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Sweating for peace
It wasn’t the fear of terrorism that had Zaniboni in a sweat. It was merely the fact that she had transferred from the cool climes of Paris (20 degrees Celsius) to hot and humid Karachi (40 Celsius plus). “I am all wet!” she exclaimed, strapping on her electric guitar, the fear of electrocution furthest from her mind.
What caused the organizers to hold their peace concert outdoors in the month of May will remain a mystery to most. Singing in French, Zaniboni, too, remained a mystery for the most part, except when she came to her last number, Imagine by John Lennon.
Staged in the parking lot of the Bahria Auditorium, Zaniboni’s deep, husky voice and animated stage presence endeared her to the crowd.
Zaniboni taught Italian before turning to professional singing in 1988. She describes her music as combining French and Italian lyrics with the energy of rock. ‘Music is the only way of talking to people around the world,’ she said. ‘It is a universal language and comes from the heart’
“Music is the only way of talking to people around the world,” she said. “It is a universal language and comes from the heart.”
One could take issue with that, because the lingua franca remains English, and no matter how profound the lyrics, French is not exactly understood in these parts, the efforts of the Alliance Francaise not withstanding. This was Zaniboni’s second trip to Karachi, the first one being 10 years back when she toured the region for a month, going to India and Nepal as well.
“This time I have come especially for Pakistan, and will be performing in Lahore and Islamabad as well.”
Zaniboni began the concert with a number by Jack Brail called When We Have Only Love, then went on to sing a series of her own compositions, ending with John Lennon’s idealistic rendition of a border-less world characterized by a single humanity in love with itself, Imagine.
“It will be much better for all people to stop fighting and look after nature, and leave a better world for our kids. Let us learn from the animals who only consume as much as they require to survive. This vast inequality in incomes, where some starve and others splurge, is the height of injustice,” said Zaniboni, her emotions beginning to show. “Education is necessary, but first people must have enough to eat.”
Zaniboni is of Italian extraction, and was born in France in a small town called Villerupt near Nancy. She taught Italian before turning to professional singing in 1988. She describes her music as combining French and Italian lyrics with the energy of rock.
The Alliance Francaise, Comitato Dante Alighieri, British Council and the Rotaract Club organized the evening, which was graced by many known personalities.
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