Beyond Plastic Turkeys: Humans as props.

Published on Tuesday, December 9, 2003 by
CommonDreams.org
Dear Mr President - About the Iraq National Symphony
Orchestra....
by Felicity Arbuthnot

Dear Mr President,
Another day, another stunt. Not a plastic turkey this
time, but a star studded event at the Kennedy Center,
featuring the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra, who
have been flown in by the State Department for a'
healing' event after the illegal invasion and
destruction of their country.
Michael Kaiser, Cultural Ambassador for the State
Department thought the event would be: "a wonderful
way for Americans to learn about Iraqis and for Iraqis
to learn about Americans." The Ambassador apparently
is unaware that Iraqis knows all about Americans, Iraq
was, after all, the country which brought the world
all we call civilized, writing, mathematics, the first
written records, the first laws, the wheel. Baghdad
(formerly Dar Es Salaam - City of Peace) was dubbed
'the Paris of the ninth century.' Iraq and Palestine
have the highest number of Ph.Ds, per capita, on
earth. Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia, is 'the cradle of
civilization.'
Iraqis have been particularly excercised by America
since Hiroshima Day 1990 when the most draconian
embargo ever administered by the UN was imposed under
pressure of the US. Name just about anything one takes
for granted from books to bed linen, disinfectant to
deodorant, fly spray to film - and it was banned or
blocked by the US and its little friend, the UK.
Mr President, as you sit in the front row of the
auditorium with Laura, you will no doubt notice that
Conductor of the Iraq Symphony Orchestra, Mohammed
Amin Ezzet, has very disfigured hands. His neck and
chest, too, are disfigured appallingly. For nearly
thirteen years, all spare parts for electricity were
also vetoed, which led to a burns epidemic as the poor
resorted to candles, even a wick in a bottle of
kerosene - which routinely exploded. The better off
bought cheaply made lamps in the market, which also
exploded on an ongoing basis. People resorted to
inventive ways of cooking, which also routinely led to
tragedy.
The thoroughly democratic embargo left few unscathed.
Mohammed Amin Ezzet is the gentlest of men, to whom
his music and family is all. Three years ago he had
had just celebrated winning a pan-Arab award for
composition, orchestration and conducting of an
original piece of music. Returning home, he went to
his study to compose, his wife, Jenan prepared the
next day's rice, placing it to cook slowly overnight,
on top of the gas heater - the electricity was off.
Her nightdress touched the flame. Mohammed, hearing
her screams ran and threw himself over her.
Jenan was so burned, that in hospital, only her mother
was allowed to see her - and prayed for her death. She
died the next day. Mohammed's arms chest and hands are
damaged beyond repair. When I visited him in hospital
two weeks later, he was still too ill to be told of
his wife's death. Jenan means 'bright eyes.' Two years
later, he said quietly, he wished he had died too.
Your father, his successor President Clinton and your
Administration, even vetoed strings for this
orchestra's violins, parts for their flutes, lutes,
oboes. They were denied music scores. They managed,
however, to largely keep going and played, poignant,
superb music, marred by the odd flawed or missing note
due to lack of parts. Some orchestra members left the
country to earn hard currency to send home to help
their families in the grinding misery of the embargo.
Their venue in the Al Rashid Theatre (named after
Baghdad's seventh century founder) became pretty
battered and run down, but hearing them play Chopin,
Swan Lake, or Strauss brought tears to the eyes, their
courage and battered setting and instruments, somehow
heightening the beauty and their indomitable spirit.
Last year, Mr President, a Chicago based campaigning
group called Voices in the Wilderness took with them
to Baghdad, spare parts, strings and music scores to
this orchestra. Your government is threatening them
with either ten years in jail or a fine exceeding one
million dollars. Your troops allowed the orchestra's
precious theatre to be looted and ruined after your
'liberation' and members of the orchestra, friends of
the founder of Voices, Kathy Kelly - who was in
Baghdad, not safely in Washington, during the war -
went to her hotel and broke down in tears. They had
survived the embargo, the 1991 onslaught, a maiming,
Jenan's and a number of other deaths due to 'embargo
related causes', but it was your your actions which
reduced them to collapse.
So as you spin the upbeat news story of the Iraq's
National Symphony Orchestra coming to town, get into
'healing', shake Mr Ezzet's scarred, misshapen hand,
and listen to Bizet and Beethoven, what about another
bit of healing - putting out a hand to Kathy Kelly and
Voices and rescinding the nastiest, pettiest act of
its kind in modern history. Penalizing humanity.
Enjoy the concert - oh, and don't go offering them
turkey at the reception, sorry for the pun, but it
didn't go down too well.
Yours etc,
Felicity Arbuthnot

Felicity Arbuthnot has written and broadcast widely on
Iraq and with Denis Halliday was senior researcher for
John Pilger's Award winning documentary: 'Paying the
Price - Killing the Children of Iraq.'

-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
		--Brecht.



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