Arabic oud star seeks to 'change soul' of Iraq with music - in pictures

Long uprooted from his homeland, Naseer Shamma returns to Iraq to help rekindle the flame of Iraqi music

At nearly 60, musician Naseer Shamma is still in awe of the short-neck, stringed instrument, the oud. All photos: AFP

Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays the oud during rehearsals at the Iraqi National Theater in Baghdad on January 17, 2022. - Long uprooted from his native Iraq, Shamma, an icon of the Arabic oud, has returned home to help rekindle the flame of Iraqi music, snuffed out by decades of conflict. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

His latest performances educate and entertain. 'Now we're playing to help education. We need to help Iraqi schools,' Mr Shamma says.

Mr Shamma hopes ' music... will change the soul of people'.

While Iraq is still far from its cultural heyday of the 1970s and '80s, it has recently seen a fledgling renaissance, with art galleries opening and book fairs and festivals held.

Despite the sluggish pace of Iraq's recovery and the political disputes that always threaten to erupt into violence, the musician is hopeful for change.

"We need to close the bad past and start again a new life with a new memory and a new vision for the future," Mr Shamma says.

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