Tuesday 24 July, 2001
Kershaw: In Search Of Pop In Iraq
Ten years after the end of the Gulf War, Andy Kershaw travels to Iraq to find out how life, and musical life in particular, has been affected by war and economic sanctions.
In part one of this two-part series, he meets leading pop star Qassim Al-Sultan, who owes his stardom to the network of youth clubs that was set up by the ruling Ba'th Party to raise morale after the Gulf War.
Costly Wars
Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979 following a coup. Just a year after becoming head of state, he ordered a surprise attack on the Islamic republic of Iran. The objective was to capture the Shatt al-Arab waterway leading to the Gulf.
The operation was designed to be swift and successful. In fact, the war was prolonged for eight years.
It proved ruinous to Iraq and Iran. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians died on both sides as Iraqi troops were met with fierce Iranian resistance. With both countries spiralling into debt and poverty, Hussein finally agreed to a ceasefire.
In August 1990, Hussein turned his attention to the emirate of Kuwait, ordering troops to invade. Following this invasion, a US-led coalition began the aerial bombing of Iraq in January 1991.
Sanctions
As a result of the invasion of Kuwait, the United Nations Security Council ordered a trade boycott and a series of harsh economic sanctions, which continue to have a devastating effect on Iraq's 23.1 million inhabitants.
Since 1996, the UN has implemented an oil-for-food programme. Iraq has been allowed to sell its oil and use the proceeds to purchase relief food, medicine and other humanitarian goods.
The people of Iraq have suffered.
The Effect Of An Embargo
It's been ten years since the imposed sanctions and the allied bombing. The hope in the West is that concerted action will eventually bring Iraq to its knees but Hussein has proved to be a resilient leader. He has survived wars, assassination attempts and the burden of trade sanctions.
But according to Andy Kershaw, some people in Iraq argue the sanctions may have consolidated Hussein's grip on power.
Some areas in Baghdad, the capital, even appear to have benefited. In the wealthy Mansour neighbourhood, shops sell televisions, household electronics, chandeliers, ladies shoes and CDs. In these streets, there appears to be no shortage of goods.
Interpreter Dr Mohammed Darweesh, also a James Joyce scholar who has translated Ulysses into Arabic, accompanies Kershaw in his window shopping. Dr Darweesh believes despite the hardships, trading is on the rise. He says:
| 'Things have become better for the Iraqi people. After the ceasefire, there were shortages, of everything. But then people started importing things from abroad. The private sector is not prevented from importing from other countries, except from the US.' | |
'All shopkeepers need to do here is to contact some Jordanian trader and they make a deal.'
Surprisingly, Dr Darweesh believes the embargo has had positive effects on the nation, in particular in the field of music.
'Before the sanctions, we used to listen to one kind of music – traditional Baghdadi. With the sanctions, new waves of pop singers have emerged. Young people need an outlet. Music absorbs their suffering and painful working hours.'
Iraqi Pop
Pop star Qassim Al-Sultan lives in Iraq. He has travelled widely, giving concerts in Australia, Europe and the US. His audience comprises, generally speaking, members of expatriate Iraqi or Arab communities.
As a child, he dreamt of becoming a football star. He would practise football near a youth centre created by the Ba'th Party, which taught acting, sport and music. When he realised he would never become a professional footballer he started taking music classes at the centre. He learned to play the guitar, keyboards and the Arabic lute.
When asked if he was swept to pop stardom thanks to Saddam Hussein's network of youth centres, Al-Sultan replies: “yes, of course.”
Admiration for the gifted singer and musician from Egypt, Umm Kalthoum, also influenced his musical career. His family would congregate to listen to her music. She was born in 1904 and died in 1975 but the Arab world continues to venerate her.
Al-Sultan has tried to promote Kalthoum's music by making an album of her songs. He believes it can help make the younger generation aware of her musical legacy.
Security
While many musicians have left Iraq to settle elsewhere, Al-Sultan has chosen to stay at home.
| 'I feel all the singers who have left the country have become bankrupt musically. I stay and I think I get better. I'm an Iraqi, one million percent. I prefer to stay here. I have my studio, car, family, friends, and I can travel when I want.' | |
'Why should I live abroad and say, “I am singing for the suffering of my country”, while I take the protection of America, or whomever.'
In Iraq, he says, Saddam Hussein looks after “all musicians.” Al-Sultan insists musicians obtain a monthly salary of 100.000 dinar – about $50 – whether they produce music or not.
This financial arrangement is probably conditional.
As the government and the Ba'th Party control and own all print, news agencies and broadcast media, it is likely that music and lyrics too are also monitored.
Al-Sultan recently wrote a song about the effects of sanctions on the Iraqi people. From the singer's description, the lyrics reflect Hussein's own discourse.
'The song glorifies the Iraqi martyrs who fell during the fighting. And it talks about the persistence and the resilience of the Iraqi people. When something is bombed we build it up again. Our patience is endless…we retain honour and dignity.'
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| Kazem Al-Saher |
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Kazem Al-Saher is one of the biggest pop stars in Iraq.
He was born in Iraq in 1961.
He took up the guitar at the age of 10. Two years later, he began composing his own songs.
At 21, he enrolled at Baghdad's Music Academy, and soon began combining the classical tradition with pop.
In 1987, he made a video for his song The Snake Bite. While it was banned because of its lyrics, it clearly launched him to fame.
In the ‘90s he worked with Syrian poet Nizzar Qabbani, who had also composed some lyrics for Umm Kalthoum.
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| Umm Kalthoum |
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It has been said that when Umm Kalthoum, The Star of The East, sang, "life in the Arab world came to a stop".
This was also true when she died.
On February 3, 1975, millions of Egyptians mourned her death. |
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