In the summer of 1975, a 19-year-old with no formal musical training sat down to a decade-old poem and, in the midst of the beginning of the civil war, composed a tune that he assumed few people would hear. Fifty years later, UNADICOM (I’m Inviting You, 1976) is still sung in the streets.
Born on July 9, 1955 in Beirut. Qabour lesson Theater at the Lebanese University before he began performing in small cultural gatherings. He has come of age during The Lebanese Civil War, a period that would shape his artistic voice and political outlook.
A song born in a crisis
In 1975, with the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War, Kaabour turned to a 1966 poem by the Palestinian poet Tawfiq Ziad, UNADICOMset it to music and performed it as his first piece of music and his first vocal test. While he had There is no formal musical trainingThe song was born from the desire to provide moral support to those fighting across various fronts. Sharing his voice with the chorus, his youthful delivery gave the song a raw authenticity.
The song spread in ways he could not have expected, and it became a hit Definition of expression The Palestinian tragedy, wound, and perpetual steadfastness. During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, it became one of the most popular anthems of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“The song became more popular than me,” he once said. He said On the podcast. “UNADICOM It did not succeed just because it addressed a national issue or because it was written by Tawfiq Ziad. It worked because it had aesthetic value.
The song continues to be sung at protests and solidarity demonstrations throughout the Arab world and beyond, and resurfaces with particular force whenever the Palestinian issue regains world attention.
Collective voice
For many throughout the Arab world, especially in Palestine, Kaabour was just that Veneration Its melodies have a warm sound, a slight harshness, and an interplay between the solo and the chorus. His music had a communal quality, as if he were not singing to an audience but alongside one another.
Throughout his career, Kaabour has maintained a studied distance from the commercial music industry. He insisted on treating art as a form of testimony and not as a product. His position brought him into line with the tradition of committed Arabic song embodied by artists such as Marcel Khalife, with whom he collaborated.
He was also very active in children’s theatre, working with groups including… I will show you Al-SanabelSanabel Team, an artistic group for children AIDS Palestinian families, and the Lebanese puppet theatre, where Books and melodies For more than 20 productions.
From stage to screen
Kaabour’s artistic range extends beyond music.
He began his acting career in the Lebanese theater during The 1980s, and then moved to the world of cinema. he back In a biographical film about the Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali entitled Naji Al-Ali (1991) alongside the late Egyptian actor Nour El Sherif.
His most prominent international role came years later. Qabour to make His international debut was as Wadih Haddad in the TV miniseries “Carlos”, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.
Kaabour is survived by his wife, artist Iman Bakdash, and their son Marwan. he He died At Al-Makassed Hospital in Beirut on March 26, 2026, after a long struggle with illness. At the age of 70.
To this day, his songs Continue to generalizeTo be sung, to be rediscovered by younger generations who may not know his face but recognize his voice.