Reports | 25 05 2020
A group of Syrian women congrerated the "Nostalgia with Love" choir, which was established by the Syrian oppositionist Rajaa Bannout in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, to raise their voices with songs of the Syrian heritage—in all its territorial and linguistic diversity.
The "Nostalgia" choir is not Rajaa Bannout's first experiment; as it was was preceded by the Nahda [Renaissance] choir of the elderly in Damascus, that had been a successful experience at the time.
Bannout tells Rozana that the primary objective of the Nostalgia choir is not merely singing; but also to help repreive its participating Syrian women of their depression and sadness.
She adds: "It was clear from the first meeting that people needed some joy and a return to a modicum of normalcy. The choir is, thus, a form of convalescence and an escape fatigue and exhaustion, caused by the very Syrian complex situation."
The Collective Singing Experience
After a training that lasted no more than two months, The choir women with Bannout held an Independence Day ceremony on this April 17th, under the title "We Sing Awaiting the Second Independence."
The concert comprised songs from thee Hawrani, Damascene, Aleppan, and Homsi—as well as the Kurdish and Syriac—heritages.
One of the participants says about her experience: "I never felt much attachment to the Damascence singing heritage. I never cared for it, nor felt it close to me or my culture. Now it does touch me and my feelings."
Maha Katrib, who also sang in the choir, felt that it was a perfect experience of collective action, adding that: "Singing is a beautiful state, which helps transport us out of the stress in times of peace and war. It is the most beautiful when it is with a group. We need collective action today, because what now divides us is far more than what unites us."
The Nostalgia Choir's first concert took the Syrians attending it back to their villages and weddings; based on the belief of the choir's women that singing that will bring Syrians together, despite all their differences.
Coral Syrian also in Istanbul
The Nostalgia Choir in the city of Gaziantep, is not the first of its kind hosted by expatriate Syrian women and girls. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, Syrian Maysa Hafiz also started her "Mosaic" project, which brings together Syrians and foreigners in a small family setting to be trained in new ways to sing...
According to Maysa, the project aims to "Deliver our oriental culture in our own voices. A group of foreigners accompanies us, and they are very are important for us; Syrians have spread in all parts of the world, thus forcing them to speak different languages. What we do, is make foreigners sing in our Arabic language and dialect, and introduce them to our culture."
Maysa is attempting to send a message through the choir: That Syrians have their own culture and arts that speak to other cultures of the world through music, despite the war in their country.
The choir is divided into four voices that converge to form a distinctive harmony. The Syrians perform their duties therein, after incessant training sessions held every Thursday, in order to reach a level allowing them to stage public concerts.
Aya tells Rozana that she is involved in the Mosaic project, because it gives her the possibility to get in touch with her compatriots; being otherwise isolated from them because of her work, as she puts it.