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Amidst the turmoil of the new Syria, the country’s musicians are watching the Islamic militant leadership and hope to build on the achievements of nearly 14 years of civil war.
This controversy gave a boost and focus to the heavy metal scene.
When the war ended, a thriving electronic music and dance industry rose from the ashes, sparking the renaissance of Syrian nightlife.
Now, its members are preparing to join the government led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS – a group with roots in al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
“We have to be ready before we go to them, because they are ready,” said DJ and musician Maher Green. “We’re ready to talk to them clearly. We’re ready to talk to them with real ideas.”
Electronic music producers found a way to communicate with security agencies working for the former president, Green said.
“They did not understand the gathering of 50 boys and girls and dancing like this,” he said. “We built a relationship with them over the years to make it work smoothly and peacefully.”
The Assad regime was not tolerant of heavy metal musicians who started underground bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They saw it as a sub-culture of the West that was associated with Satanism.
“I went to the intelligence agency maybe three times, because I sold this kind of music,” said Nael al-Hadidi, who owned a music shop. “They made me sign some papers so I wouldn’t come back.”
That search changed when the brutal suppression of the democratic revolution in Syria led to a bloody civil war.
“Before the war, even if you grew long hair, wore black t-shirts, metal dance t-shirts, the security took you. They suspected you were Satan or something,” said al-Hadidi.
“When the war started, they were too busy to bathe like this. They were too scared of politics.”
This opened the door to a powerful image of heavy metal, the subject of Monzer Darwish’s documentary Syrian Metal is War.
The war may have encouraged metal bands, but in the end it caused many musicians to emigrate and felt that the country no longer had a future.
“Ninety percent of my friends are in Europe, the Netherlands and Germany,” said al-Hadidi, shaking his head.
Wajd Khair is a musician who stayed behind, but quit music in 2011 when the killings started.
He told me: “It seemed that every word I could write, did not explain what happened, no words could explain what was happening at that time.”
Last year, Khair started acting and filming again. Now they wonder what Islamic leadership means for creative freedom.
“We have to be brave,” he said when asked if he would keep the record low until the situation became clear.
“We have to be heard, let everyone know that we are here. We are here. It’s not the Islamic Front and the Islamic State here, I don’t think that hiding under these circumstances is good for anyone. .”
Khair was inspired by the pragmatism displayed in the days following the coup. “The signs are that we’re moving to a better place, hopefully,” he said.
But while he was talking, we heard that HTS had closed the Opera House. “It’s not a good sign” if true, Khair exclaimed.
We rushed to the meeting place only to be told by foreign officials that this was a lie, that a prestigious institution would be opened a week after the victory of the rebels along with other government buildings.
HTS promises to respect freedom and independence, announcing that it has long since separated from the past.
It seems to be influenced by the culture of Damascus. A state television channel began airing Islamic music last week but removed it within 24 hours as media outlets sparked protests.
On the stage outside the Opera House, Safana Bakleh tries to sing a composition with the choir she leads. Together with the enthusiastic youth, he gave his drum and let them sing and sing.
“It may not be an easy road,” he said. “Maybe we will have some new obstacles, but we had corruption, we had a dictatorship, we had secret police. We are still looking forward to the future… because we have a very large group of people. who are critics and artists and actors, musicians and songwriters and the future of Syria.”
But they do not want to exchange the country’s political authority for religious stability, said al-Hadidi.
“I hope that HTS stands for their words about freedom, because we don’t want to be another Afghanistan or another country controlled by a certain group or rulers who force you (to follow) certain laws.”
Desperate to remain a part of Syria’s future, Green said it is important for talented people to act quickly.
“It doesn’t seem like the first week of liberating Syria, (HTS) is ready to look at the cultural side. They have many problems, they are looking at the economy, they are looking to create a new government”. he said.
“We are trying to fix ourselves before they start looking at culture. To get there first, (and we have to be) united in our thoughts.”
Like others here, Green has been experimenting, mixing traditional Arabic music with electronic instruments.
The culture of Islamic insurgents “is religious music and that’s it,” he said.
“This is a bit of a step back for us. We were here in Syria before the war, and during the war, (when) we had a lot of trials. We changed a lot. We have a mixed culture.”
Syrian music was revived and flourished during the civil war – now it is facing a new and unexpected test.