Iraq goes ‘pop’

Regular readers of Austrolabe may remember a previous post in which I offered a review of Allegra Stratton’s abysmal take on the modern Middle East, Muhajababes.

But to refresh, I noted early on in the piece that nowadays, the Middle East is pop culture-saturated:

I could tell that in some ways, peculiarly enough, there were people in other parts of the world who took their situation more seriously than themselves.

My feelings were confirmed when the next day I sat in front of the TV, flicking channels and finally settling on one of the many music stations taking the Arab world by storm. This one was called “Superstar”, not to be confused with the pan-Arab Idol show of the same name, and it ran music videos and concert clips 24/7, SMS messages of love and flirtation scrolling constantly across the bottom of the screen in gaudy technicolour. A family friend later confirmed that they were watching Mazzika, another of these music channels, more than Al-Jazeera. It all seemed very bizarre to me, but I concluded that in such times of trouble, no matter how misguided it seemed, music videos, with their cheeky storylines and buffed, good-looking and impossibly happy actors, obviously served as an antidote. Forget occupation and war — Nancy Ajram had a new album out.

And so it is that Iraq, a country in absolute chaos, drowning in bloodshed, kidnappings, and war, is momentarily united because of an Idol-esque show called Star Academy.

Shatha Hassoun, a 25-year-old woman of Iraqi origin, has managed to provoke an outbreak of gunfire; but, for at least one night, the popping sounds of weaponry mark a time of celebration.

In some ways it seems strange how deeply Iraqis have taken her in, spending money and time voting for her when they can barely scrape by, and especially given that she’s not, nor has she ever been, a resident.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

Hassoun is an unlikely ambassador for Iraq, as she has never been there. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, she claims Iraqi nationality through her father, a native-born member of the Shimary tribe of southern Iraq. Some say the distance may also have help her rise as a unity candidate: no one knows for sure whether she is Sunni or Shiite, so both sides have claimed her.

Although I am warmed by the fact that Iraqis are able to find joy in their devastation, I do find it sad that it takes Star Academy to get there. Then again, I suppose Hassoun is a sign of hope for those without any. They see her as a beautiful, accomplished woman who, very importantly, is Iraqi and cares for her country.

On the other hand, George Bush et al need not hang up their cowboy hats. I can’t imagine that those responsible for local atrocities are avid watchers of Star Academy.