Rasm Almashan | concert

What?

Rasm Almashan’s music stems from the meeting of cultures and the creative synergy of diverse influences and inspirations. Born in Kraków, she grew up in Aden, Yemen, listening to both local musical traditions and the songs of East African migrants—neighbors and peers from Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Their rhythms, melodies, and styles of improvisation became part of the musical memory from which the artist continues to draw inspiration to this day.

Her work blends Arabic and African sounds, jazz, improvisation, and European influences. More important than genre definitions, however, are the stories Rasm tells through her music. She sings about the joy of a simple life, but also about poverty, longing for a lost homeland, the costs of war, and the dignity to which every human being is entitled. She also revisits her own childhood and memories of Yemen, where growing instability gradually changed the lives of her family and neighbors.

The debut album “YEMENIA”, released in 2019, was a personal account of memories from Yemen in the late 1980s and 1990s, a tribute to her family, and a musical narrative about communities affected by conflict. The album remained in the top 20 of the World Music Charts Europe for three months.

The artist is currently finishing work on her second solo album, *Insaniya*—“Humanity”—which she is producing in collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Lemańczyk. The title alone aptly captures the direction of her work: behind the grand narratives of migration, war, and politics, Rasm Almashan seeks, above all, the individual and their personal experiences.

Rasm Almashan’s concert will kick off the musical evening on the outdoor stage. Rasha Nahas will perform at 6:30 p.m., followed by SHKOON at 8:00 p.m.

Who?

Rasm Almashan – a singer, songwriter, and composer whose work emerges at the intersection of cultures. She blends Arab and African influences with jazz, soul, improvisation, and contemporary European sounds. She has been performing since 1999; she co-founded the bands Kultura de Natura and Soomood, and later embarked on a solo career.

Performing on stage will be:

Rasm Almashan – vocals
Adam Lemańczyk – piano, keyboards
Adeb Chamoun – riq, darabuka, bendir, daf
Maciek Szczyciński – bass
Mateusz Szemraj – oud, guitar
Paweł Dobrowolski – drums

For Whom?

For everyone who wants to explore other cultures through music, but also for listeners of jazz, world music, Arabic and African music, and sounds that defy simple genre classifications. The concert may also be of interest to those who seek more in music than just an appealing sound—stories about specific people, places, migration, memory, and the experience of living between cultures. The event has no age restrictions.

Why is it worth it?

Rasm Almashan’s biography and body of work almost literally embody the spirit of the Łódź of Many Cultures Festival. Her music cannot be confined to a single geographical context—it stems from her experience of living between Poland and Yemen, from Yemeni musical traditions and the melodies of African migrants, and today it continues to evolve in dialogue with the Polish jazz and ethno scenes.

In his songs, Rasm draws on his family members, friends, and figures from his childhood; these individual stories become a way of addressing much broader experiences—migration, war, and loss.

This is particularly in line with how the Festival aims to address diversity. Rasm Almashan offers a perspective that is all too rarely seen in stories about Yemen. Instead of the media’s images of war, he lets us hear the country as remembered by a child—through music, family, everyday life, and relationships.

Availability

The concert will take place on the outdoor stage at the Dialogue Center in Survivors’ Park.

Photos

Rasm Almashan, press materials