IRAQ: Summer music in Kurdistan

Once, Azzadi garden was a military base where tens of Kurdish citizens were executed under the rule of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein.

So the Kurdish folk songs wafting on its summer breeze last week had a special meaning for residents who gathered there to welcome the season with music.

"My body and soul moved as I listened to the music, especially in this environment," said Shireen Wihab, 29. "I never felt like this before."

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Altogether, the Ministry of Culture put on 24 concerts across the three Kurdish provinces. The musicians played late into the night in gardens, hospitals, infirmaries and even jails.

The region's first summer music festival was modeled after Fete de la Musique in Paris, a tradition that originated in the 1980s and now is widely practiced around the world.

"We are trying to return the taste of music to our people, to be close to them, and this is a beautiful thing," said clarinet player Heresh Abed Rahman, leader of the popular group Sahnad.

"It's the first time we play under the open sky. Although it's windy, which affects the volume, the trees and the wind produce special tones which mixed with our music."

Improved security and political stability in Kurdistan are allowing people to pursue creative expression again, Abed Rahman said.

In a convalescent home, a string quartet played for residents in a small garden.

Listening, Rashed Mourad, 69, reflected on the hardships of his life.

"Life was hard — we had no chance to listen to music," he said. "I used to work hard to raise my children, but today I am in a different world, with those who have no family.

"I want this event to be repeated to give us hope against the oppression of life."

— Asso Ahmed in Sulaymaniya

Photos: Child dancer participates in summer music festival in Kurdistan; Kurdish folkloric group performs. Credit: Asso Ahmed / Los Angeles Times

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