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Iraqi Art - The Unknown Weapon
by Wafaa' Salman, 1999
Iraqi Art is indeed an unknown weapon. No other country in the world has the quality and quantity of art and artists (considering both size and population) as Iraq and yet has such a low profile. Iraqis are inexperienced in marketing and promotion. In addition, despite serious commitment and financial encouragement by the Iraqi government since the 1950s, art in Iraq is not respected and encouraged by society. All these reasons combined, despite its great quality, made the arts in Iraq more or less unknown worldwide.
Since my childhood, art in general, and that of Iraq in particular, has been a part of my spirituality. Whenever I visit Iraq, I make sure to attend as many art-related events as I can. During my trip in January/February 1999, I saw three comedies and attended a (western) classical performance by the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and I conducted interviews with Iraqi women musicians.
The first comedy that I saw was performed by unknown actors and actresses who were mostly Kuwaitis, with few Iraqis. The play featured some of the most talented Arab actors, disappointingly unknown! It had a well-written scenario, dialogue and funny punch lines.
The second comedy was a criticism of the Iraqi system in general and that of the ministries (of health, finance, defense, etc...) in particular, starring the famous Mohammed Hussein Abdel Rahim who did a marvelous job acting, as usual. Despite the overall weak story line, his funny punch lines were superb.
The third play reminded me of many of the noisy and commercial Egyptian plays. Nevertheless, I noticed again the talent of the main actor, Mohammed Imam, and actress, Mays Gumar who acted well and danced even better along with another gypsy dancer who performed outstandingly well. Mays Gumar is a recipient of a Karate black belt.
All three plays featured singing and dancing, which was uncommon in Iraqi plays of the '60s,'70s and '80s. This new dimension in the theater can be viewed as a away to deflect suffering and tragedy. Serious and dramatic performances have no place in the lives of bored and depressed Iraqis.
I also enjoyed the classical performance of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in the early '70s. The evening featured three western-style pieces composed by three Iraqi musicians from the orchestra: Violinist Ziad Othman (b. 1972), violinist Abdallah Jamal (b. 1968) and conductor Mohammed Izzat (b. 1961). The orchestra, comprised of 40 musicians, performed splendidly.
IRAQI Women Musicians:
I met with three musicians in Baghdad: Amaal Ahmed Minaa', born in 1972; Nawal Ghazi Al-Kinani, 1975, and Huda Kamal Mustafa, 1974. All were born, raised and currently living in Baghdad. Nawal and Amaal play the Oud (stringed instrument) and Huda plays the flute.
Nawal Ghazi Al-Kinani is the daughter of an old-time actor, who encouraged her to study music. After graduating from middle school, she attended the Institute of Fine Arts, which requires six years to obtain a diploma in the Arts. She was second in her graduating class. This enabled her to attend the College of Fine Arts and earn a bachelor's degree in Oud.
"The continuous practice, the stage performances that we do and the festivals that we participate in, all make a great recipe for self-improvement and for boosting one's talent and ambition." Ms. Al-Kinani said.
In 1995, the Arabic Music Center in Amman, Jordan invited her, Amaal and Faihaa' (another musician) to give a public performance. The group was called The Scheharezade Trio.
In August 1998, Nawal, Amaal and Faihaa' were invited again to participate in Al-Fhais Festival, one of the major festivals in Jordan. This time, they were part of a larger group called Babylon Ensemble, consisting of 12 musicians.
My disappointment with the Iraqi audience is that it is not a supportive and encouraging audience for the arts. Therefore, I was curious to know about this from an expert. According to Nawal, the Iraqi audience is in general a positive one. She added: "People who attend musical performances come to give us compliments, ask us questions and encourage us. But, it is some of these uneducated people on the streets who, when they see us carrying a musical instrument, they start behaving disrespectfully." She indicated that they may insult, mock or throw pieces of paper at her when she passes by with an instrument. Then continued: "It was this behavior that made me adamant to continue my mission. So adamant that I even refused my father's (car) ride to school. Instead, I took the public transportation, proudly carrying my instrument."
Amaal Ahmed Minaa' was another strong-headed Oud musician. She has the same school line as that of her friend, Nawal, but she had somewhat of a more challenging beginning. She taught herself how to play the organ during her middle school years. In 1989, she attended the Institute of Fine Arts.
Both Amaal and Nawal were advised to study Qanoon (another stringed instrument), but they both chose the Oud. "From the first lesson with the oud, we thanked God that we made the right choice and that we would be able to master it should we continue practicing," said Amaal.
Amaal had composed music for a poem by a well-known Iraqi poet, Ra'ad Bandar, and sang it as well in one of the performances. The song was aired on Baghdad Radio on April 28, 1998. Amaal also performed with the Al-Bayaariq and Babylon Ensembles.
Her ambition is to be a famous star in "the sky of eastern music" as she puts it and to become an independently unique musician. She praised the great talent of famous Iraqi musicians, Jameel and Muneer Basheer and hoped to be as good and famous.Ms. Minaa' concluded: "The oud is my other half. Music is life. Therefore, working arduously to fulfill and produce superb Iraqi art must be my mission. Music is a divine-given talent that grows in humans with time. Knowing that I am about to graduate this year [1999], it is essential that I focus on composing."
Huda Kamal, the flutist, was active in sports during her middle school years. She was part of the volleyball and basketball teams. "It was not until I fell and injured my knees that I decided to stop my involvement with sports."
Following her graduation from middle school, she joined the Center for Fine Arts. Although she chose a western instrument, she was and still is highly interested in learning Eastern instruments such as the Qanoon or the Oud. "But, unfortunately, we were divided according to what the teachers decided and based on their availability and number." After graduating from the Center, she attended the Fine Arts Academy in 1996.
The reason I am reporting Huda's story, despite her not being a well-practiced musician, is because hers is one of many sad stories of those who fail to maintain and improve their talent due to serious depression resulting from the current devastating social, political and economical situation in Iraq under the embargo. As a result, Huda indicated that there was "a lack of good teachers (and teachers in general) whom we can learn from."
In our discussion of the societal problems under the embargo pertaining to the arts and artists and how the embargo has been affecting many aspects of Iraqi survival, the concluding remarks of these young women in regard to coping with the situation were outstanding, especially in light of the harsh realities. Amaal confidently indicated that there is no giving up and no hopelessness. "Correcting society's ills must be done daringly."
Nawal gave the last comment admitting that "we cannot fix the entire society. It is impossible. However, each artist has a will and a talent that enable him/her to impose themselves onto society and give hope. When the audience, despite its being small, listens to our performance, it is a great reward, especially for a woman."
Through my alliance with artists, I have learned so much about people, their talents, goals, accomplishments, needs and agony as well as the environment and system in which they reside.- top -
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