Fuuse Voices: Maya Youssef. Syrian Qanun Player.

Fuuse Voices is a series of video profiles of men and women who define themselves and their own lives by breaking boundaries, challenging stereotypes and refusing to be limited by the expectations set by anyone other than themselves. Rejecting definition on racial, gender or cultural grounds, they choose their own paths and they chart their own journeys. You can follow these changemakers and learn from them, be empowered by them, be inspired by them through Fuuse Voices.
Damascus born Maya Youssef is hailed as “queen of the qanun”, the 78 stringed Middle Eastern plucked zither. She moved to London under the Arts Council’s “exceptional talent” scheme and has played at the Proms and alongside Damon Albarn. When the war started in Syria, writing music was “no longer a choice” and that was the birth of her highly acclaimed debut album Syrian Dreams (produced by the legendary Joe Boyd). For Maya the act of playing music is the opposite of death; it is a life and hope affirming act. For her, music is a healer and an antidote to what is happening not only in Syria, but in the whole world.
Click here to subscribe to Fuuse: bit.ly/1Yd1a9N
Follow Fuuse on twitter: / fuuse
Like Fuuse on Facebook: / fuuse.deeyah