She had the style and stage presence of Ella Fitzgerald, the stateswomanly quality of Eleanor Roosevelt and the impassioned posthumous following of Elvis Presley. Her name was Uum Kulthum and although she died 25 years ago, her music still sells out in Egypt and can be heard all over the streets of Cairo. Now there's a TV documentary about her life called Voice of Egypt. It's scheduled for broadcast on television stations around the U.S. this month. Shirley Jahad has this profile of Uum Kulthum and her music. (7:45) Voice of Egypt, can be seen at varying times and dates on local PBS stations. Check local listings. Also see http://www.filmmakerscollab.org.
Copyright 2000 NPR
