Rim Banna
Rim Banna (8 December 1966 – 24 March 2018) was a Palestinian singer and composer most known for her modern interpretations of traditional Palestinian songs and poetry. Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She lived in Nazareth with her three children.
Rim Banna

GGAADD · IMG_3964 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 1966 · Nazareth.
- Died
- 2018 · Nazareth.
- Nationality
- Palestine · Occupied Palestinian territories
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter · singer · composer · musician
- Fields
- world music · Arabic music · music of Palestine
- Education
- Gnessin Russian Academy of Music
- Known for
- The Mirrors of My Soul
- Honours
- Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought
- Languages
- Arabic
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Documentary summary
Rim Banna (8 December 1966 – 24 March 2018) was a Palestinian singer and composer most known for her modern interpretations of traditional Palestinian songs and poetry. Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She lived in Nazareth with her three children.
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Note VALÉORINE
Rim Banna (1966–2018) was a composer, musician and singer, among other activities, a national of Occupied Palestinian territories and Occupied Palestinian territory. The composer was born and died in Nazareth. Rim Banna was educated at Gnessin Russian Academy of Music.
Among the works is The Mirrors of My Soul. The work spans Arabic music, music of Palestine and world music. Languages used include Arabic. Honours include Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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- Identity
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2736035 · wikipedia · Rim Banna
In this article
Artistic career
Artistic career
She met her husband, Ukrainian guitarist Leonid Alexeyenko, while studying music together at the Higher Music Conservatory in Moscow. They married in 1991 and got divorced in 2010.
Rim Banna studied at Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. The recorded working language is Arabic. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are world music, Arabic music and music of Palestine. Works named in the authority record are The Mirrors of My Soul. Distinctions recorded are Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Banna first achieved popularity in the early 1990s, after recording her own versions of traditional Palestinian children's songs that were on the verge of being forgotten. Many such songs and rhymes sung by Palestinian families again today are said to be thanks to Banna's work in preserving them via her recordings. Banna composed her own songs, adding melody to Palestinian poetry. Her message was often focused on the suffering of Palestinians, particularly those of the West Bank. Her music has been described as "haunting, emotional, at times bordering on kitsch." She described her music as a means of cultural self-assertion: A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music. In this way, Banna did more than mimic the traditional techniques and representations of the pieces she interprets. She blended them with modern singing styles because, Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental… But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians. She performed live in the West Bank and reached audiences in Gaza through live webcasts. She performed her first concert in Syria on 8 January 2009 and also performed in Tunisia on 25 July 2011. Her first concert in Beirut took place on 22 March 2012.
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil
Banna's popularity in Europe began after Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad invited her to participate on the CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003) and Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, who also took part in this production in a duet with Banna, invited her to Oslo. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists did a show together. The album, dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway," brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
Mirror of My Soul
Mirror of My Soul
The Mirrors of My Soul, which was dedicated to all the Palestinian and Arab political detainees in Israeli prisons, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a Norwegian quintet, it features "Western pop styling" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics. Though the style differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late Palestinian leader and PA president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
Death
Death
Banna died in her hometown of Nazareth on 24 March 2018, at age 51, following a nine-year struggle with breast cancer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2018
Rim Banna died at Nazareth.
Discography
• Illustration — Banna in 2014 • Jafra (1985) • Your tears Mother (1986) • The Dream (1993) • New Moon (1995) • Mukaghat (1996) • Al Quds Everlasting (2002) • Krybberom (2003) Rim Banna & SKRUK (2003, Kirkelig Kulturverksted) • Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003, Kirkelig Kulturverksted – Various female artists) • The Mirrors of My Soul (2005, Kirkelig Kulturverksted, US distribution: Valley Entertainment) • This was not my story (2006) Rim Banna & Henrik Koitz • Seasons of violet (2007, Kirkelig Kulturverksted) • Songs across Walls of Separation (2008 Kirkelig Kulturverksted – Various artists from the Middle East, Africa, Central America, North America, and Europe) • April Blossoms (2009, Kirkelig Kulturverksted) an album for children, was dedicated to the children martyrs in Gaza • A Time to cry (2010, Kirkelig Kulturverksted), was recorded in one of Sheikh Jarrah's houses which is under a constant threat to be evicted from the part of their house (with 3 Palestinian singers) • "Tomorrow" (Bokra) 2011, a single song of the American legend composer Quincy Jones, who chose Rim Banna to represent Palestine in this project which will be released in an Album and a video clip in September 2011 • Revelation of Ecstasy and Rebellion (2013, Kirkelig Kulturverksted), Produced by Bugge Wesseltoft • Songs from a Stolen Spring (2014, Kirkelig Kulturverksted [US distribution: Valley Entertainment] - Various Artists), featuring "Break Your Fears"
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2736035: Rim Banna
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Rim Banna”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- ‘Voice of resistance’: Rim Banna, cancer and Palestine’s body politic, Medical Humanities, 2019
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2019
References ==== External links
References ==== External links
• Rim Banna on Facebook *

Musikk for Gaza, Oslo 3.9.2014
GGAADD · IMG_3971

Musikk for Gaza, Oslo 3.9.2014 ريم بنا تغني من أجل غزة في مهرجان "ميلا" بأوسلو Rim Banna
GGAADD · IMG_3964
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Maan news agency. 24 March 2018.
- 2.Youm7. INTERVIEW: Exclusive with singer Rim Banna. The Cairo Post. 2014-01-20.
- 3.Rim Banna. Rim Banna's Website.
- 4.Rim Banna. World Music Central.
- 5.Martina Sabra. Palestinian Singer Rim Banna: Music and Cultural Self-Assertion. Qantara.de. 2006.
- 6.Rim Banna - Gaza. YouTube cbignore.
- 7.Harmony Ridge Music. Lullabies from the Axis of Evil.
- 8.Joe Heim. 'Axis of Evil' Lullabies: A Nod to Peace. The Washington Post. October 26, 2004.
- 9.Lullabies from the Axis of Evil. Valley Entertainment.
- 10.Global Rhythm: The Destination for World Music. World Music CD Reviews Middle East & North Africa. December 15, 2006.
- 11.groove.no. Rim Banna:The Mirrors of My Soul (2005).
- 12.Rim Banna - Mirrors of My Soul. Valley Entertainment.
- 13.Leading Arab singer Rim Banna dies aged 51. Times of Israel. 24 March 2018.
- 14.Aljazeera. Palestinian singer Rim Banna dies at 51 after battle with cancer. 24 March 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
‘Voice of resistance’: Rim Banna, cancer and Palestine’s body politic, Medical Humanities, 2019Crossref registry
Verifiedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2736035: Rim BannaWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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