Musician Seeks to Rebuild Iraq through Music

War kept Naseer Shamma away from his homeland of Iraq for years. Now, the famous musician hopes to rebuild his country with performances and projects to support culture and education.

Shamma performed last week at the Iraqi National Theater. The crowd was on their feet cheering as Shamma played classic Iraqi and modern songs. He played with an orchestra¹, as well as young women musicians, who played traditional instruments.

"We will work on lighting² the stage, to get out of the darkness into the light," he told the crowd.

The 59-year-old Shamma is considered a master oud player. The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to a lute³. The instrument is central to Arabic music.

Born in the southern city of Kut, he received his first oud lesson at the age of 11. He later graduated from the Baghdad Academy of Music in 1987.

He fled Iraq in 1993 during Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. He eventually gained international fame, performing around the world, and receiving many awards. In Cairo, he started the House of the Oud, a school for teaching the instrument to new generations.

Shamma currently⁴ lives in Berlin, Germany. He returned to Iraq for the first time in 2012 for a performance supported by the Arab League. He said he was shocked and felt great sadness to see what had become of his country. Iraq had been through repeated war and violence after the U.S.-led war that defeated Saddam.

He returned several times since, most recently in 2017. At that time Iraq was torn apart in its battle with Islamic State group militants⁵ who had captured much of the north.

This was Shamma's first time back to a country mostly at peace. But it is in the middle of an economic crisis⁶. He said the city is more at ease and the audience more responsive.

"The audience's artistic⁷ taste had changed as a result of wars, but last night it was similar to the audiences of the '80s. I felt as if it was in an international concert like one in Berlin," Shamma said after a recent performance. It was the first of four concerts he is holding in Baghdad this month.

The concerts aim to bring attention to Iraq's worsening education system. The education system has suffered under years of conflict, government carelessness and corruption⁸.

The World Bank says that education levels in Iraq are now among the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa. They were once considered one of the highest in the area. Money gained from the concerts will go toward improving the Music and Ballet School in Baghdad.

"In Iraq, there are still schools made of mud, and students don't have desks, they sit on the floor," Shamma said. "Education is the solution and answer for the future of Iraq."

Shamma is known for using his fame to support causes that help people, children, and art. A few years ago, he led an effort that rebuilt 21 destroyed main squares in Baghdad. He is also a UNESCO peace ambassador⁹.

Shamma said he hopes he can return to Iraq permanently¹⁰ soon. He has several other projects in mind for the country's reconstruction¹¹.

Fatima Mohammed, a 55-year-old Iraqi woman, attended the Friday concert. She said the event was a message to everyone that Baghdad will never die.

"I felt as I witnessed the women playing that Baghdad is fine and will return despite all the pain that we carry with us," she said.

"I will come tomorrow also to listen to music, it gives me hope in life."

Words in This Story

orchestra — n. a group of musicians who play usually classical music together and who are led by a conductor

master — n. a person who has become very skilled at doing something

responsive — adj. reacting in a desired or positive way

audience — n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something

concert — n. a public performance of music

mud — n. soft, wet dirt

1 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 lute   

n.琵琶，鲁特琴

参考例句：

• He idly plucked the strings of the lute.他漫不经心地拨弄着鲁特琴的琴弦。
• He knows how to play the Chinese lute.他会弹琵琶。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

10 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

11 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。