The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Featured image via Lapresse

The Arab world has been blessed with a lot of talented singers and songstresses that have conquered the Middle East, and the world, with their majestic voices. One of those unforgettable talents was the ever-charming Dalida, while she may have left our world, we still remember the impact she left on Earth, and celebrate her birthday today on January 17.

Joining us in the celebrations is Google. Through their daily Google Doodle, the tech company celebrates the life of the internationally renowned talent with an icon of her on the search engine’s homepage. Dalida was not only a marvel for the Arab world, but she also reached international success, leaving behind her a legacy of around 500 songs in 9 different languages.

Who can forget her iconic song, Helwa Ya Balady, or the cliché song for every trip we took as kids, Salma Ya Salama. Some of her other most famous songs are in French, songs that we may not have heard of, including Laissez-moi danser and Avec Le Temps. Dalida had a beautiful voice, but with an intelligent mind as well which allowed her to master Arabic, Italian, French, Japanese, and English, among other languages.

Dalida was born in Shubra, Egypt, and her parents were immigrants who came to Egypt, travelling from Calabria Island in Italy. In 1954, she won a beauty contest in Egypt, prompting her to find an opportunity for stardom in France, she substituted acting for singing, and started a life of stardom as a songstress. She did also participated in Al-Youm Al-Sades, a film directed by Youssef Chahine.

Today would have been Dalida’s 86th birthday, and today we celebrate the beautiful life she led, and the majestic legacy she left behind. Despite all the joy she spread with her talent, Dalida died by suicide in 1987 at 54 years of age, leaving a message behind, “Life is not beautiful and has become unbearable… forgive me.”