The vid, with performance by Ibrahim Qashush (whose throat was cut soon thereafter) is here, with subtitles. It was stunning to see how big a role music and chanting is playing in the Arab Spring. Shots of men chanting and punching the air in Arabic all sounded alike to me. The horrific murder of Ibrahim Qashoush, however, puts a face and a voice on the aspirations of millions of people. Qashoush was a Syrian whose incredible powerful chanting galvanised crowds of up to 200,000 with his performances. The chants are simple rhythmic couplets known as dabke, to which the audience replies with gusto. In the hands of the right singer, it’s simple and hugely effective. Qashoush played with the genre by adding couplets where least expected and then breaking into known songs. The words are blunt and, given the level of oppression in Syria, courageous to say the least. The chant that has gained the most popularity is “Yalla Irhal Ya Bashar (Depart Bashar)”. You lost all your legitimacy Depart depart, Bashar Bashar, you are not one of us Take Mahir [Basher’s brother] and depart from here Depart depart, Bashar Bashar, you are lying You had bad speech Freedom is very near Depart? depart, Bashar Ibrahim Qashoush was found dead in the river near his home town of Hama on July 4. He had been tortured by the authorities and his throat cut, perhaps symbolically. Hama has been the location of previous atrocities by the Syrian regime, but is refusing to bow to the current attacks.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 12:29:26 +0000