Following its successful appearance at the National Gallery of Fine Arts in Jordan, Action for Hope launched their interactive exhibition On The Tracks of Music recently at the Baghdadi Cultural Centre in Baghdad. The event celebrates the musical traditions of the Levant and Mesopotamia and aims to preserve and revitalise these musical traditions by empowering displaced and marginalised communities through culture.
The exhibition is the culmination of a project supported by the Cultural Protection Fund which has taken researchers across Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, over the past 18 months, documenting the folk music of 11 distinct communities. The team identified 14 traditional instruments and 158 unique pieces of music, showcasing a deep tapestry of sounds and stories.
In addition to preserving the music and traditions, the project also brought them to life through music and instrument-making workshops. Over 130 participants learned these skills from experts, reconnecting with the sounds of their folk heritage.
Between May and September 2024, the project presented live performances across six cities, including Basra, Baghdad, Amman, Irbid, Hermel, and Beirut, which brought together over 1,500 attendees in celebration of a shared cultural legacy. A dedicated website will launch in early 2025, offering broader access to these resources and stories.
The current exhibition is designed to capture the essence of Levantine and Mesopotamian folk music that inherently reflects a sense of movement and nomadism. Visitors are taken on an auditory and visual journey, presenting traditional musical instruments documented in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
Each exhibit features traditional instruments, complemented by video demonstrations of the sounds they produce, explanations of their cultural significance, and the raw materials used in their creation. Some installations even invite visitors to try their hand at playing these instruments, offering an immersive connection to the folk heritage of the Levant and Mesopotamia.
The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday at the Baghdadi Cultural Centre, Al Mutanabbi St., Baghdad, Iraq,until 3 January. Admission is free.
