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SUDAN/EGYPT: Now a resident of Cairo, Egypt,
where she is a tattoo artist known as the Queen Of
Henna, the singer Setona comes from the most
eastern part of Sudan. The area is at the crossroads
between Africa and the East, a major trading route
for centuries and one that has been traveled by
thousands of Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
This has produced a fascinating melting pot of
African and Arabic musical influences in Setona's
music, as displayed on her new album, »African
Crossroads« (Blue Flame/BMG). Songs from around
the continent became part of the collective memory
of her people as the area was crisscrossed by
various cultures.
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Accordingly, certain influences in
Setona's music come from West African and East
African countries she has never visited, prompting
her at times to sing in languages she only half
understands. Performing in public as a female
musician has connotations of indecency in traditional
Sudanese culture, so Setona was forced to move to
Egypt, where she now enjoys a second career as a
wedding consultant. She has become the leading
expert in the typical henna tattoos, without which no
traditional wedding ceremony is complete, hence her
nickname. Earlier this year, she tattooed O{+> and
his bride, Mayte.
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Henna Tattoes