Artists eager to bring hope to residents of the war-ravaged Iraqi capital Baghdad have been painting grey concrete walls, erected to protect commercial and residential areas from car bombings and other attacks, with vibrant murals of proud moments in the country’s history.
The city’s blast barriers have provided a blank canvas for colourful paintings, including Sunni and Shia shrines, white doves, scenes from the era of the Babylonian King Hammurabi and the basalt statue of the Lion of Babylon.
“We are trying to help Iraqis coexist with these concrete barriers and accept them, as they can't be moved - at least for the time being," said 39-year-old artist Emad al-Najar, who was painting a large desert landscape of camels laden with goods.
“These portraits are also intended to bring hope to Iraqis and help them to forget their daily sufferings, albeit momentarily, or help remind them what they’ve been missing from their old days,” he added.
The walls, which in some areas stretch for miles around governmental buildings, homes and hotels, have been the subject of intense debate among Iraqis.
Earlier this year, residents and Sunni leaders complained that a planned three-mile long, 12-foot tall security barrier in the Sunni neighbourhood Adhamiyah, in northern Baghdad, would be discriminatory and isolate the community.
Painting the barriers has also prompted mixed reactions.
“It’s fine to have such beautiful things in our streets but all these colourful portraits can’t erase, even for a bit, our huge suffering,” said 45-year-old Salaheddin Mahmoud Namiq.
“These walls are part of our suffering and what we need to do is not to beautify them but to remove them and beautify our souls instead, so we can live together in peace and with love as we used to in the past.”
Abdul-Wahab Nasser al-Hafidh, however, described the paintings as a “step forward to heal Iraq’s wounds”.
“Day after day, Iraqis are proving that they are capable of treating their wounds and overcoming all the difficulties they face,” he said.
Other blast walls, especially those surrounding Baghdad’s main commercial areas, are being used to advertise goods and services.
“We have spare parts for all Korean and Japanese cars,” said the graffiti on one wall, in front of Mohamed Ali Khamas’s shop in Baghdad’s central commercial area Sinak.
“These walls have become a fact of life as we see no indication that they will be removed soon, so why don’t we use them to attract clients instead of letting them affect our business,” Khamas said.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
