Praising Canada, but in Arabic
‘Ya Canada’ said to be an ‘expression of the pride’ that those of Arab descent feel for the country
The latest edition of “O Canada” sounds a lot different from the English and French versions Canadians ears are used to.
But the patriotic spirit, pride and values behind Canada’s national anthem are every bit as present in Ya Canada, the Arabic version launched by the Canadian Arab Institute, a reflection of the community’s love for this country — despite a sometimes strained relationship with a pro-Israel Conservative government.
“I got shivers and emotional when I first heard the anthem in Arabic. The song was so beautiful to begin with. And hearing it in your mother tongue was an overwhelming moment. It felt very special,” said Raja Khouri, the institute’s co-founder and president.
“This is an expression of the pride and commitment to Canada from our community, a tribute to Canada’s multiculturalism.”
Although the Canadian anthem has only 10 lines, putting Arabic lyrics to a tune written 135 years ago was no easy task.
How do you capture the meaning of each verse while phrasing the lyrics to match the melody and placing the correct emphasis on the right words?
“You can’t do a word-for-word translation,” said Olga Kaddoura, a Toronto-based soprano and biomedical engineer who was consulted to perfect the Ya Canadalyrics, along with volunteer and certified Arab interpreter Fares Badr.
“In Arabic music, you can have millions of scales. You can start with an E major and change to D minor, then to A major. In Arabic music, we have quartertones. In western music, you only have semi. So it’s more complicated in Arabic,” she said.
Kaddoura, who was born in Dubai to Palestinian parents and moved here in 2010, spent hours in front of her computer, playing with various Arabic words that might be put to the music of the anthem she downloaded from YouTube.
“I had to shorten the sentence and change the wording to make sure the timing and toning were correct. In singing, the emphasis is always on the vowels.
“In Arabic, we only have waw, ya and alef. I had to mix and match to make the Arabic lyrics work,” said Kaddoura.
“I recorded in my own voice and listened to it to make sure it’s all perfect.”
Renowned Lebanese Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil was asked to tape YouTube videos of the Arabiconly and trilingual (plus English and French) versions of O Canada.
“I’ve performed in a lot of languages, and you always know what’s said. But it’s different when a language is so personal to you, because it resonates and expresses differently. It makes you feel like home,” said Khalil, who was born in Syria and came to Canada with her family in 1988.
Khalil said she was flattered but also had her doubts when she was asked to sing the anthem in Arabic.
For one thing, western musical notation and English lyrics are read from left to right. Singing in Arabic, which reads right to left, she had to adjust to co-ordinate her eyes and vocals.
Already familiar with the anthem she has known since coming to Canada at age 7, Khalil just kept practising in Arabic and finally stopped reading the English lyrics on top.
“At first, I was like, how do I fit these words to a western tune? But it didn’t take much time,” she recalled. “What I’d like people to get out of it is we are all one people. The community is not always viewed in a positive light. This opens the door and shows we are very much part of the community.”
Khouri said the Arabic community comes from 22 countries — each with its own unique culture, ethnic-
“We are all one people . . . we are very much part of the community.” MIRIAM KHALIL LEBANESE CANADIAN SOPRANO
ities and religious mix. The launch of Ya Canada marks the beginning of the institute’s Your Voice campaign, anon-partisan program of voter education and motivation for the October federal election.
“Seventy per cent of the community came to Canada in the last 20 years; many are from countries where there’s no civic engagement, because it’s not accessible or dangerous to one’s life,” said Khouri, a Lebanese Canadian of Palestinian descent and a commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
“It takes people a long time to change that mindset. Democracy belongs to those who participate. We want to educate our community on democracy and citizenship, and the role we can play in civic engagement. People want to feel integrated. This is a way for them to do that.”