Inside This Report:
1. A Report on Baghdad by Wafaa' M. S.
2. Brief News about IRAQ's Skies Being Sold.
1. Report from Baghdad by Wafaa M. S.
following her trip to Baghdad in February 2004
The highlights of this report are the people's daily struggle under the American/British/Israeli occupation in IRAQ and the condition of the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad.
I arrived in Baghdad in the afternoon of February 22 (2004), utterly nostalgic. I had light bites, tea with cardamom and lots of water on the road from Amman to Baghdad. The most eye-striking feature in Baghdad and more noticeable this time than in my earlier trip in November was the presence of foreign companies and businesses and the harshly crowded streets. Harsh because of the magnitude of jammed traffic and chaos, unprecedented in Baghdad or in any other city in IRAQ. In one instance, it took us two hours to reach a destination that normally takes about 20 minutes. We had to use Al-Jamhooriyya bridge, one of the beautiful bridges in Baghdad connecting the Karkh and Risafa sides. It has two lanes each way and wide side walks on both sides overlooking the beautiful Tigres. The bridge's side walks were wide enough to be utilized as an additional lane for cars to drive on in frustration from the hectic bridge.
It used to be called Queen Alia bridge, which was built in the mid. 1950s. The reason for the traffic jam was that the Americans were utilizing the bridge for their tanks to cross shortly before that and didn't allow any cars to pass by until they were completely gone. The lack of traffic lights and the occasional presence and the ineffectiveness of traffic police have added fuel to fire.
In the middle of this chaos, one witnesses the great palm trees! They keep fascinating me - beauty and grace like no other. How they withstood the aggression of the American bombardment and depleted uranium since 1991 is indeed mystifying! I have been craving to visit a village (on the road to Hilla and Karbalaa') which I had seen briefly in 1999, but never gotten enough of it. The idea of seeing it again kept haunting me until I finally decided to visit it and satisfy this tortorous desire. I woke up so early, despite being tired from the trip to Baghdad the day before, hurrying with my camera to document wild drop of Iraqi beauty. Had I had any shred of energy and was not numb, I would have poured tears screaming out of my lungs of longing, shame and disappointment for what had happened to IRAQ and these DIVA villages of beauty. But sadly I was tired and numb. I was struck numb by this village's beauty; long streets with palm trees so thick on both sides, there is not an inch of space in between them to see the horizon; green, standing so powerful, giving and peaceful. I videotaped one of these long streets with palm trees nearing one another like a wedding procession.
On the following day, I visited the Institute of Fine Arts, which was established in 1936. Its only library contained no books, broken windows and no functioning (electric) plugs. The cold air seeped through its windows and walls with employees in heavy coats without heating whatsoever. I was so embarrassed standing with them not knowing what to do. Asking questions, witnessing and videotaping all these depressing scenes without being able to do anything was a torturous experience. I had only one more day left in Baghdad with so much to do; I didn't have enough time to go to the souq (market) to even buy a heater for the library. The one thought that kept coming to my mind was to raise funds to fix the Institute's library. Raising $4000 will fix the wall painting, the windows, the electric wiring and plugs, and may leave extra to buy a computer, printer, a heater and an air-conditioner.
While in the middle of these thoughts, a woman invited me to see a play, which was being presented as I was recording in the library. It was such an uplifting break to attend part of the play and to videotape a couple of its scenes. A young woman actress grabbed the audience attention and mine, what a strong and lovely character to watch! Every time I watch the footage with her acting and making humorous remarks, I take a nourishing deep breath and feel so thankful for witnessing it all.
On my last day, I visited the Music & Ballet School and took footage of its ballet department. There I also videotaped two wonderful young girls who were ready for their ballet rehearsal. I wished I had more time to cuddle and chat with them! I also took footage of a piano playing by Ali Suhail A. Razzaq, a piano teacher at the school.
The main reason for visiting the school was to hand them donations. We were able to raise funds enough to purchase computers and color printers for the school's computer lab. Musicians from IOWA and Massachusetts made this possible (see below). A few other computers and printers were donated to this school by the Norwegian Christian Funds. The latter had also donated many stringed instruments last year and had recently finished the renovation of four large rehearsal rooms in the ballet department.
In the midst of what is going on in IRAQ, the killing, destruction and the recent closing of hospitals in Baghdad, perhaps funding for schools seems unrealistic and less important, but it is the IRAQI morale that we are hoping to nourish and help not fade away. Distroyed homes, damaged cars and even broken legs can be fixed, but not depressed and defeated souls. Keeping busy and getting educated are important for mind stimulation. Being involved with the arts is equally healthy; they have mysterious ways in preventing hopelessness and despair.
The general situation in IRAQ has not changed since I visited it in November (2003). The number of deaths, injured or getting sick is on the rise. The security was and still is at stake with rising crime, rape and children abduction, something was unheard of even during the embargo. The status of electricity, telephone lines and many destroyed buildings are still unchanged and continue to deteriorate.
The abuse of Iraq's treasures, buildings and even skies by the American/British/Israeli occupation and their theft of oil, gold, cash and water has never been witnessed in any other war in history. About 75% of Iraq's skies have been sold to one family! (see below) The star thief, Ahmed Chalaby, has been appointed the Minister of Finance while 75% of Iraqis are still unemployed!
As if all of that is not enough, the food, air and water have been in constant deterioration as well. American food has made its way to IRAQ alongside the bombs and destruction! I arrived in Baghdad with nostalgia to Iraqi food too, but I have noticed changes in quality. Rotisserie Iraqi-grown chicken with Iraqi bread and pickles were among the food I had craved for. When I ordered it, I didn't ask what kind of chicken it was. I assumed it was Iraqi. But as soon as I tasted it, I knew it was American chicken! What a difference in taste! People in IRAQ and elsewhere in the Middle East and Europe acknowledge the bad quality of American-grown chicken being fed with chemicals, the wrong food and hormones, especially when exported to developing countries. Jokes were made about it in IRAQ: How large in size when raw, yet shrinks to nearly half its size when cooked!
Despite the destruction and killing, the Bush administration continues to claim that the US war in IRAQ was a war of liberation and that the Americans are there to shower Iraqis with freedom and democracy. It is mind blowing to learn that more than 40% of US voters still wish to see Bush reelected! In the meantime, Iraqis' temperature has reached a boiling level and their patience has evaporated!
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2. Controlling IRAQ's Skies
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/cep/articles_publications/publications/iraq_airlines_20040409
Controlling Iraq's Skies: The Secret Sell-Off of Iraq's Air Industry
February 9, 2004
In this report OSI's Iraq Revenue Watch (IRW) looks at Iraq's national air transport sector, which is presently controlled by the American-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Despite CPA claims that it intends to return control of the country's air industry to the Iraqi people, a document obtained by OSI shows that a backroom deal has already sold off 75 percent of the countrys air sector to a single family.
The IRW argues that the secret deal is one among a number of suspect agreements that have occurred under the radar in a chaotic post-war Iraq. The report's authors caution that Iraq risks following a similar path as Russia, where a class of oligarchs emerged after the fall of communism by buying up state assets at below market prices.
"Controlling Iraq's Skies" recommends that this contract be frozen and an investigation be launched by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, as well as by the CPA Inspector General. The report also calls on the CPA to compensate Iraqi Airways for damage to its facilities committed by occupying forces, and fees for the use of its facilities.
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