Musician Discusses Music Scene in Iraq

The Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, MO published an article last week about Iraqi oud player Rahim Alhaj.

Alhaj was an out-spoken critic of Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and spent, altogether, 2 years in prison for his out-spoken protest songs. He fled the country in 1991, eventually settling in Albuquerque, where he teaches at the University of New Mexico.

From the article:

Over the years, Alhaj has watched helplessly as the once vibrant Baghdad arts scene has been decimated. Musicians and visual artists fled the country because of war, sanctions and, now, sectarian violence.

“There is not really a music scene in Iraq right now,” he said. “Actually, it’s starting to come back, but very slowly.”

The departure of artists has left more conservative religious thinkers making the rules. In some quarters of Baghdad, secular oud music now is forbidden.

“Unfortunately, they became more conservative because they are poorer. That’s a normal thing,” he said. “Art suffers a lot in war.”

Full story: Musician ponders changes in Iraq