Sayed Kayan Association Honours the Musical Legacy of Ustad Shah Ewaz
The “Art and Memory” program brought together live music, poetry, documentary film and community recognition in what organizers described as the first formal tribute dedicated to the respected Afghan singer and dambura player.
The Sayed Nadir Shah Al-Hussaini Cultural and Social Association, also known as the Sayed Kayan Association, held a cultural and musical program on Sunday, July 26, 2026, to honour the life and work of Ustad Sayed Shah Ewaz, an Afghan singer and player of the dambura, a traditional long-necked lute.
Titled “Art and Memory,” the gathering celebrated an artist whose music has been part of Afghan community life for generations, particularly among Hazara and Afghan Ismaili audiences.
The program also recognized the literary and cultural contributions of Abdul Karim Darwish Barzangi and Abdul Karim Tabesh, honoured participating poets, and thanked the members and volunteers who support the association’s work.
Abdul Karim Tabesh and Kamaluddin Ahmadi served as co-hosts. The formal program opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Abdul Karim Maqsudi.
In his welcoming remarks, association president Deljam Sufizada thanked guests for their strong participation and reflected on the role of art in sustaining a community’s identity. He said a people’s shared memory is carried through stories, poetry, literature and music, and that protecting this cultural inheritance, including the heritage of Afghanistan’s Ismaili community, is central to the association’s mission.
Sufizada described Ustad Shah Ewaz’s music as part of the collective memory of several generations. He also encouraged the community to recognize the contributions of its artists, writers and scholars and to preserve their work for future generations.
Honouring two literary figures
The program’s first tribute focused on Abdul Karim Darwish Barzangi. A short documentary produced by the association presented his literary, academic and cultural contributions.
Following the screening, Barzangi addressed the audience and read two of his poems. Members of the association then joined him on stage and presented him with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of his scholarship, cultural service and longstanding cooperation with the organization.
The program next turned to poetry written to mark the visit of Mawlana Shah Rahim Al-Hussaini to Eastern Canada. A poem by Abdul Karim Tabesh was selected as the outstanding submission, and he received the association’s literary award.
In his acceptance remarks, Tabesh thanked the Sayed Kayan Association for supporting cultural and literary activities and for creating opportunities to recognize writers and artists within the community.
Remembering Ustad Shah Ewaz
The central portion of the program was dedicated to the life and music of Ustad Shah Ewaz.
A documentary produced for the occasion drew on interviews with family members, contemporaries and admirers to present lesser-known aspects of his life and artistic career. Following the screening, members of the audience rose to honour him and offered sustained applause in recognition of his cultural contributions.
In a recorded message, his son, Sayed Aziz Hashimi, spoke about his father’s place in traditional Hazara and Afghan Ismaili music and thanked the association for organizing the tribute. He said programs of this kind help preserve cultural memory and strengthen connections among communities living outside Afghanistan.
Ustad Shah Ewaz was born in 1935 in the village of Tay-e Siasang, in Shunbol District of Bamyan Province. He lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his grandfather, who taught him to read and write.
His father had been a skilled dambura player, and Shah Ewaz was introduced to the instrument during childhood. He later developed his singing and playing largely through independent practice rather than formal musical training.
He began performing at community gatherings and private events. An important moment in his early career came when he performed before Sayed Nadir Shah Al-Hussaini Kayani, then a leader of Afghanistan’s Ismaili community. According to accounts preserved by his family, Shah Ewaz was encouraged to continue his music and was presented with a dambura.
His reputation grew among Hazara communities and particularly among Afghan Ismailis. His musical style drew on the traditional sounds of Bamyan and the wider Hazarajat region. His repertoire included Persian poetry, local folk verses, and religious and seasonal songs. He was also known for adapting Indian melodies for performance in Dari.
Over the course of his career, he performed at community events across Afghanistan and later appeared in Canada and the United Kingdom. His family has also reported that some of his work was recorded by Radio Afghanistan during the reign of King Mohammad Zahir Shah.
Following the outbreak of civil war in Afghanistan in the 1990s, Ustad Shah Ewaz moved with his family to Pakistan. He settled in the United Kingdom in 2001 and died on February 13, 2019, at the age of 84.
Although he did not formally train students, his style influenced many musicians. His recordings continue to attract listeners across generations, including young audiences who were born long after many of the songs were first performed.
Musicians from Canada and abroad take part
The tribute continued with a musical gathering dedicated to Ustad Shah Ewaz’s memory. It featured live performances by artists from across Canada, as well as recorded contributions prepared by musicians in other countries.
The live program opened with an ensemble performance by Bahruddin Ahmadi, Zamanuddin Mirzada, Abdul Ali Yousufi, Ali Ahmad Ahmadi and Abdul Razaq Yousufi. A second ensemble performance was presented by Mira Khaksar, Ali Dad Haidari and Sakhi Dad Haidari.
Bahruddin Ahmadi later returned for a solo performance, followed by a joint performance from Marwa Jan Ahmadi and Azizullah Faizi.
Later in the program, Fateh Khan Kazimi took the stage. He was followed by a group performance from Abdul Jalil Faizi, Shah Ali Dad Haidari and Azizullah Haidari. Abdul Khaliq Faqiri also performed alongside Abdul Jalil Faizi, Azizullah Faizi and Ali Dad Haidari.
Video performances by Baharuddin Saeedi, former Radio Television Afghanistan singer Zamari Rasoul, and Arbab Karimdad Ahmadi were shown during the program.
The audience also viewed recorded contributions from folk singers Baba Khan Daimirik, Iqbal Noori, also known as Khaksar Baghlani, and Afzal Bakhshi.
Together, the live and recorded performances allowed musicians from several countries to participate and reflected the continuing international reach of Ustad Shah Ewaz’s music.
Contributors and volunteers recognized
During the closing portion of the program, Khairuddin Haidari received a certificate of appreciation for his work to digitize, publish and share recordings of Ustad Shah Ewaz’s music.
Certificates were also presented to five members and contributors in recognition of their service to the association: Nasrin Rezahi, Sudaba Rezahi, Mohammad Zahir Moradi, Ghazal Haidari and Adela Adelyar Tabesh.
Dr. Nizamuddin Rezahi, deputy chair of the association’s Cultural Committee, delivered the closing remarks.
He said that recognizing cultural, artistic, literary and academic figures helps prevent their achievements from being forgotten. A community that loses the memory of its artists and thinkers, he said, also risks losing part of its cultural and intellectual identity.
Rezahi noted that, according to the organizers, the gathering was the first formal tribute devoted specifically to the life and music of Ustad Shah Ewaz. He added that Shah Ewaz’s songs continue to speak to people of different ages, circumstances and experiences.
The program concluded with a prayer led by Mullah Khatabuddin Ahmadi.
Through programs such as “Art and Memory,” the Sayed Kayan Association seeks to document the contributions of Afghan artists, poets, writers and community figures, bring generations together, and make their work accessible to audiences in Canada and throughout the Afghan diaspora.