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In Iraq, Singing for a Chance at Hope and Glory
A contestant tries his luck on "Iraq Star," the violence-racked country's popular version of "American Idol."
(By Sudarsan Raghavan -- The Washington Post)
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"The song is strong, and you are losing your voice," said the judge. "Sing a little slower."
Ibrahim nodded meekly. The musicians began again.
His voice, slower now, started strong. But it soon fell again. Then it went off-key. The judges cringed. Moments later, Ibrahim abruptly stopped and gave a nervous laugh.
"I forgot the words to the song," he said sheepishly.
A few minutes later, Shaobi, the head judge, gently broke the news: "You're still in arts college. You should prepare yourself for next year's show."
Ibrahim didn't throw a tantrum. He didn't declare that the judges were wrong. He smiled and said politely, " S hukran " -- thank you.
"I don't care if I win or not. That's not the most important thing," he said afterward, surrounded by other young hopefuls. "All these young Iraqis are challenging the situation in Iraq. We are trying to show our skills and not remain stale and jobless."
To the producers of "Iraq Star," the show has a larger motive. There are no Arabic pop hits or divisive, ultra-religious hymns sung here. The producers encourage contestants to sing folk songs, poems set to music or patriotic tunes that appeal to the whole country.
They want contestants to check their sects, religions, ethnicities and tribes at the door and enter as Iraqis. To hammer their vision home, the director, cameramen, judges and stagehands wear white buttons on their chests that read: "For the Unity of Iraq."
"Once the contestants arrive here, they are disconnected from the world outside," said the show's director, Yaseen Mohammed Amin, his voice brimming with confidence.
He paused to give orders to a stagehand, then added, "Singing is the only breath of fresh air for young people suffocating in the middle of violence and bombings."
Under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Amin worked for Iraq's state-owned television network. He used to make nationalistic documentaries about Iraq's culture and history. In the 1990s, as tensions rose between Iraq and the West, he turned his talents to morale-boosting propaganda films. In the fourth year of the U.S.-led occupation, Iraq's television landscape is unrecognizable, he said.
