Arab unity (الوحدة العربية) has always been a dream for Arab masses (الجماهير العربية). It seems a very far fetched one at the time being, but in the fifties and sixties, it was a very important political concept, and a driving force for peoples and politicians alike. The formation of the Arab League was meant to be a step on the way, but of course the political economy of the Arab world has not made it possible for this unity to be realised.
There is a very nice song that expresses the dream of Arab unity called (الوطن الاكبــــــــر) or “the Grand Homeland”. It was produced in 1960 to celebrate unity between Egypt and Syria and the founding of the High Dam (السد العالي); lyrics by Ahmed Shafiq, and music by Mohamed Abdel Wahab. This song is performed by a number of singers from all around the Arab world, Abdel Halim Hafez (Egypt), Sabah (Lebanon), Warda (Algeria), among others.
