Middle East - Anthony Ham [393]
Literature
Most Syrian writers to have made their name beyond Syria’s borders have done so from exile. The most famous contemporary example is Rafik Schami (b 1946), who left Syria in 1971. His A Hand Full of Stars is an outstanding work for teenagers, but Damascus Nights is his best-known (and most widely available) work.
Zakariya Tamir (b 1931), Syria’s master of the children’s story, deals with everyday city life marked by frustration and despair born of social oppression. Having been virtually forced to leave Syria in 1980, he was awarded the Syrian Order of Merit in 2002. His Tigers on the Tenth Day and Other Stories is wonderful.
But not everyone was forced to leave. The Damascene Nizar Qabbani (1923–98) became one of the Arab world’s most beloved poets, credited with transforming formal Arabic poetry with the use of everyday language. He was adored in the 1950s for his love poems, and later for his expressions of the Arabs’ collective feelings of humiliation and outrage after the wars with Israel.
Of the noted writers who remained in Syria, the most celebrated and outspoken was Ulfat Idilbi (1912–2007), who wrote about the late Ottoman Empire and French Mandate and the drive for liberation and independence. Sabriya: Damascus Bitter Sweet is critical of the mistreatment of women by their families, much of its anger stemming from Idilbi’s own experience of being married off at 16 to a man twice her age. Grandfather’s Tale is also worth tracking down.
In 2007, the release of A Story Called Syria, a collection of pieces by 40 writers, was celebrated and quickly followed by calls from Syria’s writers and intellectuals to reinvigorate the literature scene.
Music
Syria’s most famous musical star, Farid al-Atrache (1915–74), spent most of his career in Cairo and remains Syria’s most beloved musical export across the region. Sometimes called the ‘Arab Sinatra’, he was a highly accomplished oud player and composer, who succeeded in updating Arabic music by blending it with Western scales and rhythms and the orchestration of the tango and waltz. His melodic improvisations on the oud (he’s still known as ‘King of the Oud’) and his mawal (a vocal improvisation) were the highlights of his live performances, and recordings of these are treasured. By the time of his death, he was considered – and still is by many – to be the premier male Arabic music performer.
After a quiet period on the Syrian music scene, there are signs of a revival, thanks to the local success of albums by Kulna Sawa (All Together), Lena Chamamian, Itar Shameh, Anas and Friends, Gene and InsaniT, and a sold-out Woodstock-type concert that toured the country in 2007 featuring many of these bands.
Hailed as Syria’s new diva, charismatic Lena Chamamian released her second CD, Shamat in 2007. Its heartfelt folk songs focused on social issues of concern to Syria’s youth, such as Syrians having to leave their country to fulfil their dreams, and lovers weary of their families’ interference in their romance.
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ENVIRONMENT
Syria is one of the worst countries in the Middle East when it comes to both environmental awareness and government programs to protect the environment, despite facing the pressing issues of water scarcity, desertification and pollution. While Jordan, Lebanon and Israel are fast catching on to the benefits of ecotourism, Syria had, at the time of writing, just one lonely member of their ranks: Eco Tourism Syria (www.ecotourismsyria.com). Although the company is something of a work-in-progress, its website is the best of its kind in Syria and tours can be organised to key biodiversity areas in the country. It’s deserving of your support.
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HOW MUCH?
Cup of tea S£50
Newspaper S£5
One-minute phone call to the UK S£100
Internet connection per hour S£50 to