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Summer music in Kurdistan
23.6.2008
By Yahya Ahmed in Sulaimaniyah
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June
23, 2008
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region "Iraq", —
Once, Azzadi garden was a military base where tens
of Kurdish citizens were executed under the rule of
deposed bloody dictator Saddam Hussein.
So the Kurdish folk songs wafting on its summer
breeze last week had a special meaning for residents
who gathered there to welcome the season with music.
"My body and soul moved as I listened to the music,www.ekurd.net
especially in this
environment," said Shireen Wihab, 29. "I never felt
like this before."
Altogether, the Ministry of Culture put on 24
concerts across the three Kurdish provinces. The
musicians played late into the night in gardens,
hospitals, infirmaries and even jails.
The region's first summer music festival was modeled
after Fete de la Musique in Paris, a tradition that
originated in the 1980s and now is widely practiced
around the world.
"We are trying to return the taste of music to our
people, to be close to them, and this is a beautiful
thing," said clarinet player Heresh Abed Rahman,
leader of the popular group Sahnad.
"It's the first time we play under the open sky.
Although it's windy, which affects the volume, the
trees and the wind produce special tones which mixed
with our music."
Improved security and political stability in
Kurdistan are allowing people to pursue creative
expression again, Abed Rahman said.
In a convalescent home, a string quartet played for
residents in a small garden.
Listening, Rashed Mourad, 69, reflected on the
hardships of his life.
"Life was hard — we had no chance to listen to
music," he said. "I used to work hard to raise my
children, but today I am in a different world, with
those who have no family.
"I want this event to be repeated to give us hope
against the oppression of life."
Copyright, respective author or news agency, latimes
com
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