Who Imprisons Music?

By: Hanadi Zahlout

In a warm soulful voice, Kafranbel native Marwan Nassouh sang on "The Voice,” the program that has offered its stage to young children who sang their tiny souls out amid the smoke of war and the smell of gunpowder, overcoming the region.

Marwan is a child who was forced to leave his hometown of Kafranbel years ago to escape the shells of death to live in Lebanon with his family. His native city continues to resist through its now world-famed placards, that have become a loud mouthpiece of the Syrian Revolution, besieged by all the warlords, brigands, and blood traffickers.

During the siege placed by Al-Nusra Front [NF] the offices of Radio Fresh station, broadcasting from Kafranbel, under the pretext of broadcasting of music and songs that the NF have prohibited; its heavily armed elements stormed the offices, confiscating computers, cameras, and other equipment and apprehending media activist Hadi al-Abdullah and leading DJ Raed al-Fares. The latter wrote on his Facebook page—following his release, and before going back to work in spite of NF, Daesh, and all other forms of insipid movements—one phrase that seemed to encapsulate so many layers of meaning: "Ideas are ​​freedom."

The NF, meanwhile, declared through its media site named Thughur [literally, Fronts] a completely different set of reasons for its storming of the Radio Fresh headquarters. The NF said that the raid took place because the station’s crew did not follow the [NF] Advocacy Office’s advice vis-a-vis hating "singing, music, and musical instruments;” and that, despite the repeated "advice" by the "brothers" in the Advocacy Office! The other reason for the raid was the writing of graffiti offensive to Islam and Muslims.

The fact that the Memorandum of understanding the NF signed with activists Raed al-Fares and Hadi Abdullah, gave the reason for the arrest as being Raed’s commitment of a “Sharia contravention” through a post he had written on Facebook—and which Hadi Abdullah acknowledged, thereby securing al-Fares’ release by his personal guarantee—notwithstanding; the station has not returned to air for twenty days to date. The music, it seems, is still imprisoned therein!

This, however, is not the first time that Radio Fresh has been raided. The station’s broadcast was interrupted last summer, and its crew came under threat for broadcasting “music and songs.” Both its crew as well as its listeners well know that this is nothing less than a policy of “bone-breaking” and attrition policy of the station—so that it is completely silenced.

Graffiti in Kafranbel did not stop, however. Its famed placards, that have long represented the conscience of the Syrian Revolution persisted in spite of everything. Even though its radio station has been silenced, its people still sing the songs of revolution and the music of freedom.

Barely twenty-four hours passed after the storming of Radio Fresh’s offices, before masked men raided the Alwan [Colors] Radio Station office in Aleppo, assaulting its staff, and smashing technical equipment, thereby causing its broadcast to stop immediately.

The targeting of free media has seemingly become the favorite sport of the obscurantist warlords of the regime, Daesh, and the NF; all of whom seem to recognize—through their targeting thereof—that peaceful and media activities have come to represent an increasing danger for the. There seems to be a concerted effort to liquidate any voice singing for freedom, and any image documenting their violations. They are now increasing their violence from the threat of arrest, up to the liquidation with silencers—those who fear all voices, and are only ecstatic at the sight of blood and the smell of gunpowder!

We all remember the Baba Amr ceremonial evenings, the singing of al-Qashush in the Orontes Square in Hama, and the thousands of songs that covered the country. Even as Syria became nothing but a land drenched in one large funeral procession, music rose to hoist the coffins towards the sky!

Thousands of kilometers away, a Kafranbel child, young and handsome stands, elegantly singing for love. He says that all the children of this country, weary by this arduous march towards freedom, are still able to sing. Birds still mate, declaring the advent of spring, and delivering music—despite all roadblocks, jail bars, and borders.

This is how Syria defies death and continues to play the epic of a revolution for freedom—until the end. What kind of crazed criminal, would want to imprison music?

* Opinion pieces do not necessarily express the views of Rozana Media.