Finding Common Ground in an Uncommon Nation
Ed O’Connell
Here we have our first complicated matter to think about. It is known that Syria supports violent extremist organizations. Yet terrorist acts also have created a sense of revulsion toward terrorism. The scene in the television serial, for example, was based on the actual event in which a small child was scheduled to blow up the Syrian Palace of Justice in Damascus with potentially enormous loss of life. It was averted only because the mother mustered enough courage to defy a radical cleric and inform the authorities.
Machnok walks us out onto the roof of the Art House, opening up an amazing landscape of riches in all directions, the golden dome of a mosque on one side, the sparkling heights of the city of Damascus on the other, and in the middle, this oasis of calm surrounded by old trees and enlivened by the stream that formerly fed the ancient mill.
Next, we walk downstairs and enter a vast hall with a beautiful buffet spread out on one end and an exhibition of modern Syrian art displayed at the other. It is here we finally encounter Anzour himself. Ever since we landed, Ed has been preoccupied with a somewhat peripheral worry – not his for safety (nor any possible anti-Americanism); what had been worrying him is his hair, or rather, whether its length would be out of place here. The conventional American thinking is that Arabs don’t respect professionals with long hair – just one of the deep insights from the new wave of U.S. cultural and “human terrain” experts who have cropped up to “explain” the Middle East these days.
In reality, the basement we walk into could be anywhere – London, Paris, Tokyo — and Anzour himself wears his grey hair to the shoulders. His companions – artists and actors – sported similar styles. Sitting next to him is the improbably named Honey Al-Sayed, with her infectious throaty laugh that has helped make her Syria’s top radio personality. It’s her real name, she hastens to tell us in her impeccable English; her parents chose it in honor of a popular fashion model of their day.
The mood in the Art House cellar is exhilarating. Poets, painters and actors drift in and out, stopping for a few minutes to joke with one another and to inquire earnestly and respectfully after each others’ work, taking time to praise it for the benefit of us, the newcomers.
Ed O’Connell
After these casual introductions, we all sat down to eat at an oak table in the depths of the Art House basement. We are introduced next to Ahmad Moualla and his wife. Moualla is Syria’s top artist famous for his paintings While Waiting, Wing Tomb and Damascus. As if to reaffirm the realization that we are meeting some of the Middle East’s best and brightest on our first night, we are casually introduced to “the man who created the now-successful TV station Al-Jazeera based in Qatar,” Mohammed Jassim Al-Ali, who walks over to join us briefly.
The next morning we are taken to Anzour’s workshop. According to his biography, his family is from Circassian stock, from the southwest corner of Russia. In 1931, his father made Syria’s first silent film, Under A Damascus Sky. In his chaotic “studio” – really more like an apartment that just happens to have lots of electronic equipment — Anzour is the picture of an artist at work: chain smoking, scripts in hand, manipulating the buttons of his rather rudimentary film-editing equipment, again wearing his trademark long-sleeved black turtleneck. A few of his assistants mill about, bringing Turkish coffee and biscuits – some of them, he tells us, have been with him for more than 20 years and are “absolutely loyal,” an assurance more common in the police-state days of the country’s former President Hafez al-Assad.
Sitting down at the controls, sleeves rolled up, Anzour shows us some of this recent works. Al-Hur al-Ayn (The Virgins of Paradise) was a Ramadan serial, or soap opera, which had set the Muslim world abuzz in 2004. This particular episode shows a cleric treating a boy with epilepsy by exorcising his demons. In the end, the cleric wins the gratitude of the epileptic’s healthy brother, who the cleric then plots to recruit as a suicide bomber. The serial is narrated by a fictional character, an older woman, who has lived through the bombing of a neighborhood compound “somewhere in the Middle East.”
Another one is called Al Mariqoun (The Renegades). It catalogues the social ills confronting many families in the Middle East, including such taboos as spousal abuse and pedophilia. One film clip shows a father confronting his two daughters, both of whom have been out on the town until the early morning hours. One of them has come home heavily made up and drunk, while moments later her sister appears in full hijab (the traditional female headscarf), having joined a women’s secret extremist religious cult. His work and his message, Anzour tells us, are all aimed at “the middle” – the large majority of average Arabs and Muslims who are repulsed by both extremes: liberalism gone amok and religious fanaticism.
Interspersing his explanations with the occasional gleeful, “This caused a lot of controversy,” and “This was very shocking,” Anzour walks us through his fascinating oeuvre. He expects his current project will generate even more excitement. Titled Al Kawareer, it is composed of 20, 70-minute-long episodes, each by a female screenwriter, each addressing a problem faced by women in Muslim society. His press release for Al Kawareer states:
“The series is a reflection of what Third World women have to go through from worries, suffering and degradation, and so we hope when placing the spotlight on such issues, it will help bring back women’s natural rights . . . rights that have been taken by a society governed solely by males . . . socially, economically and even emotionally!”
The next day we visit Pakistan Street – not far from American Street – the home of Syria’s first private radio station, Medina FM, and its famous DJ/morning talk show host Honey Al-Sayed. Once inside, we discover a very modern studio where hip young DJs abound. Honey is in the middle of her very popular morning radio call-in and music show, Good Morning Syria. The sound engineer, Abdullah, sits on the other side of the soundproof glass from Honey, and both seem to feed off of the other’s energy. Bopping to the mostly pop music being played, Abdullah at times cannot contain himself, but must leap to his feet for a bit of Arabic dancing.
Ed O’Connell
In many ways, Honey is a reflection of the national consciousness: She is probably in touch with more Syrians from all walks of life than any other figure in the country. She receives hundreds of calls and text messages every morning from not only Syria, but from parts of Iraq, the greater Middle East, and even the United States! Her signature laugh — a sort of half-chuckle, half-giggle — is said to be the most recognizable in Syria. When she started a few years ago, Honey tells us, it was unheard of to laugh on the radio at all. Radio was a serious, solemn affair, with news and commentaries read in great earnest and in classical Arabic. Honey single-handedly revolutionized the airwaves, speaking in the colloquial, chatting with her listeners, joking and teasing. Bit by bit, she brought further innovations. The national college entrance exams, a time of great stress for students, causing more than a few suicides, inspired her to bring psychologists and motivational speakers to her show, and what at first was unfamiliar became the new standard.
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Comments
04/22 at 10:54 AM
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05/01 at 01:53 PM
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05/06 at 06:30 AM
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05/18 at 03:09 PM
all Photo very, very beautiful
Thank you for that
10/10 at 04:01 AM
Jebel Qassioun is the “mountain” right behind Damascus… well, actually the hill where the TV antenna is. If you go there at sunset, provided the sky is clear, you’ll be rewarded by a truly unforgettable sunset over the city.
10/25 at 08:21 AM
Very good and high quality images.Its very rarae to find these kinds of images.
Race is one cause of American disunity, a problem that calls for increased dialogue among diverse groups in American society.
11/06 at 02:51 AM
I really love the pictures. As the one previous me said, the quality is very high and good. Congratulations. I didn’t know you can take so good pictures with that camera. I will try to do that to when I go to Viena next week.
11/21 at 07:18 PM
Very nice smooth contrast in these images…great article!
11/27 at 07:48 AM
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11/27 at 07:49 AM
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11/27 at 10:36 AM
It is very sad that being a beautiful nation with lots of good places to visit, they still have problems like this and people refuse to visit there just by the founded fear of being trapped in a terrorist emergency.
12/05 at 08:38 AM
I’ve found this article beeing very useful. Thank you
12/07 at 09:10 AM
Thank you for another great article. Where else could anyone get that kind of information in such a perfect way of presentation.
12/12 at 03:41 AM
Is it not amazing to see people all over the world, and it seems the real common enemy is the politicians?
12/17 at 10:24 PM
I always love to hear of another culture, another place. I’ve been raised in California and sadly have not had the chance to really explore other areas of the world. Glad to hear someone is doing it
12/27 at 09:31 AM
All images are amazing.
12/31 at 04:45 AM
In conventional U.S. perception, Syria is an autocratic state where artists and filmmakers cannot function or flourish. Furthermore, as a member of the “Axis of Evil,” even if it did have any filmmakers, they would be defending terrorism, not condemning it.
01/07 at 01:51 PM
Beautiful and intriguing photos.
01/07 at 01:53 PM
Interesting article, makes you think a lot.
01/08 at 11:49 AM
Great post. Keep up the brilliant work.
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01/09 at 09:54 AM
The images are crystal clear. Its amazing! I heard tons of people have Acid Reflux there? Maybe thats not true. I dk.
01/09 at 11:06 AM
It is very sad to watch on TV the things that are going on there and the people that are loosing the few things that they posses.
01/16 at 07:13 AM
Great article.
I really like your magzine so much. Specially, Images in your article are awe some.
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Thank you so much for such informative article.
01/20 at 02:12 PM
Fotos are great.
01/21 at 06:36 AM
As all others have appreciated so far, I too would agree with them that the inserted images are really GREAT. You can’t assume that “majority” is “right” only on the basis of they are more in number. A life style that is odd but doesn’t interferes with others’ rights; can’t be labelled wrong.
01/22 at 10:31 AM
yeah, I too would agree with you that we are not supposed to side with the majority merely on the basis of their number. Instead one must look in to the attitude and opinions. And the minority has equal rights to survive within a particular state of affairs.
01/27 at 01:21 AM
What a wonderful pictures, the photographer must have been really good.
01/30 at 10:43 AM
Interesting posts. Especially interesting considering the political and inter-country relations currently!
02/09 at 11:33 AM
Great Artilce MAn (y).. picz are awesome.. I salute your work .. Keep It up..Not only your article provided me a lot of infomation about Syria’s condition but your comments are also helping me out.. Bookmarked you ...
02/13 at 12:25 PM
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02/18 at 06:21 PM
Great photos.
02/22 at 10:49 PM
Nice Pics! Thanks for Sharing
02/23 at 04:07 PM
great indeed
02/23 at 10:32 PM
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11/27 at 10:36 AM
It is very sad that being a beautiful nation with lots of good places to visit, they still have problems like this and people refuse to visit there just by the founded fear of being trapped in a terrorist emergency.
02/25 at 07:42 AM
Fifty years after that dirty Western war ended, Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo fill the headlines, and the Middle East waits for the audience to get out of their seats
02/26 at 02:06 AM
Thanks for that very interesting post, i went there with a friend 5 years ago and it’s like you wrote ! Good souvenirs !
02/27 at 08:36 AM
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keep it up
03/02 at 11:26 PM
hmm Middle East waits for the audience to get out of their seats
03/02 at 11:28 PM
went there with a friend 5 years ago and it’s like you wrote ! Good souvenirs !
03/03 at 08:49 PM
I want to say that Syria is the most Safety country in the world and and Syria is my life
god bless syria
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It left me speechless. It is very sad to watch on TV the things that are going on there and the people that are loosing the few things that they posses.
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03/12 at 07:05 PM
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04/03 at 03:19 AM
Thanks for sharing your thoughts in that last post. You have a talent for making a hard subject clear to others. I enjoy reading the posts from a guy who has the same flair for explaining things.
04/03 at 08:53 AM
Thanks for that very interesting post, i went there with a friend 5 years ago and it’s like you wrote ! Good souvenirs !
04/03 at 07:53 PM
Very interesting post. Broadening one’s horizons by visiting another country is refreshing and insightful.
04/07 at 04:42 AM
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04/10 at 06:36 PM
Wow, I truly enjoyed reading about your visit. I, too, hope that women’s right in third world countries are given back to them. They do not deserve suffering… no one does.
Except maybe crooked politicians…
:3
04/12 at 10:53 PM
Its simply great, interesting ideas along with eye-catching snaps.
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04/24 at 04:04 AM
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04/24 at 08:27 AM
Great article! Since I’m in the hotel business, I found it interesting to read how hotels in Syria, the tourist industry, and the economy as a whole suffers from the present conflict. Very interesting to read how you always received pleasant treatment by everyone you met, even in the current situation. It’s nice to see these things at a mor personal lever, and not just the politics.
04/30 at 02:21 AM
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