Faris Al-Thakhira
Videographer, Syria
My name is Faris Al-Thakhira, a videographer from the city of Raqqa in Syria. I left in 2015 and returned in 2018. Since then, I, along with many friends, have been striving to restore the beautiful image of Raqqa, far removed from the image of destruction and terrorism.
When I was approached to work as a videographer on the project ‘On the Tracks of Music’, I imagined it would be a simple documentation of folk music in Raqqa. However, during the process, I discovered musical styles and folk artists whose significance I had not previously realized.
I will always remember the day I filmed the artist Hamad Al-Shiblawi, a player of the Mizmar (the Ney), as I captured him sitting on the banks of the Euphrates River at sunset. This image remains vivid in my memory, as it embodied my belief that music has always been, and will continue to be, a tool for healing the conflicts and divisions we have experienced.
Fawaz Baker
Musician and artistic director in Iraq and Jordan
When the project began, I had many concerns, as our focus was on folk music. One of my concerns was linking the theoretical aspect with the practical one, and also the fear of freezing this heritage during the documentation and preservation process, as I believe that folkloric heritage should never be set in stone.
During the training journey in Iraq and Jordan, where I took on the role of artistic director and facilitator between folk artists and trainees, I too learned a great deal. I learned that folk music, like “bread,” does not need complexity, and its beauty and depth lie in its simplicity. I also learned that this music and its artists have a direct relationship with imagination, which is why they rely on a simple language of expression. This simplicity expands their ability to diversify, embellish, and improvise, thanks to the uncomplicated rules. It stands in contrast to the academic approach, which assumes knowledge before action (and to be fair, this is true as well). It is the contradiction of art, in all its beauty, complexity, and simplicity at once.
For me, one of the key pillars of the “On the Tracks of Music” project is its simplicity, historical significance, and popularity, much like the musical styles we worked on. This helped dispel my earlier concerns.
Hussein Al-Mulla Al-Juhaishi
Artist and trainer, Iraq
I am Hussein Al-Mulla Al-Juhaishi, an artist and poet from Nimrud, northern Iraq. I participated in the ‘On the Tracks of Music’ project as a trainer for Iraqi rural music, focusing on vocal training and playing the Rebab.
What resonated with me most in this project was the connection that developed between different segments of Iraqi society, from north to south, such as Arabs, Kurds, and Yazidis. This convergence taught me musical styles from my country that I had not known before and allowed me to share my heritage and that of my people with other trainees and artists.
During the training and performances, the people of my village followed the concerts and posts on social media. I was overwhelmed by the amount of support and messages of pride I received from them after seeing me on the big stages in Basrah and Baghdad.
Tala Ghazi
Trainee, Lebanon
“Is the Rababa still being played?!” This was the question from my family and relatives when they learned about my participation in the ‘On the Tracks of Music’ training and my learning of the Rebab. I told them that we are reviving it through this training, and this is truly how I felt.
I learned to play the instrument quickly, perhaps because I also play the cello. Before starting the training, I thought we would only watch the folk artists perform and that we would just get a general idea about these instruments. However, we all played and sang old melodies, and my favourite among them were the Bedouin songs.
By the end of the training, I was very happy with the performances we gave, as well as with the strong bond I developed with my fellow trainees, as I was able to connect with them in a way that was different from before.
Adham Al-Tweimi
Artist and trainer, Lebanon
I am Adham Al-Tweimi, from the Al-Zahra neighbourhood in Homs, Syria, and a resident of Bar Elias in the Beqaa Valley. I became a professional Rebab player in 2017, and since then, I have had the desire to share my knowledge of this instrument with others.
Through the “On the Tracks of Music” project, I was able to meet many young men and women and teach them to play the Rebab and sing the Euphrates style. As we progressed in the training, my desire to pass on all my knowledge to them deepened, and in turn, I learned a lot. I discovered abilities and potentials within myself that I had not used or paid much attention to before, the most important of which is being on a big stage and performing solo in both playing and singing.
Farah Kaddour
Musician and artistic director, Lebanon
My roles in the project “On the Tracks of Music” varied, ranging from administrative to research, musical, and educational roles. Throughout the journey, I was accompanied by a sense of wonder. A wonder at every new note I heard, every new piece of information I analysed, and every fixed idea or theory I changed.
Folk music and its performers have the effect of water. They make you flow with them and alongside them. There is no “correct” in the literal sense in this field; what is correct is what you hear, what they sing and play, free from all prior knowledge you may have as a listener, researcher, musician, or trainee.
I emerge from this experience with a thousand voices and images in my memory that continue to enchant me, a thousand questions and ideas in my mind, and a gratitude in my heart for our countries, its heritage, and its people who strive to keep it alive.
Hussein Al-Sheikh
Trainee, Jordan
When I started learning the oud at the Action for Hope School of Music in Jordan in 2020, I noticed my love and inclination towards folk music. The “On the Tracks of Music” project came as a great opportunity for me to get closer to this music, its instruments, and its artists.
During the training phase of the project, I chose the Rebab and quickly mastered playing it, which surprised my family. In the first few days of training, they laughed at the sound I was producing from the instrument, but after a few days, things changed, and my mother began to sing along with me to some folk songs she had memorized before.
This increases my desire and enthusiasm to master playing the Rababa even more and to delve deeper into folk music.
Hussein Al-Abbas
Trainee, Iraq
I am Hussein Ali Abed Al-Abbas, an Iraqi musician, and a professor of music theory at the Institute of Fine Arts in Basrah.
I can say that my academic background made my experience in the “On the Tracks of Music” project quite different. We all know how far folk music is from academia, but the folk artists who trained us, along with Mr. Fawaz Baqer, brought me closer to it and allowed me to learn it quickly and with great passion.
I have never experienced a convergence of Iraqi musical styles from north to south in this way before, and I believe this is something we desperately lack in Iraq. My hope is that we continue to learn this diverse heritage, to preserve it, and to develop it further.
George Al-Sheikh
Researcher and trainer, Lebanon
I am George Al-Sheikh, a musician and maker of the Buzuq, from Lebanon. I can say that folk music in our country has played a significant part in my life, and when the “On the Tracks of Music” project began, I felt it was a consolidation of my love, principles, and ideas related to this music.
I worked on this project as a researcher and trainer, and through my work, my belief grew that music exists within all of us, but we often abandon it, perhaps to return to it later. As for the members of the communities whose music we researched, they are born with music and live with it, making it a part of their daily lives. For me, one of the key achievements of the project “On the Tracks of Music” is building a connection between the young trainees and the folk musical instruments. It was very inspiring for me on a personal level to witness their quick mastery of playing these instruments and their bond with them.
Khuzama Al-Johari
Researcher, Lebanon
My name is Khuzama Al-Johari, a social activist focusing on culture and arts from Hermel.
As a lover of folk music, especially that found in Hermel, I have always been concerned about the extinction of these arts. My presence in this community and my knowledge of folk artists made me witness their departure, taking their melodies and knowledge with them, without passing it on to anyone after them. Therefore, I felt a great joy when I learned about the project, especially because I would contribute to preserving this heritage through my work as a researcher.
My journey was long, filled with beautiful moments as well as challenges, from the phase of searching for artists to conducting interviews and recordings, then to rehearsing and performances. Seeing and hearing the young artists sing and play with the folk artists of Hermel was a moment I will never forget, always reminding me that I underwent a remarkable research and musical experience.
Zeina Shahla
Researcher, Syria
While working on documenting a part of the folk music in the rural areas of Hama Governorate, specifically in the city of Salamiyah and its surroundings, as part of the “On the Tracks of Music” project, I came to realize, month after month, the significance of this project—both for the heritage itself and for the communities that carry it. It was also important to me on a professional and personal level as a journalist and researcher.
This type of musical heritage holds a prominent place in the rural community of Hama and is practiced daily and spontaneously on various occasions, such as private gatherings, weddings, and more. Instruments like the Rababa and Mijwiz, along with the songs of ‘ataba and Mouwaliya-lala, are distinctly present in these settings. Documenting all of this in a systematic way requires a great deal of effort, and our project was part of that endeavor.
Time and again, I witnessed the richness of the music, singing, and the rituals associated with them, passed down through generations in this region. Unfortunately, however, interest in preserving them has not been a top priority due to the hardships Syria has faced during the war, including displacement, death, destruction, migration, and economic difficulties.
Therefore, working on these aspects is even more crucial today in Syria, especially within communities that do not usually receive the same level of attention as larger urban centers. I was happy and proud to be part of the “On the Tracks of Music” project, which is indeed one step along a unique and long journey.
