Is Shakira really Colombian?
We all know her as a beautiful Colombian, but...
Shakira, one of the most popular women on the planet and the queen of Latin music today, is usually called the fiery Colombian by the media, but that is only partially true. The attractive singer Shakira was born in the Colombian city of Barranquilla in 1977, and her full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.
Her mother Nidia del Carmen is of Colombian descent from Spain and has two surnames, one of which (Ripoll) is Catalan and very famous - it comes from four famous brothers who emigrated from Catalonia to Colombia in the 19th century. She is also of Italian descent through her mother, but little is known about the legacy the singer inherited from her father.
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Namely, Shakira's father William Mebarak Chadid was born in New York, in a family of Lebanese emigrants, and when he was five, he moved to Colombia. Thus, Shakira has both Lebanese and Arabic origins, and it is little known that her name comes from the Arabic language, meaning "grateful" and is a female variant of the name Shakir.
In addition to the belly dance for which she is known, Shakira alluded to her Arab origins or paid tribute to the people of Lebanon. The last time she drew attention to this fact was at the Super Bowl 2020, when she sang with Jennifer Lopez at halftime.
Namely, Shakira showed zaghrouta to the camera, a vocal expression that is performed during the celebration and indicates great joy. The singer in the song Ojos Asi also has a part of the text in Arabic, and she has repeatedly pointed out how happy she is that she herself, as well as her music, is in a way a fusion of different cultures, religions, and folklore.
By the way, Shakira is very close to her family. She recently posted an emotional video on Instagram, with her father, who had an accident. Namely, Shakira dedicated herself to her father William Mebarak Chadid, and helps him with memory exercises. This video saddened many of the singer's fans, so they supported her in the comments and wished Shakira's father a speedy recovery.
