Weam Namou's Blog, page 6
August 23, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – هدية – Gift
Over the weekend I received a most lovely gift from author and artist Paul Batou, which I want to share with my beautiful friends to enjoy as well. He has so many beautiful stories to share through his words and art. Enjoy!
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For more beautiful artwork, visit https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/paul-batou
August 21, 2020
Author and Publisher Roy Gessford visits the Chaldean Museum
Roy Gessford from San Diego, California, visited the Chaldean Museum, located at the Chaldean Cultural Center. It’s the world’s first and only Chaldean Museum, and I was so happy to give him a tour and to learn of the amazing work he’s doing as an author and a publish to preserve the Chaldean Aramaic language. Watch the 17 minute segment where he provides rich and compelling information about the Chaldeans and their history.
Roy founded Let in the Light Publishing in 2012. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Roy graduated in 1994 from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning and minors in Law, History, and Economics.
Mr. Gessford earned a Master’s Degree of Interfaith Action from Claremont Lincoln University and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from CalState TEACH. His graduate work has included courses in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Coach Gessford had a 20-year career within the tennis profession as a player, coach, referee, and tournament director. Roy taught tennis at four and five star resorts around the world with Peter Burwash International (PBI), and coached tennis at Carmel Valley Ranch for nine years. Images of Roy Gessford playing tennis have appeared in periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal and Tennis Magazine. Gessford coached over 30 seasons at the high school and collegiate level.
He shares the wisdom he gained in A High School Tennis Coach’s Handbook: For Players, Parents, and Coaches, available in paperback, hardback, spiral bound, and electronic book formats. He has also written for various publications such as tennisplayer.net, Inside Tennis, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning international newspaper The Christian Science Monitor. Roy’s current lecture topics include Essential Leadership Qualities, The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, and the Preservation of the Chaldean Aramaic Language. To learn more, visit https://letinthelightpublishing.com/
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August 4, 2020
Interview with Artist & Author Paul Batou
Paul Batou was born in 1959 in a tiny village on the border between Iraq and Turkey. When he was two years old, the Kurds destroyed his village in an act they called “ethnic cleansing.” This forced his family to migrate to Mosul and eventually to Baghdad, where he lived among Arabs. His family rented a room with six other families. Almost forty people shared one small kitchen, bath, and toilet. He described his home as “more like a prison.” Even though his family spoke a different language, Aramaic, they managed to survive. Batou’s mother was forced to work like a slave in a hotel while his father traveled back and forth from Baghdad to the north in order to restore their land. He could not imagine working in a city while others stole his land.
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None of Batou’s siblings completed their education, but thanks to his aunt’s generosity, he was enrolled in a Catholic school. He performed very well, especially in art and science. At first, he drew simple Disney characters, and then graduated to Western wild west-style pictures. At the age of twelve, he wrote his first short story, which was a love story based in the city of Kremat, where he grew up. His journey as an artist continued throughout high school.
In 1989, Batou traveled to Italy to study art, but his father refused to finance his studies. He returned to Baghdad and was accepted in a pharmacy school, so he followed that direction. Luckily, the school had a studio for the arts. One of the protocols in Iraq was that each college must have a music and art department to be used for students’ hobbies.
The following is an excerpt from the book Iraqi Americans: The Lives of the Artists
WN: Why didn’t you study art in Baghdad?
BATOU: The College of Fine Arts was exclusive to the Baath Party. I didn’t even bother to apply because I had no desire to become one of their members. I was fortunate that the director of the studio in the pharmacy school was one of the most famous Iraqi artists, named Abdul Ellah Yassin. That’s how I practiced and learned art in a more professional fashion. It was as if I’d missed something and then found it. I was hungry to absorb all the knowledge I could in art.
WN: While living in Iraq, did you have any serious encounters with the Baath Party?
BATOU: My problems with the Baath Party began after I received my bachelor’s degree. I was accepted to continue my master’s degree in toxicology. However, because of my friendship with Abdul Salman, a Shia Muslim student who was disliked by the Baath Party, my art teacher told me that, like my friend, I would not have a chance. My friend and I took our case to the minister of education and eventually to the minister of health, who refused to help us. When we asked him why his daughter was going to England for the master’s degree when her scores were lower than ours, he replied, “She is my daughter and I want the best for her.” The minister’s final advice was for us to join the army.
One of my classmates from elementary school had become a powerful person in the Iraqi intelligence agency, the Mukhabart. I had helped him in his academic study in pharmacy school and we used to play together during childhood. He offered me the opportunity to study nuclear pharmacy in Sweden. In return, I would receive an excellent pay and my family would be provided with a nice home and a comfortable life. It was either the army or studying abroad and joining the Mukhabarat. It was like having to choose between heaven and hell. I chose hell.
I served in the army five years during the Iraq-Iran war. The first few months, I was on the front line, and every night I asked myself if I had made the right or the wrong decision. I played by my principles, and my principle was not to give up my freedom. I later wrote a poetry book, My Last Thoughts About Iraq, which is based on the notes and soldiers’ quotes I jotted down during the time I served in the war, from 1983 to 1988.
Matters changed when I was placed in the medical unit and began focusing on helping as many people as I could. We were in a city that bordered Iran, where there was shelling and wounded men every day. That’s when I forgot my doubts and questions. God gave me peace in my heart, and I ended up staying in order to help the people who needed me. I stopped feeling like I made a bad decision and I felt happy to be a pharmacist. I’m helping more people now.
WN: What was the driving force behind leaving Iraq and coming to America?
BATOU: Freedom. The turning point in my search for freedom was when I started reading and painting the Epic of Gilgamesh. That story had a major impact on my thinking as a human and as an artist. Gilgamesh and his long journey and search for life, love, and freedom opened my mind and caused me to look back at my roots as a Mesopotamian. I became more determined to love my land and my people and to fully understand that this is my Iraq, not owned by Shiites, Sunnis, or Kurds. The Christians of Iraq are the natives of Iraq. They carry the heritage of Iraq.
Seeing my friends, mostly artists, writers, and poets whose thinking was in opposition to that of Saddam’s ideas, taken by Baath Intelligence or put in prison or disappearing from the university affected my thinking. I realized I am not free. If you search for freedom while under the dictator rule, either you think to exit Iraq, or if you can’t do that, your alternative is connecting to whatever makes you feel free. To me, the gypsy culture, writing poems, painting, and playing classical guitar provided me with the ideals that I live by and the freedom to express myself among the people who fear God and pray all day.
In 1989 I moved with my family, a wife and a son, to Athens and eventually to the United States. Although it was difficult in the beginning, the image of America being the land of freedom and opportunity lived up to its name. I found American people very helpful. They assisted me as best as they could. One person who played a big role in my success was a friend and pharmacist by the name of Ira Freeman. He offered me a job in his pharmacy even though I had no experience with computers and I didn’t know the name of the drugs since they were different than what I had learned in Iraq. He even provided me with financial assistance to get me through.
One thing you learn in America is that you have full freedom. Humans with freedom will have more powerful production than humans under oppression. I’m happy in America, but I miss the friends I left behind in Iraq. I’ve written many times that I can’t feel joyful and happy when my friends in Iraq are sad and worried.
One day my father told me Iraq is my homeland. It was called Mesopotamia before, the land of two rivers. My mom said any land that gives you freedom is your land. I ask myself one question. Could I have done all this in Iraq? Would I get the same support to express myself freely, with no restrictions? The answer is no. Only true freedom will make you a professional pharmacist, artist, writer, and musician. How many people living in Iraq now missed that opportunity? Freedom is what makes a country and its people great. Finally, this is my land. I lost my home in Iraq. I don’t want to lose my home here. The way to keep my home is to restore the world to peace.
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WN: Why do you think that America is not very familiar with Iraq’s art?
BATOU: Everyone agrees there was a big arts movement in Iraq long before Saddam came into power. Many artists had traveled to Europe and accomplished such extraordinary work there that they were very well-known there. While American professional observers who deal with art know about the high standards of art and music in Iraq, the general public does not know. The United States and Iraq did not have good enough relations to create programs where Americans can come to Iraq and witness, for themselves, Iraq’s culture or people, or for Iraqis to come to the United States and do art exhibits.
Since there was no cultural interference or exchange with Iraq, Americans didn’t know anything about Iraq’s history, culture, and heritage. That’s the one reason that the US failed with Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Yet our cultures are similar in a way. It’s about new invaders who came in with a different culture and changed Iraq to what we see now. This is a repeat of what happened to the Native Americans, when Europeans invaded the Natives’ land and changed their beliefs, religions, and way of life.
WN: Have you visited Iraq since you left?
BATOU: I once felt that even if I visited Iraq for one or two weeks, that would mean I would have to give up my freedom for one or two weeks, which I didn’t want to do. Then, in 2014, I finally visited the northern part of Iraq for two weeks. It was the first time I was there since I left in 1989. Things were stable and people were generally happy when I visited. I told them, “It can’t be sustained. Things will not end happily.”
WN: What made you say that?
BATOU: The government offices were unorganized and corrupt. You can’t maintain a society with poor politicians and poor thinkers.
Everyone focuses on the Islamic State, but the war in Iraq has been ongoing since 2003. I believe Saddam was only one person and we, the Iraqis, gave him his power. We became his hands and eyes, his army and secret police. We the Iraqis created the dictator. Iraq for the Christians was not a paradise before his rule. We lived among a lack of knowledge and education. Iraq was always a land of fear and discrimination. Maybe the Islamic State did something good. It brought the world’s attention to us. Before then, no one knew or cared about the minorities in Iraq.
The Islamic State has a positive presence in the Middle East. They cause people to examine their thoughts and beliefs about killing others, which were happening even before they entered the picture. Saddam also tried to destroy our identity and culture, but not in this way.
WN: Can you tell us about Minor Dreams and Confessions, two of your paintings?
I painted Minor Dream in the 1990s during the sanctions against Iraq. I used to have family there and you could feel the pain and suffering of the people during that time. I thought about the kids, especially after what Madeline Albright said in regards to half a million Iraqi children dying due to the sanctions that made it difficult to access milk and prohibited other basic foods and medicine items. When asked by the TV anchor if the price is worth it, Albright said, “We think the price is worth it.”
I also painted Confessions in the 1990s, and this relates more so to the Christians of Iraq, when the Arabs conquered Mesopotamia. You know how you confess your sins to the priest and the sins will go away? I confessed so that I can wash away all the sins of Iraq. I shouted and cried, but I am tied up. I cannot reverse the history of Iraq. It’s God’s Will that it falls. After reading the Bible many times, I found that God insulted Babylon repeatedly for having enslaved the Jewish people. The wars, the sanctions, the invasion— they are punishments from God. They are consequences of the past.
WN: How do you plan to restore the world to peace?
BATOU: The way to make a change is through what I do with art and what you do by writing books. We become a voice for the people who cannot express what is in their minds and hearts. Our job is to explore the world through beautiful art. Our job is not to condemn Islam, Christianity, or any other religion, but to provide people with a vision.
For me, art has a universal message. Part of art’s universal message is to deliver beautiful pieces with nice colors, logic, and philosophy for all humans. My colors reflect the tone of the Earth, the language of the universe, the cry and pain of the oppressed people.
As an artist, I go back to that civilization, that beauty, and ask myself, why do I need to restore that Iraq? It’s because it represents the great civilization, the beauty, the knowledge about all humans. My love for the US plays an important role in my art. Since 9/11 there has been less freedom in the US, affecting the way people live and think. One of my goals is to restore that freedom.
Usually artists, whether they are American, Iraqi, or from any other country, don’t like war. Our concern is mostly for the innocent people who will suffer, whether those people are the citizens of Iraq or our troops and their families in America.
This interview was hosted by the Chaldean Cultural Center and UofM Detroit Center. http://www.ChaldeanCulturalCenter.org
August 3, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – ورود – Flowers
The Rose is the national flower of Iraq. Scientific name of Red Rose is Rosa Persia. It belongs to Rosaceae family. The Rose, national flower of Iraq, also the world most recognized symbol of love and beauty (also war and politics). There is no human being but loves Rose.
Originally the birth place of Rose was the ancient Persia that was introduced to the west world by Alexander. Now Rose is the flower of universe and is cultivated or grown all over the world. In the reign of Persian Empire, Rose gardening was accustomed to the Persian people. For that reason the then Persian Empire adopted the Red Rose is the National Flower of Persia. Iraq was the part of Persia. So, the Rose also became the National Flower of Iraq.
July 29, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – اشجاار ضوئية – Lighting Trees
Since ancient times, trees have had a fascinating role in the spiritual world. Biblical scriptures mention trees as in the “tree of life” and the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Buddha was known to have reached enlightenment as he sat and meditated. Druids were known to practice worship among sacred groves of trees. In Islam, trees are to be treated with respect and not be unnecessarily harmed. Planting trees is regarded as an act of charity and the planter receives blessings from all those who benefit from it. Lights make us feel cozy, mellow, and warm, and so the combination of lights and trees make us calmer and happier.
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July 21, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – مدينة يونانية – Greektown
When I was a student at Wayne State University, my friends and I frequented Pegasus in Greektown. We loved their traditional Greek cuisine and music, the staff who mostly had a Greek or Arab accent, the open kitchen and cozy atmosphere and the periodic shouts of “Opa!” and the flame that we worried would catch our long Mediterranean hair.
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But Greektown was not always Greek. In the 1830s, German immigrants settled in that area. Little by little they began moving out and in the 1880s Greek immigrants began taking their place. By the 1920s, the area was becoming primarily commercial rather than residential, and the Greek residents began moving out. Yet their restaurants, stores, and coffeehouses stayed put. In 1960 the Greektown neighborhood was reduced to one block, beside it the big Greek Orthodox Church that was founded in 1910.[image error]
July 20, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – مطر – Rain
When I walk in our streets and parks, I love the sound and feeling of rain, wind, snow, and the animals that cross my path. The hypnotic sound of rain drops can soothe my most chaotic emotions, melting away worldly concepts of right or wrong. During summer months, there are usually fruits hanging from trees, available for picking. Sometimes there are pears, or apples, mulberries, or peaches. That’s how it was in my birth city, in Baghdad. Despite technology and other advancements, at heart we are still primitive humans in search of a strong connection with nature, with Mother Earth.
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July 19, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad – المتحف الكلداني – The Chaldean Museum
Day 6 – Deacon Khairy Foumia recently visited the Chaldean Museum, the world’s first and only Chaldean museum. He’s an author of seven books, the most recent one called Catalogue Manuscripts of the Church in Telkeppe, which is 540 pages and written in Aramaic and Arabic. In it, he describes the 240 manuscripts he found in the library of the church of Telkeppe, the birthplace of my parents and grandparents. He started this project over 30 years ago, in 1989.
Born in Telkeppe, Foumia lived in Baghdad in his later years. Because his parents and other relatives still lived in Telkeppe, he and his family would visit there during the holidays and in the summertime. During these trips, he went to Sacred Heart Church library which housed ancient manuscripts. It was not open to the public, but Foumia was given access to the library because of his strong relationship with the priests, having himself been a seminarian for seven years. The church had a separate library with thousands of books where people were able to borrow books.
“I wanted to catalogue everything,” he said. “These books are on their way to extinction so at least by preserving them, their image remains in peoples’ minds and researchers will have a lot of useful information.”
To visit the Chaldean Museum, call and make a reservation (248) 681-5050 or email info@ChaldeanCulturalCenter.org www.ChaldeanCulturalCenter.org
You can read more about Mr. Foumia in this article that I wrote for the Chaldean News https://www.chaldeannews.com/features-1/2018/5/27/catalogue-manuscripts-of-the-church-in-telkeppe
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July 17, 2020
A Day in Little Baghdad- فنان تشكيلي – Visual Artist Sabah Selou Wazi
I once again visited the home of visual artist Sabah Selou Wazi, to discuss his work with the Chaldean Cultural Center. I’ve been familiar with Sabah’s work for over a decade, and wrote about it in my book Iraqi Americans: The Lives of the Artists.
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Sabah was born in the town of Alqosh and moved to Baghdad with his family at age seven. He says that he knew from the time he could talk that he wanted to be an artist. At the age of seven, he used the razor of a pencil sharpener to make skinny figure stick carvings on chalk. While it was his dream to study at Baghdad’s Institute of Fine Arts after high school, he knew he could not because, during that time, one had to be a Baathist or have two letters of recommendation from Baathists in order to enroll, so he went into the army instead and served from 1973 to 1974 in the civil war between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish government. He left Iraq in 1977, first going to Perugia, Italy, then touring different parts of Europe until he came to the United States in 1979.
Read about Sabah and other great Iraqi American artists in this book:
A Day in Little Baghdad- Day 5- فنان تشكيلي – Visual Artist Sabah Selou Wazi
I once again visited the home of visual artist Sabah Selou Wazi, to discuss his work with the Chaldean Cultural Center. I’ve been familiar with Sabah’s work for over a decade, and wrote about it in my book Iraqi Americans: The Lives of the Artists.
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Sabah was born in the town of Alqosh and moved to Baghdad with his family at age seven. He says that he knew from the time he could talk that he wanted to be an artist. At the age of seven, he used the razor of a pencil sharpener to make skinny figure stick carvings on chalk. While it was his dream to study at Baghdad’s Institute of Fine Arts after high school, he knew he could not because, during that time, one had to be a Baathist or have two letters of recommendation from Baathists in order to enroll, so he went into the army instead and served from 1973 to 1974 in the civil war between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish government. He left Iraq in 1977, first going to Perugia, Italy, then touring different parts of Europe until he came to the United States in 1979.
Read about Sabah and other great Iraqi American artists in this book:
