Colombian singer Shakira held on Friday a concert in her ancestral home of Lebanon, delighting a crowd of thousands gathered under the stars near the northern “Forest of the Cedars of God”.
“Lubnaaan! It’s amazing to be in this magical setting, it’s surreal, thank you so much for having me tonight,” she said after her opening songs, using the Arabic word for Lebanon.
“This means so much to me to be singing in the land of my grandparents,” she said. “I feel so proud of these cedars, so proud of my heritage and so proud of you,” said Shakira, 41, to cheers from the crowd.
Shakira performed songs from her 11th album, El Dorado, which was released last year as well as classic hits such as “Estoy Aqui” and “Whenever, Wherever”. She also belly danced.
Part of a world tour, the Shakira concert marked the start of the Cedars International Festival, one of a number of music festivals hosted by Lebanon each summer.
Shakira, who was born in Columbia to a Lebanese father and Colombian mother.
This is Shakira's third visit to the country. Her first visit came in 2003 and she returned in 2011 for a concert.
Earlier on Friday, she visited the village of Tannourine where her paternal grandmother was born, an AFP journalist said.
"Hello Tannourine, thank you, I am happy to be here!", she said in Arabic during a visit under high security to the village of Tannourine in Lebanon's mountainous north.
Accompanied by local officials, Shakira visited a nature reserve that grows cedar trees -- Lebanon's national emblem -- and planted two saplings.
To mark the occasion, a small patch of the reserve was named "Shakira Mubarak" -- after one of the singer's family names, Tannourine's mayor Bahaa Harb said.
The Forest of the Cedars of God and nearby Qadish valley are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Shakira is in Lebanon with her two sons.
