Abdullah, a talented singer in the Calais ‘Jungle’
Abdullah’s black and orange woollen hat frames his face tightly, accentuating his dark eyes. He waits patiently as Damien, the sound engineer sets the levels and Sarah checks over her video gear.
The studio falls silent and Abdullah begins to sing. His tone is sweet and mellifluous – his phrases short and simple at first, but growing in intensity and expression as he gathers confidence. I’m captivated by the directness and openness of his performance, and our applause at the end of his first song is met with an infectious grin.
Abdullah picks up the darbuka and runs his fingers lightly over the skin of the drum, preparing for his next song.
This is no ordinary recording studio. We’re in a simple wooden shelter in the ‘Jungle’ - the camp near Calais where around 6,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa are currently living – people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and elsewhere. It’s the weekend before Christmas, and I’m with The Calais Sessions – a group of UK-based musicians and music-industry professionals who make regular visits to the Jungle to connect with musicians here and to facilitate an informal space for sharing music.
Abdullah is one of the talented musicians we meet. He’s a Kuwaiti Bedoon. Bedoon comes from the Arabic bedoon jinsiya which means ‘without nationality’, and refers to the diverse group of people who were not given citizenship when Kuwait became an independent state in 1961. As a result the Bedoons have no passports, and no right to education, health care, housing or work, and are often marginalized and under threat.
The generosity with which Abdullah shared his music and stories, and the beauty of his singing was one of many memorable experiences that weekend.
Here is a short video we made of Abdullah in the recording studio.
