Iraqis find solace in U.S. music

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Dec 11, 2002 Source: The Toronto Star Submitted By: Gina Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys a hit in Baghdad Shopkeeper sells counterfeit cache of Western tunes MITCH POTTER BAGHDAD—In a land fully fraught with questions about what fresh hell the future will bring, there is at least one hideaway in the Iraqi capital offering surprising sounds of solace. Tucked inconspicuously among a row of tiny stalls along Baghdad's popular Arasat concourse is Ghost Music Shop. Here, the soundtrack of the once and future enemy is stacked three metres high, compact discs of everyone from Elton John to Britney Spears to Backstreet Boys. Considering the Iraqi regime's reputation for unrelenting cultural control, Ghost is among a small but growing number of retailers presenting a remarkably broad range of Western pop culture. Even rappers Tupac, Dr. Dre and Eminem are front-racked on these shelves. Owner Saad Yousef, 40, is unabashedly thrilled with his inventory, a mix of pop, disco, rap, techno and alternative rock. Though he has never set foot in the English world, he speaks the language well "just from listening to the music." For Yousef, the distinction between Western culture and Western aggression is easily made. "I love the American people. I love the music, the movies, everything. If just once I could visit Hollywood, my life would be complete," he says. "It is the American leadership that terrifies me. I think George Bush is a scary man." A parade of teenage Iraqi girls crowds the shop to buy the latest from Backstreet Boys, the current top seller. Shakira, says Yousef, is Number Two. Yousef says that when he launched the store in 1997, the Ministry of Information furnished him with a black list of product forbidden for sale. Topping the hit list of the Iraqi thought police is Boney M. The 1970s pop group may be a faded memory for most, but in Iraq they are Number 1 with a bullet among forbidden sounds. The knock against Boney M is twofold; not only have they performed in Israel, a long-time enemy of Iraq, the group is best-known for its hit "Rivers of Babylon," the timeless tale of Jewish exile which saw tribes of Israel land between the Tigris and the Euphrates — the heart of modern-day Iraq. Yousef turns slightly pale when a visiting reporter points out the discs of several other artists whose concert history includes visits to Israel, Madonna and Radiohead among them. But then he shrugs. "With this rule, eventually you would have to eliminate all music. I don't think that is possible." Another English-speaker hanging around the shop — "I'm the biggest rap fan in Baghdad," he proclaims — suggests Iraqi security police have bigger things to do right now than monitor youth culture. The continuing economic sanctions against Iraq have affected its cultural life in myriad ways. For the Iraqi National Orchestra, even the task of replacing violin strings is a sometimes insurmountable challenge. The Iraqi film industry has all but imploded, unable to develop what it shoots; by default, however, live theatre is flourishing. For the music lovers of Ghost, the sanctions are a double-edged sword. On one hand, nobody in the store can name a single foreign pop star who has performed here in living memory. On the other hand, CDs cost 2,250 Iraqi dinars — about $1.75. Asked how he can sell for so little, Yousef pulls back a curtain behind the counter to reveal a five-bay digital duplicator. He counterfeits. "This is what everyone does in Iraq. Because of the sanctions, we can't import legally," he explains. "So I get one copy of a disc either from Syria or Jordan — or if it's a really special artist, I will have it sent to me by friends in America. And then we just make copies. We also photograph the covers and reprint them beautifully." Indeed, a disc of Céline Dion, the only Canadian artist to be found on these shelves, could easily pass for an original. Yousef looks perplexed when queried on whether it matters that the artists earn no royalties on his method of business. "I'm sure the record companies are angry, but we live under an embargo so what are we supposed to do? "All I really care about is that people can enjoy the music. We need this to survive, to stay connected to the outside world." Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: cirkyl Submitted by: bezdar1 Submitted by: pasparty Submitted by: Paulo Submitted by: Edward Submitted by: Carol Clark Submitted by: Shawn Submitted by: Edward Submitted by: Dirk Comment on this item. Next Item: Magically magnificent makeover Prev Item: Richardson to Appear in 'Chicago' on B'way