Mophradat Songs for Kids, Vol. 1: AFFRATTA is an enchanting and entrancing new album that will see the light of day later this month. Mophradat, a non-profit contemporary arts organisation that creates opportunities among Arab artists, conceived Songs for Kids, a project that is “looking for ways for children to be offered joyful, nature-loving, non-patriarchal, imaginative, and evocative music that encourages them to be kind, curious, adventurous, and loving”, as the press release describes. It continues:

“Music and song are one way children learn, express emotions, hear and tell stories, and get to know their bodies. The Arab world, unfortunately, has limited offerings of musical production for children, and this project is one of Mophradat’s first attempts to engage some of the region’s most exciting musicians with this genre.”

Last year Mophradat brought together a sublime cast of children’s writers and musicians to produce an album of progressive songs for young children. Writers Ahlam Bsharat, Hadil Ghoniem, and Yosra Sultan and musicians Huda Asfour, Rehab Hazgui, Maurice Louca, Aya Metwalli, Sam Shalabi, and Aalam Wassef were invited to create music for children around the ages of four to six. Mophradat Songs for Kids, Vol. 1: AFFRATTA is the fruit of this collaboration, a 6-track album mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and slated for a January 28th release.

Lead track ‘Kalbi Balady’, which translates as ‘My Balady Dog’, is the first wonderful single to be let loose and you can listen to it below.