Poetry is Iraq's new national therapy

[rawstory]

The Christian Science Monitor, known more for its introspective than breaking news reporting, struck gold with a piece by Annia Ciezadlo, who maintains that poetry is Iraq’s means of national catharsis. While major media outlets have focused on the casualties of war, they have spent too little time investigating how a country heals itself; Ms. Ciezadlo says poetry does just that.

BAGHDAD - In Iraq, there is a saying that beside every palm tree, you will find a poet. To give you some idea of how many poets that is, there are 25 million people in Iraq, and 38 million palm trees.

In this country, poetry is like national therapy, a cure for ills in the body politic.

“As Iraqi people, we like to celebrate our state, our country,” says Harith Ismail Turki, a professor of English literature who is, of course, also a poet. “People sometimes resort to poetry, not as a way to escape, but as a way to mitigate the agony inside themselves.”

http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=201

[DeepModem Mom]

1. That is a fascinating article -- I had no idea poetry...

was an important part of Iraq's culture. That scene where poetry is recited inside a circle of men, kind of like rapping -- and the note that Saddam Hussein spends cell time writing poetry --

[Teaser]

2. Poetry is hugely important..

...in nearly any arabic speaking country.

Have you ever noticed how many statements by arabic speakers tend to have poetic flourishes (the infamous "mother of all battles")? That
is not merely an artifact of translation.

It helps to have a language that is standardized by a particular canon (in their case, the Quran) that is itself rich in poetic device.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. You're right -- I remember that guy they called "Baghdad Bob"...

had quite a gift for rhetorical flourishes. And interesting about the Quran. I think some of our finest words hark back to the Bible (and Shakespeare): Lincoln's Second Inaugural, Martin Luther King's speeches.

[rawstory]

4. See also: Heavy metal scarce in Iraq

from another somewhat relevant thread i just posted -- it's high time the media started looking deeper than the sheer number of physical casualties of war...

Performing ‘protest’ music easier under Saddam Hussein

In Iraq, where the national pastime is poetry, heavy metal is in short supply, writes Wall Street Journal reporter Yochi Dreazen in Tuesday’s paper. Officials are loath to allow such music that, well, rages against the machine. Selections from the article, which is only available to paid subscribers, is reprinted here for personal use.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – When Acrassicauda ripped into a furious version of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” at a recent concert, dozens of fans rushed the stage, jerked their heads to the music and slam-danced.

Midway through the set, a portly club official took the stage and ordered the crowd to sit down. The band ignored him and kept playing, and around 50 of the roughly 200 fans remained standing. The official ended the concert and angrily escorted the band off the stage. Faisal Talal, the band’s singer and rhythm guitarist, shouted a string of profanities, drawing cheers from the crowd.

It was a classic moment of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, but such gestures come at a high price in Iraq. The venues that Acrassicauda – which may be Iraq’s only heavy-metal band – played before the war are now government compounds or off-limits because of street crime. The staid Iraqi Hunting Club, which hosted the aborted concert, says the band won’t be allowed back. The group hasn’t found a new venue.

http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=203

[Mr_Tom_Paine]

5. The Fighting Poets (Asia Times)

For those who might like to read more on this might be interested in a series of articles published last month by Asia Times concerning Fallujah. Part 2 of the article was titled "The Fighting Poets."
The entire article is well worth reading.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Fallujah.html

[newyawker99]

6. Hi Mr_Tom_Paine!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: