Baghdad Journal , Day Four
Sometimes is amazing what you hear on the radio. I don't know
if you had a chance to hear the program we ran on
Friday. The founder and the current director of Iraq's
National Symphony Orchestra, along with the Principal Second Violin
were here in The Connection's Baghdad Studio. (I love the sound
of that don't you? "The Connection's Baghdad Studio.")
Don't tell anyone, but it's actually a rather "homey"
room in the Al Dar Hotel. I'll leave the amenities to your imagination.
Nice poster of Amsterdam over the bed though.
Today we taped blankets over the window to muffle the sound of
our generator while we hosted these three classical musicians.
(I KNEW there was going to be a use for all that duct tape that
Mr. Ridge told me to buy…)
They told a very passionate story about the trials of trying
to run the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra during all the years
of sanctions, and most recently, in the aftermath of all the looting
and bombing.
Sometimes, when radio shows end…you hear something that
bears repeating. Today was just such a case. When the mics were
off, Hisham (the director of the orchestra) turned to his second
principal violin, Majid. The exchange went like this…
(H) You know the rehearsal we planned for tomorrow?
(M) Yes, I will be there. I'm looking forward to it.
(H) We can't rehearse.
(M) Why not?
(H) You know the Rabat Hall?
(It's the house of culture in Baghdad, and a place where the orchestra
players often practice)
(M) Yes?
(H) It was taken over by the Shia this afternoon.
(M) WHAT?
(H) Yes they moved in with machine guns and put up a sign saying
the Shiite Democratic Party.
(M) So where will we rehearse?
(H) I don't know. I don't know.
Just yesterday on our program we talked about the rush of the
religious leaders into the vacuum left by the vaporization of
the Baath party. There couldn't be a better example.
Here's "Dick's Forecast for the Weekend" (and beyond).
Don't focus on Ahmed Chalabi. He's not "the next big thing"
in Baghdad. Not by a long shot. The U.S. can provide him with
all the chopper-taxi-escort-service, and news conference table
cloths he could want. The people aren't listening to him. Not
yet. They're listening to the people they know and trust; the
people in the mosques; and after 30 years of life under Saddam
Hussein, "trust" can't be bought with political pronouncements.
The National Symphony Orchestra has players who are Shia, Sunni,
Kurdish and Christian. Why can't THEY run this place? Seems to
me that in this time of mad men they are the only ones who are
actually willing to "play" together.
FIELD REPORTS
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