"During the 1950's and 1960's
Umm Kulthum expanded her role in
Egyptian public life. She
granted more interviews during
which she spoke about her life,
repeatedly identifying herself
as a villager, a fallahah or
peasant, who shared a cultural
background and essential values
with the majority of the
Egyptian populace. Her
interviews were full of stories
of her family, her neighbors,
and the familial qualities of
village life.
She cultivated the position of
spokeswoman for various causes.
She advocated governmental
support of Arabic music and
musicians, she endowed a
charitable foundation and, most
importantly, after the Egyptian
defeat in the 1967 war, she
began a series of domestic and
international concerts for
Egypt. She traveled throughout
Egypt and the Arab world,
collecting contributions and
donating the proceeds of her
performances to the government
of Egypt. These concerts were
much publicized and took on the
character of state visits. Umm
Kulthum was entertained by heads
of state, she toured cultural
monuments, and, in interviews,
repeated her views concerning
the importance of support for
indigenous Arab culture. More
than a musician, she became 'the
voice and face of Egypt'."
