A Portrait of Naseer Shamma
Reports from Other Continents
We are delighted to share with you this report from Iraqi composer, oud player, poet, and humanitarian Naseer Shamma. His story is remarkable, as his passion and intentions are as pure as his talent. Perhaps the most notable aspect of his story lies in the fact that his artistry defies crimes against humanity. Accordingly, he was named UNESCO's Artist for Peace in 2017. Despite facing the cruelties of living under dictatorship and the atrocities of war, Mr. Shamma became a beloved and unifying figure for the people of Iraq. Even suffering a period of unjust imprisonment, Mr. Shamma was eventually freed because of the pleas of his fans. The fate of the Iraqi people has driven him to purposefully use his passion in ways that channel the heartache that their suffering has brought. Mr. Shamma invests his time and earnings back into helping people through music. He has opened Beit al-Oud, the House of the Oud, in Alexandria, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Cairo, and Khartoum. Here, he passes on his resilience and teachings through music to people from all walks of life. The schools follows an extremely personal approach, to the extent that people who have lost body parts in war can still learn to play the oud because Naseer Shamma figures out ways to teach them. It is his hope and ours that this report will inspire you to seek the treasures of life, even where surrounded by torment – however hard this may be at times.
A film by Yasser El Sahn & Roula Debes.
