This Content Creator Brings Classical Arabic Poetry to the Digital Age

This Content Creator Brings Classical Arabic Poetry to the Digital Age
At the intersection of heritage and the algorithm, one creator is proving that classical Arabic poetry truly is timeless. Between the soft clink of rings and the mundane rhythm of daily errands, content creator Hala is reviving classical Arabic poetry over social media. Her videos, set to the backdrop of car rides and gentle routines, unspool the linguistic richness of Qabbani and Al-Mutanabbi with a modern cadence, reframing classical verse for a generation raised on scrolls and swipes.
As the eldest daughter in an Arab household in the US, Hala's first encounters with classical Arabic weren't through textbooks, but through the melismatic qasidas of singers like Nagat Al Saghira.
'My dad would play them on roadtrips,' Hala tells CairoScene. 'The songs are all super long, the shortest is probably 40 minutes. I was so curious: 'What are they saying?' 'What does it mean?' I would watch him being moved by the music, and I would think: 'She's been singing for forty minutes, how are you still enjoying this?''That curiosity continued to be cultivated by her father, whose quizzes on the meaning and lectures on the pronunciation of classical Arabic fostered a love for classic Arab music, and the verses that came before. Tracing this isnad of classical Arabic, from Pre-Islamic to Nizar Qabbani to Nagat Al Saghira's music, Hala found a new type of entertainment, one that felt rewarding as well-rooted.
'I would recite to my computer and film the poems,' Hala recalls. 'But I never thought I was reciting them correctly, nor that anyone would care.'
Then, in August 2024, she posted a casual video - putting on rings, reciting a verse - and it went viral. The clip resonated with a diasporic audience estranged from the linguistic depth and nuance of their language. Go to the comments on any video and you'll find the same thing: 'I'm fluent in Arabic but not in this type of Arabic.' Through these videos, Hala taps into a collective gap in knowledge, offering her audience a piece of heritage that never seemed accessible.
'Poetry is such a deep, intricate form of language,' Hala explains. 'Especially Arabic. Arabic contains such a multitude of words and synonyms for so many things. For people who grew up in the West, they don't understand all the meanings, they didn't grow up around the metaphors and structures exhibited in classical poetry.'
Her TikTok playlist, Fikra w Khatira, feels less like a short-form content series and more like a digital majlis. A modern-day salon where the esoteric complexity of Al-Mutanabbi is softened by bilingual subtitles, and the uvular crack of a qaf feels instinctual over the backdrop of a GRWM. In this unlikely setting, Hala has carved out an archive and a classroom where poetry is no longer distant or impenetrable.
Asked whether she approves of the moniker 'The Poetry Girl', she laughs:
'What else do I want to get famous for? The Get Ready With Me Girl?! I like being 'The Poetry Girl',' Hala asserts. 'I have tried different ways of storytelling, but poetry touches my heart in a particular way, and it resonates with others too.'
Hala's page isn't just a balm for the Arab diaspora; it stands as an advocate for poetic expression. A reminder that poetry, especially in Arabic, is an inimitable means of emotional translation, articulation, and healing.
'I speak three languages,' Hala says. 'None of them describe the process of emotions that a human goes through in the way Arabic does. There are twelve stages of love, twelve ways to describe love: from yearning to delight.'
What Hala offers, ultimately, is connection. The same way her father once shared music and meaning on road trips, she now shares verse with strangers. And in her hands - and voice - Arabic poetry, once perceived as lofty and opaque, finds a new intimacy. Whether she is reciting Al-Mutanabbi from the driver's seat, or translating taboo poems by Qabbani in a GRWM, her content doesn't dilute the material, it democratises it.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Egypt Independent

2 hours ago

• Egypt Independent

Netflix original series ‘Catalog' starring Mohamed Farag to premiere on July 17

Actor Mohamed Farag is awaiting the premiere of his latest Netflix original series 'Catalog,' co-starring Reham Abdel-Ghafour. The series is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on July 17. It also stars Tara Emad, Khaled Kamal, Bayoumi Fouad, Samah Anwar, Sedky Sakhr, Donia Sami, Ali el-Bili, Retal Abdel-Aziz, and Ahmed Essam al-Sayed. It is written by Ayman Wattar, and directed by Walid el-Halfawy. Catalog tells the story of Youssef, a father who finds himself with the heavy responsibility of raising his two children alone after his wife, Amina, passes away. Having been separated from his children's daily lives for some time, he struggles to connect with them. Youssef is lost and confused until he finds a series of videos Amina recorded before her death, which include advice on raising children. These videos become his daily guide, helping him overcome the pain of loss, reconnecting him with his children, and revealing a side of himself he hadn't known before. Catalog was preceded by five Egyptian series produced by Netflix, including 'Paranormal,' which premiered in 2020; 'Drama Queen,' which premiered in 2021; and 'Echoes of the Past,' which premiered in late 2024. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Al-Ahram Weekly

a day ago

• Al-Ahram Weekly

Egypt's media chief discusses translating Egyptian TV dramas into Urdu - Screens - Arts & Culture

Head of Egypt's National Media Authority (NMA), Ahmed Al-Meslemany, has proposed translating Egyptian television dramas into Urdu, Pakistan's official language. Al-Meslemany discussed the initiative with Pakistan's ambassador to Egypt, Aamir Shouket, during the latter's visit to the Egyptian state Television broadcaster (Maspero) this week. Ambassador Shaukat toured the Naguib Mahfouz Studio at Maspero, where the two sides discussed expanding bilateral media and broadcasting cooperation. Al-Meslemany outlined the NMA's vision for translating selected Egyptian dramas into Urdu, which he noted is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. Ambassador Shaukat welcomed the initiative and suggested that the Urdu-subtitled Egyptian series could be broadcast on Pakistan's national television channels. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

CairoScene

a day ago

• CairoScene

Meet the TikToker Bringing Arab Dance-Offs to Pre-Party Rituals

Rama Nazha's viral videos turn bathroom dance-offs into masterclasses, introducing her friends, and the world, to the irresistible sounds of Arab music. When Rama Nazha's TikToks first appeared on my For You page, it felt like an algorithmic stroke of luck. At the time, I was caught in a kind of cultural limbo - missing the pace and familiarity of London while basking in the warmth and rhythm of the Arab world. Her videos seemed to fuse the two worlds effortlessly: London edge with unmistakable Arab flair. I knew I had to reach out and chat to her about her newfound fame, teaching the world not only about Arab music, but how to dance to it. With energy so inviting, you can binge watch her videos, with a pre-drink in hand, and just by watching it you feel a part of girls night. You've probably seen her videos. A brightly lit bathroom, a killer Arab track, and a group of girls getting ready like they're about to headline Coachella. But behind the camera? A cultural mixtape - Syria, Lebanon, and London all in perfect sync, and has already hooked 80,000 listeners. Nazha was born in Syria and moved to Lebanon in 2011, at the height of the war. Her path then took her to the University of Surrey, and eventually to London - 'Hampshire wasn't the vibe,' she laughed. She studied media and communications, which, looking at her page now, feels almost prophetic. While her mother plugged her into niche Arab sounds from day one, it wasn't until Nazha landed in London, almost 20 years later, that she started to dance. It's what keeps her videos both grounded and global: 'They're this hybrid of Arab-coded, London-coded vibe which so many people can relate to part of it, but then they also want to know the other part.' It's like she's crafted a cultural remix that feels familiar enough to pull you in, but fresh enough to make you want to stick around and learn more moves. Long before the title 'Arab-pop ambassador of TikTok', there was just a girl, a mirror, and a great playlist. 'I used to post a lot with Arab music. People kept commenting, 'your music taste is wild,' or 'what even is this, I need more.' So one day, my friend was getting ready in my bathroom, I put on a playlist, and I thought - let's just film it.' That spontaneous video? It exploded. Since then, Nazha's account has become a safe space for Arabic music lovers and curious ears alike. She didn't set out to be a cultural conduit, but that's exactly what's happened. 'People from the US, Canada, and South America are DMing me, 'I don't understand the lyrics, but I need this playlist.' Or asking me to write song names in English letters.' And Arab artists are noticing too. Saint Levant, Eliana, and others have already shown love. She confessed all too casually that, 'Saint Levant loves the videos, he is so sweet, an angel'. I asked her what the next iteration might look like - kitchen dance-offs, maybe even some balcony serenades. She didn't hesitate, 'Absolutely,' she grins. 'I've already dragged the girls to an Arab night here in London. We had the coin belts out, my friend was cooking - it was a whole thing.' The point is clear: you don't need to be in a traditional Arab setting to move to the music. Culture, for Rama, isn't confined to geography or decor. It lives just as loudly in a Hackney flat with tea brewing in the kettle as it does at a wedding in Beirut. Music is the one language that knows no borders, and Rama's the stamp that proves it. What was once a personal ritual, like the Henna nights she watched growing up in Syria, is now a universal one. 'Those nights were everything. All the aunties, the music, the dancing, the getting ready. I wanted that here, but I didn't have a big group of Arab girlfriends.' So, she made her own community. Her friends may not speak Arabic, but they dance like they do. With playlists called 'Introducing my bestie to my fave Arabic songs' and 'THE Arabic playlist,' which feature artists from Eliana to Umm Kulthum and have over 13,000 likes, it's clear Rama isn't just curating music - she's curating a movement. Upon my eventual return to London, I'm at peace now I know that an Arab night is right around the corner - because thanks to people like Rama, diaspora isn't a distance, it's a playlist.