The Sound of Pre-War Syria

This post is part of an ongoing series about displacement and migration in contemporary music. For intercultural literacy, art provides important perspectives.

There was a very promising music scene growing in Syria a few years before the war. One of the most successful musicians of that era was the band Kulna Sawa ( We Together ). They released five albums between 1998 and 2008. Their last is their most political, containing songs about life of Syrian youth during the first years of 21st century, war in Iraq and imaginary stories about a corrupted and miserable country, including displacement. The album plays as a radio broadcast, making it very haunting to listen to in 2016, during the actual war that it predicted. A very recommended listen for those interested in learning more about the political life in Syria before and during the conflict.

I chose a song called Nayem Ala Shat Albahr ( He Lies on the Beach ) from that album because, to me, it talks about a fear that has always existed within the society. A fear of certain people in control causing damage to the country. A prediction that became a reality only three years after the release of the song. It’s an example of artistic maturity representing the awareness of Syrian youth before the war. It would be interesting to observe refugees’ reaction to this song.

Kulna Sawa stopped due to displacement and war. Everything they talked about in their imaginary stories has come true.

Their front man, Iyad Alrimawi, is still notably making and scoring music as a solo artist in Damascus.