Security barriers in capital get colourful face lift

Huge concrete security barriers in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, are being given a colourful facelift, after local artists clubbed together to paint the unattractive, yet highly necessary blocks. Under a project developed by an artists' association in Baghdad, barriers set up by US troops as a protection against attacks by insurgents are being brightly painted with symbols of freedom and of Iraqi traditions. "If you cannot remove this barrier at least you can create an impression of peace against the true utility of this concrete. It is the least we can do for our people," painter Sundus Yassin, told IRIN. The paintings on the barriers are usually figures that depict traditional Iraqi culture, such as women wearing their abayas (cloaks covering them from head to toe) and symbols like the Lion of Babylonia. "I was very surprised when I was passing by one of these huge concrete blocks and saw all the colours. It was really difficult to believe that something so ugly, which reminds me of the US troops everywhere, could bring sympathy and fun. If they do that all over the city, for sure people will feel more comfortable with the barriers," 34-year-old Suzane Hamoudi, from the Aluia district of Baghdad, told IRIN. Artists are also encouraging local children to pick up a brush and paint the barriers around the capital. "I'm really very happy doing this. The sensation is fantastic and today I think I have decided what I want to be when I grow up - an artist," 12-year-old Youssef Mannar, who is participating in the project, told IRIN. Bakar al-Allani, senior officer from the Ministry of Culture, told IRIN that the new project was an excellent initiative and could at least disguise the huge ugly concrete blocks. "If you give some colours to a bad figure you can at least start to change the impression that life in Iraq has not died and that a new bright future is starting in the country," al-Allani added. Some media offices and embassies, including the French, have given permission for blocks near their buildings to be painted. Officials at the ministry say they would like the project to be replicated across the country. Salim Abu Ghassam, one of the association members, told IRIN that the activity will stimulate creativity. "Each person can have their own way of helping. They just have to be creative and surely something great will come up," he added.