"Beyond the obvious effects of destruction gripping Baghdad he found people filled with a yearning to reclaim the true spirit of Iraq. He found that art, unlike violence, is a way of asking questions about what has happened and what might still be to come for the country. “The greatest sadness is that a generation of Iraqis has been raised on violence. Hate and aggression is their language, the only form of expression they know. They have been denied their own cultural heritage and the cultural heritage of the world. And that has to change. A country needs its culture to heal.” Despite the language of violence, the desire of many young Iraqis to purge their pain by taking pride in their culture is growing."
[The Poet of Baghdad]
The cover
I remember when I had first heard about the political upheaval going on in this country. I wondered, "Why can't these people just be thankful that they have been saved from dictatorship and be nice to each other? Why can't they help each other build this broken country up?"
I was ignorantly stupid, judging people based on my own upbringing. I couldn't imagine a place where people weren't getting along.
But look at Jamaica. We've never had a dictator of our own making [the British colonized us, so you could say we had a dictatorship], but we still have dishonesty, greed, and the like. We have people shooting each other over such insignificant things. You'd think I would understand. But I didn't.
I know that my country doesn't have the same history as Iraq. We've never had the U.S. army come in and bomb everything to find someone like Suddam Hussein. We've never had people who are still loyal to a dead man and his crazy, devilish ideals going around shooting innocent people.
Even now, after reading of all the horrible things going on Iraq, this book was an eye opener. Here is a man who couldn't visit his country for twenty-four years because he refused to stop writing poetry of what he saw and felt, because he refused to stop proclaiming that Iraq needed to be free of all its tyrannical violence.
Everyone knows Suddam Hussein was a bad man. He killed and stole for his own benefit. He tried to destroy the morality and the hope of those who opposed him. But, sometimes, we don't really connect with the statistics of all the people who have had to pay for standing up for freedom. Nabeel's mother, who bore seven children, had to suffer seeing some of them leaving without ever seeing them again. She suffered from them being arrested numerous times, being tortured, having to go into hiding and exile because they refused to bow to the devil. Near the end of her life, she was sick, but because the government wouldn't let doctors have medical supplies, she died in pain. Can you imagine a child's pain knowing that your mother is in pain, and something can be done about it? Knowing that if you just side with the devil, you can get these supplies? It must have been heartbreaking!
In many countries, we think nothing of our right to free speech. We get offended over the slightest inclination that we need to shut our mouths. In fact, people prefer when you're opinionated. Not in Iraq, honey. That shit'll get you killed.
I completely recommend this book. I'm sure every book I read is recommendable, but this one is more so. Iraq is suffering, and this book can help you understand what some people had to go through. I'd even be willing to lend you my copy.
Nabeel Yasin having tea with a bookseller. [2008]
No comments:
Post a Comment