• Egypt

Ally Salem — Early-profiled Egyptian solo guitarist (featured in interviews and local festival coverage). Known as one of Egypt’s better-known female guitarists in the country’s underground scene. Also, she joined the stage wit many local bands such as Andromida, Invaders, and many others.

Cherine Amr — Singer-songwriter and guitarist who founded the alternative/metal project Massive Scar Era. One of the more visible Egyptian women in heavy/alternative scenes, blending Egyptian scales and metal/post-rock.

• South Africa

Alice Phoebe Lou — Indie/folk singer-songwriter who plays guitar as core to her songwriting and international career.

Msaki (Asanda Mvana) — Award-winning composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar; a key voice in contemporary South African songwriting and performance.

Zahara (Bulelwa Mkutukana) — Afro-soul star whose breakthrough album Loliwe was guitar-led; known for writing and performing with acoustic guitar.

• Tanzania

Grace Matata — Afro-soul singer-songwriter who performs and composes with guitar; active on the East African scene.

Carola Kinasha — Veteran Tanzanian musician, activist and guitarist — a pioneer in Afro-fusion and music education activism.

• Kenya/West Africa

Ivy Alexander — Prominent Nairobi-based guitarist, member of all-female ensembles and the Flower Project; active in guitar education and a visible presence on IG and regional features.

Suzanna Owiyo — Kenyan singer-songwriter who also plays guitar and draws on traditional influences — recognized in pan-African coverage for her guitar-centric songs.

• Ghana

Wiyaala (Noella Wiyaala) — Singer-songwriter who plays guitar and channels rock/reggae/afro-pop energy; noted for powerful stage presence and guitar-led performances.

Yaa Yaa (Bertha Kankam) — Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who frequently performs with guitar in neo-soul / highlife-influenced material.

• Nigeria

Serifatu Oladunni Oduguwa (Queen Oladunni Decency) — Historic figure: a pioneering female guitarist in Nigeria (Jùjú tradition) — often cited as one of the first prominent female guitarists in the country’s modern music history.

Asikey — Contemporary Nigerian singer-songwriter who plays guitar and blends alternative rock/soul; one of the notable modern Nigerian women who write and perform with guitar.

Helen Ibe — Emerging Nigerian guitarist profiled in player/interview videos; part of a new wave of Nigerian guitarists.

• Niger

Fatou Seidi Ghali (Les Filles de Illighadad) — Founder and lead guitarist of the Tuareg group Les Filles de Illighadad from Niger. Widely reported as the first professional female Tuareg guitarist; celebrated for bringing electric Tuareg guitar and female leadership from the Sahara to international stages.

• Mali

From Mali, Fatoumata Diawara — Singer-songwriter and guitarist who blends Wassoulou tradition with modern sounds; has been described as a pioneering female electric-guitar player from Mali and a major international ambassador for Malian music.

• Zimbabwe

Berita (Gugulethu Khumalo) — Zimbabwean-born, South Africa-based singer-songwriter and guitarist; multi-award winner and founder of Women of Music Business (WOMB).

• First, could you share more about your background? When did your musical journey begin?

My musical journey started in the late 70s and continued till now. It begun as usual by listening to music. At the early 80s I’ve begin playing violin. Around 87 I’ve focused on drums which helped me a lot in my musical compositions and understanding rhythms and time signature. But the main event happened in 1991 when I bought my first electric guitar. Since then I’ve been devoted to rock music I played guitar and taught also. At the same time, sound engineering and special effects grabbed my attention.

• At that time, the Egyptian market lacked diversity; can you tell young guitarists about the 90s era?

Actually the 90s was a brighter because in the 80s metal heads was very lonely persons. They rarely found people who can share their interest with. it was very difficult indeed to find metal LPS specially the new ones. In the beginning of the 90s it was completely different because there was a big change in the market. Some bands like Metallica and Guns N Roses released corner stone LPS like the Black Album and Use your illusion 1 and 2 which went viral leading to increase of metal fans in Egypt. So people begun to listen to Metal for the first time. Songs like nothing Else Matters and unforgiven was in the radio station. And of course November rain was very popular back then and there was quite a few rock concerts. 

There was a change in the environment. You see teenagers wearing shirts with metal bands pictures. You can hear Nirvana from that small car passing by you. Or a Slayer riff blazing out of that window on the third floor. It was a nice change till a bad incident  happened. Suddenly we heard in the news about satanics in Egypt. There was a party where some teenagers were accused of making some satanic ritual. it wasn’t quite right. They were carried away by what they see in MTV. It gave a very bad idea about rock and metal. It was a disappointment for metal fans. Young people was suddenly afraid to listen to rock in public and wear leather. It was a hard time.

• What bands have you been a part of or helped to establish?

Most of my life I’ve been a solo artist but I played with some friends in a very small gigs.

• As a guitar expert, which guitar brands do you prefer?

It is hard to name a favorite brand. Maybe I’ll say special models like the Gibson SG along with the Fender Strat. I like The Jacksons a lot. Ibanez is not my piece of cake but it’s not a bad brand.

• Currently, do you have any other business ventures or a regular job alongside your music?

Music and playing guitar is a hobby for me. Despite being raised in an artistic family I studied architecture. I worked in cinema for a long time. I was a video editor in Orbit. At the same time I was growing my own studio. Music was always a hobby for me even if I contributed in some documentary and some ads with my music. But it I kept it completely as a hobby. So for sure I have a different business

• Given the absence of a technical guitar setup curriculum here, have you ever considered creating one?

Technical guitar setup guys are called Luthiers. I consider myself one of them. I’ve been setting up guitars, fixing them, doing some paint jobs. But create a guitar from scratch – of course it passed through my mind- but I’ve never done it. I will consider in the future maybe. But it’s a little bit hard here in Egypt because of the lack of accessories and raw material.

• Since your channel covers a niche topic, do you have concerns about not attracting a large following?

When I first made this channel, it was made for my own pleasure. Then I wanted to transfer my knowledge to new guitar players. So I’m not much concerned about how much followers do I have. Mainly I am concerned about the quality of the followers and I have very decent ones. The feedback from them are really overwhelming.

• I appreciate that your channel is in Arabic; however, have you thought about adding English subtitles to reach a broader audience?

Adding English subtitles is a nice idea. Maybe I’ll considered in the future. But one of the reasons of making this channel in Arabic is there is no specialized Arabic channel dealing with guitar, gears, sound editing and music theory etc…  So I thought about making something unique and I think it is unique till now

• Lastly, thank you for this interview! Could you share more about your upcoming plans for your channels?

I have some new plans for the channel. I was hoping to keep it secret. But anyway I’ll tell it for the sake of this nice magazine. I am planning to make interviews with the famous music composers and guitarist rockers in Egypt. Also I will  cover some art related issues especially in Motion Picture. Sound engineering and mixing fundamentals will be also included.  I think it will be something really new to talk with celebrities about famous about their music background. Some of them  were rockers in their early stage.

Be sure to visit his page here to gain additional insights from the talented rock/metal guitarist virtuoso.