Tunisian Artists’ Union President: We Have No Goal Other Than Honoring Hany Shaker

Al-Taj News – President of the Tunisian Artists’ Union Maher Al-Hammami questioned the reasons behind what he described as the Egyptian union’s hesitation to accept the honoring of artist Hany Shaker, saying: “The question that arises, with all due respect, is: How can an artistic union hesitate to accept an honor presented by a sister Arab union to an artist who once headed the same union and contributed greatly to Egyptian and Arab music?”

In a post, Al-Hammami stressed that the Tunisian initiative was not linked to any other objectives, explaining: “We in Tunisia brought with us nothing but love, appreciation, and loyalty. There was no other consideration behind this honoring, nor any goal other than recognizing what Hany Shaker contributed to Arab art.”

Maher Al-Hammami: May God Have Mercy on Hany Shaker

The President of the Tunisian Artists’ Union concluded his post by reaffirming his commitment to the initiative to honor Hany Shaker, saying: “I came to Cairo carrying an honor from Tunisia for a great Egyptian Arab artist, and I will continue to take pride in this initiative, because we in the Tunisian Union of Musical Professions and Related Professions believe that honoring an artist is honoring art itself.”

Al-Hammami concluded his message by saying: “May God have mercy on Hany Shaker. He will remain the Prince of Arab Singing, and his name will remain a source of appreciation and affection in Tunisia, regardless of the positions.”

Maher Al-Hammami’s message and his reproach of Musicians’ Union President Mostafa Kamel over the absence of an honoring for Hany Shaker were not the only such remarks. A number of the late artist’s fans also questioned the reason for the absence of his honoring at the “Citadel International Festival,” which was held last August, while many attendees also questioned the absence of Hany Shaker’s songs from the festival, saying: “We used to enjoy listening to him. Where is Hany Shaker?”