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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Alexander Durie

‘I only had this father, and he’s gone’: Wafa Mustafa’s fight for truth and justice for Syria’s missing

A woman in a blue top sits among framed photographs, resting her head on her hand
‘I don’t want other young women in Syria today to lose their fathers and live their lives in guilt’ … Wafa Mustafa in Maybe Tomorrow. Photograph: Violet Films

When Wafa Mustafa was a child, she remembers her father playing the music of Umm Kulthum non-stop at home in Syria, humming along to the legendary Egyptian singer’s melodic tones. One day, in an effort to encourage his daughter to appreciate music, he asked her to take a pen and paper and write the lyrics of a song she loved. Wanting to impress him, Mustafa chose an Umm Kulthum song called “Aghadan Alqak”, which translates to: “Will I meet you tomorrow?”

“The lyrics are literally about someone who’s gone, about the waiting for them and the love you have for them,” says Mustafa. “It feels like I knew what was coming … as if I manifested my life since I was very young.”

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