Umm Kulthum and Cultural Diplomacy in Egypt

Based on my own field and archival research and a reading of relevant literature, this chapter describes Umm Kulthum’s concerts for Egypt and analyzes the relationship between Umm Kulthum and the Abd al-Nasir government in terms of the power dynamics of these concerts. Casting these performances into the context of others by famous musicians on behalf of their governments, the chapter considers the agency of musicians in these sorts of efforts and asks how much “diplomacy” is accomplished. What were the actual results of the concerts for Egypt? Did the state effectively engage soft power in these instances and were they really instances of cultural diplomacy?