HELEN TALIA

The astounding sound of music is the heartbeat in every facet of life.  Just like spring brings hope and promises that no winter can keep, music creates “stillness” in a moment, and “passion” for lovers.  It turns our “silence” into a dance with God.

Introduction

Already well known for his charismatic personality and national activism in his hometown of Wiesbaden, Abboud Zeitoune entered the Assyrian consciousness with his book, “Music Pearls of Beth-Nahrin,” a clever research and sequential presentation of modern Assyrian music.

The Book ~ It is not hard to imagine what Abboud Zeitoune was thinking when he endeavored to compile a book about the music of a nation which remains stateless, yet its language and culture continue to have a heartbeat, mainly due to resistance, however scattered its people may be.  It is a “timely” book that gives hope to the Assyrians as they continue to face some of the harshest waves of uncertainties in the Middle-East.  In “The Pearls,” all Assyrian dialects are united, from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Iran to the Americas, Europe and Australia.

The book is published in three languages ~ English, German and Assyrian (Western dialect),  contains a tactful introduction and six sections ~ modern Assyrian music history, modern Assyrian music database and statistics, Assyrian music records, children albums, church hymns and Assyrians music books.  The author traces music back to pre-Christianity Sumer, Babylon and Ashur, later preserved through Christian church hymns.  It offers consistent biographies, vinyl covers, and a clear timeline of modern Assyrian music.  It is the sum of all Assyrian music parts captured in a single breath, making the book an almanac.

During his research, the author met many challenges, from displaced material to unavailable and disorganized work of artists themselves, mainly due to a dispersed people.  The challenge then became how to collect misplaced information from a people with no particular genealogy database and very little historical statistics, with much of its art and music lost to history.  As he began his research, he became more surprised each time it grew to include more material.  Finally, his work had to branch out to accompany other musical enthusiasts worldwide, who came to his assistance in this solemn project.

For generations to come, when the Assyrian culture will have exhausted in the Western continents and only fragments of it will remain, the “Pearls of Beth-Nahrin” will become a sought after documentary because of its preservation of historical facts about a globally divided nation who persevered through its art, for as long as it could, despite its seed being sown on foreign soils.

Author  ~ Abboud Zeitoune was born in the ancient city of Qamishli, Syria, and educated in Lebanon and Germany, majoring in Economics.  So what is an Economics major doing in music café?  Simple!  Music as an art has been the “yeast” of our cultural survival, be it a church hymn, a song in a wedding, or a tune to our endless “Shaikhani” line dance that has stretched for generations.

Review  ~ Is Everything Pearl?  “Yes,” declares the author, simply because of the invaluable Assyrian language in which these artists have contributed their talents to preserve the modern Assyrian sound.  This proves that we are survivors, and that no borders “tikhoubeh, Assyrian” will keep us from reaching our brethren in other countries. 

Final Thoughts  ~ Finally, something enlightening about modern Assyria!  An important part of our history, that is neither political, nor draining, written by one of our own.

An unbiased book, containing the work of artists in every Assyrian dialect. This book is a hand-down from one generation to the other.  The author’s plans for a runner-up volume to follow.  Chebo!

 June 16, 2008

A colorful book about Iraq‘s history and legends, people and traditions, religions and famous sites, war and disaster.

While a pharmacy student at the University of Baghdad, Paul Batou and his buddies did not know that war awaited them at the turn of the corner, bringing uncertainties to their lives and thwarting their dreams.  Suddenly, instead of attending lectures, they quickly learned how to sleep on empty stomachs, survive sanctions, and dodge bullets.

Paul gives an Olympian performance in this artistic reference manual addressing Iraq in three fundamental sections:  the history and loss of an ancient civilization ~ Mesopotamia, the betrayal of Iraq’s indigenous people ~ the Assyrians, and the tragedies of war.  The book is masterfully woven to take the reader on a journey into Iraq’s history, through the Gates of Ishtar, and the unprecedented aftermath of not one, two, or even three wars that have gripped Iraq into the 21st century and left its people defenseless and globally scattered.

In “My Last Thoughts about Iraq,” Paul Batou, now a native of California, constructs a poetic timeline of Iraq with himself in the middle of its early Paleolithic period, ancient civilizations ~ Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria, the Greek, Persian, and Mongol invasions, the Arab conquests, the Ottoman period, World War I and the British mandate, World War II and the monarchy, the new republic, President Saddam Hussein, the Iraq-Iran war, the first Gulf war and weapons inspections, coalition troops, and even the Iraqi death.

A Village Called Tin
"Did you know,
The People in my village do not know how to write their names...
They are farmers,
In a tiny village called Tin,
Embraced by the valley called Supna..."

Like a fetus that is being nurtured in her mother’s womb for nine months, Paul often speaks about the smallness and uniqueness of his tiny village that beams with pride in Northwest Iraq, until finally at her birth he reveals her name “Tin” to his audience.  But his beautiful virgin would not go untouched as the survival of the fittest and the downsizing of Assyrian villages at the hands of Kurds took their toll in Iraq in the 1960’s.

Likewise, from the very beginning, you can tell that Paul is a guy who's fallen head over heels in love with Ishtar who accompanies him throughout the book, including the cover page.  She alone understands the history of Iraq and the secrets to love.

Prelude to Baghdad
In a collection of poems inspired by his art, Paul takes a flashlight and digs in the smallest and darkest places tucked in Iraqis’ spirit.  From the curse of Babylon to a hungry child in the streets of Baghdad, he dares to go places that otherwise would best remain untouched. 

In Iraq, school bells have been replaced with the sounds of sirens, mosque recitals and church hymns.  Music has been fine-tuned to accompany mothers wailing at the site of their defenseless soldiers’ caskets being carried to their doorsteps, killed in wars that gave birth to martyrdom.  And to the wake of bombs in the morning, children will live in fear and learn to hate.

Yes, in Iraq there seems to be a dark past that lingers in its people.  In Iraq there are prostitutes and hunger.  In Iraq girls have been raped, and suicide has become an alternative to communication.  But in Iraq there is “A Memory of Time and Place*” in Al Tahreer Plaza, Abu Nuwas, Saddon Street, Tel Mohammad, Baghdad Jadida, Ghadeer, Bataween, Karada, Zaiyouna, Shanashil, the sounds of Youssif Omar, the treasures of Badr, the birthplace of Jawaheree, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.  Who can forget the mid-day naps during Baghdad’s sizzling summers, and the afternoon tea time that brought neighborhoods together.  In and of itself it is an art being an Iraqi, knowing that the Tigris River divides Baghdad into two regions Karkh and Al Rasafah, and conjuring in pride that Nineveh is still the capital of Mosul.

The Author on Iraqis
“My goal has always been to change others by using figures of connectivity.  Despite the Iraqis having different religious beliefs, like the great Iraqi poet Badr who wrote about Jesus Christ many times and loved to be a Christian, Jawad Saleem the painter and sculptor who dreamed about absolute freedom, and Ali who lost his arms and legs in the war, I always want the Iraqis to see the beauty within and use it to love each other.  So when it comes to humanity, I speak for all, but the center of my pain is I lost Mesopotamia and I want her back.  I want to build a powerful human, and then that powerful human will build a free Iraq.”

“My Last Thoughts about Iraq” is a personal invitation by the author into the Iraqiness of Iraq.  Paul Batou is superb in recognizing Iraq during its hype, while keeping integrity intact throughout this tiny 76-page book, filled with memoirs of Iraq.  A unique literature with attention to the smallest of details, Paul delivers a striking message that speaks on behalf of every Iraqi child whose dreams have been sanctioned.  He demands audience and respect for Iraq and offers solution to build awareness through education.

Final Thoughts
Today, the country whose hands have cradled civilizations, and whose Hammurabi laws have been indoctrinated into modern judicial systems struggles to find its own peace.  Even in Jawad Saleem’s “Nesbit al Hurreya” (Freedom, Arabic) relief, the Iraqis did not find freedom. *   Finally, if Iraq could speak, it would say: “I just want to be left alone.”                                                                       

Title: “My Last Thoughts about Iraq”
Author: Paul Batou
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Year: 2007
Source: www.palbatou.com

* Jawad Saleem is a celebrated Iraqi artist (1921-1961) who erected “Nesbit al Hurreya”Saha et Tahreer.” The relief is considered by generations of Iraqis as memory of time and place. (Freedom, Arabic) relief in one of Baghdad’s famous plazas “

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While human nature is universal, we are each individually shaped and separated by our environment - relationships, culture and religion.

Montaha Kochou reveals every tender side to the woman in our community, breaking the novel into three categories – Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual, and their responses within a community. The community, first being the family, in this story the author speaks of the ever transparent, complicated human nature, whose reflection of what is fed during childhood is concealed throughout adulthood. Simply put, Montaha is brave and daring. She prolifically addresses the multi-dimensional human character, while many of us choose selective exposure to information.

The author opens the door to modern psychology, something that remains unpopular in our closely-knit community, associated with shame, instead, oftentimes calling to spirituality for aid. And while spirituality remains universally popular, it deepens as you travel further into the Eastern cultures. This is why the character of Joseline is portrayed as confused; as she is unable to base her decision on her own rationale, caught between her lustful emotions and her spiritual beliefs. And when things for her turn the other way, she is quick to punish herself and calls to God to condemn her.

“Will The Sun Rise Again?” the sequel to her first novel “Burning Desire, ” released in 2003, mirrors Kochou’s own confidence and honesty about every woman’s emotions. Montaha dares to go to places most of us would put on the back burner. Guaranteed, every woman will find herself in the pages of this novel. This book will grip the reader, isolating intimate emotions (desires) that are only felt in our darkest hidden secrets.