Qalali Folk Band receives 2025 Aga Khan Music Award in UK

TDT | London

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Qalali Folk Band has been awarded the 2025 Aga Khan Music Award during an official ceremony held at London’s Southbank Centre, in collaboration with the EFG London Jazz Festival.

The ceremony was attended by His Highness Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, along with a distinguished gathering of international cultural and artistic figures.

This prestigious recognition marks international acknowledgement of Qalali Folk Band’s prominent role in preserving and showcasing Bahrain’s seafaring musical heritage in a contemporary form that reflects the Kingdom’s rich cultural identity.

The band received the award in appreciation of its decades-long journey and tireless efforts to safeguard the traditional arts of Fjiri and Nahma, presenting them creatively to engage global audiences.

Its work draws inspiration from the legacy of Bahrain’s early seafaring singers, particularly the renowned naham Salem Al Allan, whose artistry remains one of the foundations of the band’s distinctive style and enduring legacy.

During the ceremony, the Qalali Folk Band delivered a captivating performance of Bahri, one of the principal forms of Fjiri, embodying the spirit of the naham aboard the ship, the voice that once stirred the hearts of sailors and helped them endure the hardships of the sea.