Naseer Shamma (; born 1963) is an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i musician and oud player.

Life and career

He was born in 1963 in

Kut Kūt (), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare, Kut al-Imara, or Kut Al Amara is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad, and the capital of the Wasit Governorate. the estimated populatio ...

, a city on the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

River. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, following in the footsteps of

Jamil Jamil () is an Arabic language, Arabic given name. It means "handsome" or "beautiful" in Arabic. The Latin spelling variants include Gamil (name), Gamil (used mainly in Egypt), Cemil (in Turkish), Djemil or Djamel (mainly in North African countries ...

and

Munir Bashir Munir Bashir (; ; 1930 – September 28, 1997) was an Iraqi-Assyrian oudist. Bashir is considered one of the foremost virtuosos of the Arabic oud, and is widely renowned as one of the most important figures in 20th century Middle Eastern music. ...

. He received his diploma from the Baghdad Academy of Music in 1987. He began to teach oud after three years at the academy, as well as continuing his own studies. Shamma has composed music for films, plays and television and created the Arabic Oud House. Among other recognitions, Shamma has been distinguished as

UNESCO Artist for Peace UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and UNESCO Champion for ...

and by the International Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies as goodwill ambassador. In the 1980s, Shamma was accused by the Iraqi government of criticising

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. He was asked to visit the Iraqi embassy to

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, where he was kidnapped and transported against his will to Iraq where he was imprisoned. He was interrogated for weeks, and was sentenced to death without a court hearing. He was ultimately released without any meaningful process. On February 11, 2024 Naseer Shamma, has launched his debut art exhibition, ''Half Life'', at the Etihad Modern Art Gallery On September 1, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein met with UNESCO Artist of Peace Naseer Shamma to discuss the role of art in diplomacy, cultural exchange, and promoting Iraq’s heritage, while praising Shamma’s proposals and creative contributions to Iraq’s international cultural presence.

Discography

* ''Le Luth de Bagdad'' (1994,

Institut du Monde Arabe The Institut du Monde Arabe (, ''Arab World Institute''; abbr. IMA) is an organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. ...

) (reissued as ''Le Luth de Bagdad - Histoire d’amour orientale'') * ''Ishraq'' (1996, Musicaimmagine) * ''The Moon Fades'' (1999, Incognito) * ''If Found'' (2004, Diwan) * ''Maqamat Ziryáb'' (2005, Pneuma) * ''Hilal'' (''Crescent'') (2006, Pneuma) * ''Ard Al-Sawad'' (''The Black Land'' or ''Land of Darkness'') (2006, Diwan) * ''Viaje De Las Almas'' (''Travelling Souls'') (2011, Pneuma) * ABWAB (2024, United Arab Emirates) * bab Al-hudour ( 2024 )

Cassettes

* ''Before I Get Crucified'' (1997) * ''The Night of Baghdad'' (1997) * ''Eastern Love Story'' (1997) * ''Declaring My Love Silently'' (1997) * ''For the Children of Iraq'' (1997) * '' The Siege of Baghdad'' (2000)

Other

* ''Oud Naseer Shamma'' (2000,

Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation The Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation was founded in 1981 as a center of art and learning. It is located in the middle of downtown Abu Dhabi, UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle ...

) * '' The Fire This Time'' (2002, Hidden Art) * ''Silk'' (2008, Abu Dhabi Festival)

References

External links