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Amnesty-seeker with a difference

Bishayat came to Dubai on a visit visa in the end of February thinking he could pursue a better musical career in this bustling city where there is no dearth of entertainment. “I used to work as a singer in a hotel back home. I was longing to become famous, and to earn good money in Dubai like many others. I did not have the slightest of idea of how things would fail to work out in my favour”.

He recalls a series of disappointments he faced while seeking ways to eke out a living. “I posted many ads in the papers. I even approached music production companies, but in vain. besides looking for a musical career, I also struggled to find a job that could help me survive here. Since I had paid all my savings to the recruitment agency to come to Dubai I ran out of money. In April my visa expired and I could not renew it,” Bishayat says.

One fact that impressed Bishayat, despite all the odds, was good behaviour of people in Dubai. “Most of the people whom I met during my hunt for a job were very polite. However, I was not lucky as far as my career is concerned. One must admit that it is hard to launch one’s career here or even work in any other field. The competition is very tough. How can anybody gain local acclaim if he is denied the chance to try and start?”

However, Bishayat who sings songs of famous Egyptian singers like Abdel Halim Hafez, Umm Kulthoum and Amr Diab, has not given up on his dreams of becoming a famous singer.

“I will go back to my country and start there all over again. Who knows maybe once I achieve success in Egypt the music production companies in Dubai would begin chasing me for signing up with them.”

• UAE