A dream worth fighting for: ballet in Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq, December 4, 2003--When she is dancing, Annie Nektel forgets about the brutality of life outside her school's walls in Baghdad. She cheerfully tries to teach dance steps to her friend Meriam and the other young girls in her ballet class. Each, in their own way has been branded by Iraq's dramatic history, yet laughter nevertheless fills the school halls as young people play on the mats and practice ballet steps at the handrails.
Life on the other side of the walls of the Baghdad School of Music and Ballet is however very different. Here armed guards, who are prepared to use their weapons, patrol the walls. Fear of grenades, bombs, kidnappings, attacks and gun battles has become part of everyday life.
"I am not allowed to play outside," one girl says. Another girl says that her mother and brothers are present whenever she plays in the garden. "My mum is afraid that I will be kidnapped," Meriam explains. The others nod. Many mothers in Baghdad share the same fear these days.
Annie is a 10-year old student of the Baghdad School of Music and Ballet, which is one of the projects supported by the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International through Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), one of several ACT International members working in Iraq.
Her moves are getting a bit rusty. It has been a while since her ballet class has gathered for a lesson, so this Tuesday is special. The class is practising controlling their arms and legs in gracious movements. Only a month has gone by since several people were killed in this area. The school was plundered for the second time and most of the instruments, mirrors and dancing carpets were again stolen.
The armed guards placed outside the school say that only a few days ago several bombs were planted outside the entrance, that a grenade was found on the school grounds, and that someone wrote messages on the wall surrounding the school signalling that the school would be attacked.
"It is a dangerous job," the guards say. "Especially at night much happens. But we are happy that we are able to protect our children. The job we are doing is important."
There are approximately 250 students at the Baghdad School of Music and Ballet. Apart from ballet lessons, in all, 15 different kinds of instruments are played by the students. Since the last looting, no one has been able to practice. They are however now looking forward to getting new instruments, thanks to members of a Norwegian symphony orchestra, which in co-operation with NCA, collected money to replace the school's instruments.
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Wow. I first heard about the Baghdad school of arts on the news a while back; it's so powerful to see this country grow and develop in new, even small ways. These young children are risking their lives to take part in the beginning of a new life for Iraq; they are defying the dark message of terrorism to finally embrace freedom; which is a lot more than I can say for many woeful, pitiful Americans. May we look on the Iraqi people as inspiration to live for what is right, and to fight for it no matter what the cost.
My dream for the future? You can laugh, but I pray that I would someday be able to teach little Iraqi children ballet. Who cares if it's in a war zone; these people know how to live.
Jennifer
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8 comments:
http://www.oneveteransvoice.com/
blog/onevetsblog.html
another veteran you might want to read.
And here's a veteran YOU might want to read, someone who's not bitter over the war and dosen't have the book "Jarhead" on his favorite book list:
http://madeucegunners.blogspot.com/
Or how about this:
http://petersonet.blogspot.com/
Maybe this:
http://shepherdaway.blogspot.com/
Man I hate the book Jarhead.
i've read those blogs. You "hate" Jarhead? why, because it is REALITY? You don't want to acknowledge REALITY in Nebraska?
What world do you live in? You think war is all pretty and glory and fun and victory?
Ask some veterans how many innocent people they've seen suffer in pain?
Ask how many relationships they've been challenged to maintain?
Ask them what they really think about this administration?
Seriously? Are you willing to see the truth? Or only the truth you want to see?
I hate Jarhead because of the extreme profanity and reported untruths in it. I don't think it is the truth. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the Marines in the book never did any fighting at all during the gulf war. One blog I mentioned, petersonet.blogspot.com, is run by Marines and in one post the leader gave his impression of the book. Perhaps you would listen to his impressions better than you do mine.
Jarhead was written by Anthony Swofford. It is his memoir. He served in the 1st Gulf War. The book is his personal experiences in the Marine Corps. What do you mean its "untrue?" are you kidding? Did you read the book? Did you see the movie? Have you heard Swofford speak? He is a professor now in California, and teaches English. You take the opinion of some other person's blog about the "truth" of an individuals autobiography?
Amazing. You might not like it, but that doesn't mean its not true.
I know what Jarhead is about. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up. I did read some of the book, but quickly put it down becuase of the profanity. Here is what that "other person", also a Marine, said about the book:
“Jarhead” is a book written by a former Marine veteran of the Gulf War. My only problem with this literature is that the author, one Anthony Swofford, is a self-serving bottom feeder of a former Marine, one who writes about stealing from fellow Marines and drug use, and who managed, through a minimum of writing ability and good timing, to peddle his boatload of CRAP into a best seller and a movie. I was even personally present at one of the events in his book, and HIGHLY dispute his account of what happened involving the Marine tank company I was assigned to. But I digress. Suffice it to say that I do not like him, Sam I Am, nor will I like his movie.
this is not the only negative account from a soldier that I have heard about this book. That is why I doubt the accuracy. But the profanity alone is enought to make me say, DON'T read it!
Jarhead is ANTHONY SWOFFORD'S MEMOIR!!! It is true. He lived it. That's all there is to say.
Did you not read what I posted? Swofford's truthfullness is doubted by other people that I trust. Perhaps he twisted the truth in parts, or maybe he even lied. I will never know. But that is not the only point for my disliking the book, as I have stated before.
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