Bolder, Cape Town Battles for Solutions

A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
A group of baboons move through the main shopping street of Simon's Town outside of Cape Town on October 31, 2024. (AFP)

On a sunny afternoon in Cape Town's seaside village of Simon's Town, three young chacma baboons cause a commotion, clambering on roofs, jumping between buildings and swinging on the gutters.

Enchanted tourists stop to photograph the troop crossing the road. Locals are less impressed: it's a daily scene in the charming village nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain National Park.

About 500 chacma baboons -- among the largest monkey species and weighing up to 40 kilos (88 pounds) -- roam the peninsula south of Cape Town, says the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

And as human development pushes up the mountain into their natural habitat, the animals are increasingly entering plush properties to forage in gardens and take the pickings from the bins. Some manage to sneak into houses where they can wreak havoc.

Many locals are fond of the creatures, giving them pet names and following their daily adventures on social media.

But others are increasingly frustrated.

"They've become so bold now. They're more domesticated than they should be," said Duncan Low, 60, who runs an ice cream shop.

The intruders have even started raiding kitchens and grabbing food from plates in restaurants. "They're on a sugar and fast-food rush," Low said.

In 2021, the city put down a notorious alpha-male monkey who had terrorized residents with more than 40 raids for food in rubbish bins, from lawns and porches, sometimes entering homes while people were inside.

- Monkey management -

Tension between humans and baboons is "the highest it's ever been", said ecologist Justin O'Riain, who directs the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa at the University of Cape Town.

A baboon on the edge of a wild and an urban area is "the most difficult animal in the world to manage", O'Riain said.

"They are strong, they can climb... and they can learn from each other: there's no landscape that they can't conquer."

As human settlement of the Cape has expanded, the baboons have been "pushed higher and higher up the mountain" where foraging conditions are harder, O'Riain added.

The lush gardens that people have built, with fruit trees and swimming pools, are tempting attractions.

The City of Cape Town, in partnership with park authorities, has for years run a program to manage the marauding monkeys that relies on teams of baboon monitors.

They employ a primarily non-lethal approach, O'Riain said.

However, some techniques, such as firing paintball guns to keep troops away or culling a particularly problematic animal, have come under fire.

Amid an increasingly emotional outcry, vociferous campaigner Baboon Matters announced court action against the city and parks authorities in May for failing to implement what it considers more acceptable control measures, such as baboon-proof fencing and bins.

Facing criticism and funding limits, the authorities said the baboon management program would be wound down by the end of the year as they investigate other "more sustainable urban solutions".

It will however remain in place through December -- a particularly busy month for tourists -- but with fewer rangers, it said.

"We're going to lose our first line of defense," O'Riain said, with more baboons already entering urban areas often at risk to their lives.

- Deaths highest in 10 years -

Thirty-three baboons were known to have died between July 2023 and June 2024, the highest number in 10 years, city authorities say.

Nearly half the deaths were caused by human factors, including shooting with pellet guns, collisions with vehicles and dog attacks.

Coexistence with baboons should come with "a degree of human compliance", starting with managing food waste, conservation activist Lynda Silk, head of the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation group, said.

"We don't need to be in competition with our natural resources: there can be ways that we can manage our lifestyles to minimize the negative impacts," she said.

For O'Riain, the only viable solution to the baboon battle is to erect fencing in certain areas that is made up of electric wiring and underground mesh to prevent the animals from digging underneath.

A prototype installed 11 years ago had shown great success, with almost no animals entering the area, he said. A 2023 report already suggested where the fencing should be placed.

"Baboons can come and forage right up to the edge of the fence and no one will disturb them," said O'Riain.

"It's a completely peaceful interaction, a win-win for people and for baboons."