Beirut drummer keeps Ramadan beat in memory of his father
For the past 20 years, Ahmad Sadaka toured Beirut’s neighbourhoods during Ramadan, beating his drum to wake people up for suhoor, the predawn meal that brings families together every day.
But this year is different for Mr Sadaka, 50. For the first time, the musaharati – the name given to drummers who wake residents for suhoor – is touring the Lebanese capital’s streets alone, carrying the mantle that his father held for decades until his recent death.
“This is the will of my father, who assumed the role of musaharati for 50 years. Now, I’m following in his footsteps,” Mr Sadaka said.
His daily tour starts at 12.30am and lasts for two to three hours. It takes him from Verdun through Mar Elias and then Sanayeh, before Mr Sadaka circles back to where he started.
Mr Sadaka, who recalls his first journey with his father about 43 years ago, said he was now sometimes joined by his brother.
Mr Sadaka said he used to be greeted by strangers who gathered in food outlets across the city before suhoor.
But the economic crisis that has gripped Lebanon since late 2019 and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic prompted many residents to celebrate Ramadan at home this year.
“We used to meet people in the streets and interact with them in bakeries and restaurants, but most have been staying at home this year given the crisis and the Covid-19 outbreak,” Mr Sadaka said.
The crisis caused a sharp drop in Lebanon’s national currency, with the pound plummeting more than 85 per cent in value against the US dollar since the economic crisis began.
The weak currency eroded the purchasing power of residents and fuelled hyperinflation, putting the average cumulative monthly cost of iftar for a family of five at two-and-a-half times the minimum monthly wage, according to a study by the American University of Beirut.
The monthly minimum wage dropped from about $400 in 2019 at the official exchange rate of 1,515 pounds to the dollar to less than $50 at today’s rate of 12,500 pounds to the dollar, putting more than half the population below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.