Iraq's Babylon arts festival back after almost 20 years
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, December 22, 2024


Iraq's Babylon arts festival back after almost 20 years
Members of an Indian band perform on stage before an audience during the Babel (Babylon) International Festival, about 100 kilometres south of Iraq's capital on October 29, 2021. Organised for the first time in 20 years, the Babylon Festival has drawn thousands of Iraqis hungry for arts and music to a country ravaged by years of violence. The festival's last edition dates back to 2002, just before the US invasion and the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein a year later. Sabah ARAR / AFP.

by Laure Al Khoury



HILLA.- Showcasing traditional dance, music and arts, Iraq's Babylon International Festival has attracted thousands of fans for the first time in two war-scarred decades.

"It's a great joy. We haven't seen a festival like this for years," said Shaima, 45, visiting the event at the ancient archeological site with her two daughters.

The last edition of the festival was held in 2002, the year before the US-led invasion that toppled the veteran dictator Saddam Hussein.

In the years after, Iraq saw war between US troops and insurgents, sectarian clashes and the battle against the Islamic State group. Tens of thousands died and much of the country and its rich cultural heritage were reduced to rubble.

Today there is relative stability, though marred by periodic IS attacks and political tensions, and Iraqis are looking to the future. The five-day festival, which ended Monday, is one of the symbols of this new hope.

The arts showcase, staged in what was the capital of the ancient Mesopotamian state of Babylonia, this year drew artists from dozens of countries including Jordan, Serbia and Russia as well as homegrown talent.

"It's a fundamental change compared with the terrible ordeals that we suffered," Shaima said.

Rooted in history

The festival, first launched in 1987, was staged at the majestic UNESCO World Heritage site of Babylon, south of Baghdad.

Most performances were held in the Babylon theatre which Alexander the Great built around 311 BC.

Because history, both ancient and modern, is never far away in Iraq, one of the palaces Saddam built still stands just a few hundred metres (yards) from the Babylonian ruins.

In the shadow of a replica of Ishtar Gate, built originally by Nebuchadnezzar II around 575 BC, Iraqi photographer Haider al-Masalmawi was showing his work to visitors.

He voiced hope that the festival would "relaunch art, culture and even the economy of Iraq. It's a showcase."

Egyptian performer Mohammed Fathy said he was happy to be back in Iraq, as melodies from his Al-Ahram group played in the background.

"I came here as a dancer in the 1990s and returned today as stage manager," he said.

A Serbian folklore group along with Jordanian and Palestinian practitioners of dabkeh, a Middle Eastern line dance, were rehearsing their show.

Yasser al-Ardawi, head of the Jordanian troupe, while arranging his red and white keffiyeh head covering voiced confidence that the festival's return means that "security and stability have returned to Iraq".

'Free to sing'

Funding for culture is still often an after-thought in Iraq, a corruption-plagued country with crumbling infrastructure where millions live in poverty despite the nation's vast oil wealth.

The festival was financed privately, said its executive director Mohamed al-Rubaie, adding that the event also faced other challenges.

Babylon is located close to the Muslim Shiite shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf, both socially conservative centres of religious study.

Two days before the festival's opening, the governor of Babylon province, Hassan Mendil, demanded the cancellation of concerts at the festival in response to calls from "religious students".

But the song and dance shows went ahead.

"It's a joyous festival that reflects Iraqi culture," Rubaie said. "Of course there are some fears and we take into account the opinion of others."

Those fears were brushed off by festival visitor Ali Saleh from Diwaniyah, south of Babylon.

"If I want to sing, I am free to do so," he said.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

November 2, 2021

Dayton Art Institute presents "Norman Rockwell: Stories of Emotion"

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation receives gift of rare Navajo Chief's blanket

Exquisite sculptures stand out at modern & contemporary art event

New Museum opens the 2021 Triennial: Soft Water Hard Stone

Art houses want audiences back. Can a MoviePass-style program help?

Afghan art flourished for 20 years. Can it survive the new Taliban regime?

Fine felines, stupendous sculpture & rediscovered Venus to be auctioned off by Hindman

Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Carole King join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

'Naomi Hobson: Adolescent Wonderland' to tour across regional South Australia

New York's Irish Arts Center upgrades to a 'flagship hub'

California African American Museum names Isabelle Lutterodt Deputy Director

Nobel Prize awarded to father of immunogeneticists George Snell sells for $275,000

London Art Week Winter announces exhibitions, highlights, symposium & talks

Vancouver Art Gallery announces new Chief Advancement Officer and Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation

Iraq's Babylon arts festival back after almost 20 years

The Royal Scottish Academy opens a solo exhibition of new works by Paul Furneaux RSA

5,000 shows later, the Grand Ole Opry is still the sound of Nashville

A 6-hour opera in a pandemic? The Met goes for it.

'Porgy and Bess' returns to a new opera landscape

Ronnie Tutt, powerful drummer who backed rock and pop stars, dies at 83

Amid climate talks, an actor's call to action unfolds onstage

Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers announces highlights of the upcoming Estate Fine Art & Antique Auction

Noted Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire dies aged 77

Look Into Ancient Greek Vases & Modern Oil Paintings That Are Still in Demand!

Best Screen for streaming netflix

Costa Rica Fishing

Ukraine for Business activities

How to Exercise With a Broken Hand

5 Apps You Should Have In Your Smartphone




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
(52 8110667640)

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful