Shakira embraces Arab celebratory 'zaghrouta' in iconic Super Bowl performance

Shakira broke the internet after she let out a zaghrouta during her performance at the Superbowl.

2 min read

03 February, 2020

Shakira stunned viewers during her performance [Getty]

Lebanese-Columbian superstar Shakira became a meme after she celebrated her Arab roots in front of the world on Sunday night.

In an iconic duo with fellow Latina star Jennifer Lopez, the pair performed at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens Super Bowl during halftime.

Before the iconic performance, J-Lo turned to Shakira and said: "Let's show the world what two little Latin girls can do.”

They sang, belly danced, pole danced, knee slid, crowd surfed and even managed to play drums, whilst making a political statement about Latin American children trapped in cages by the United States.

Shakira, however took it a step further when she looked directly into the camera, stuck her tongue out and let out an Arabic ululation, known as a zaghrouta.

Twitter Post

Unknown to those who are not familiar with Arab culture, the zaghrouta moment went viral on social media and was became a meme when people thought she was merely sticking her tongue out and letting out a "weird scream" at the camera.

The zaghrouta is a celebratory chant is the ultimate an Arab expression of sheer joy that is often heard at weddings, in graduation ceremonies and any other occasions.

“Chiming in because I know everyone will be making jokes about this for days - this is a popular Arab tradition, called zaghrouta, used to express joy at celebrations. In the melting pot that is Miami, you could not have picked a better Super Bowl act and this was a lovely touch,” journalist Lulu Ramadan explained on Twitter.

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