Song, dance missing from Iraq arts fest
Poetry has returned to the Triangle of Death. But dancing and singing are being left behind. In this dusty southern community, home to the renowned archaeological site of Babylon and ravaged by modern-day sectarian fighting, Iraqi officials are trying to bring back normalcy by reviving a spring cultural festival that drew hundreds of thousands of […]Lara Jakes report for The Associated Press:
Poetry has returned to the Triangle of Death. But dancing and singing are being left behind.
In this dusty southern community, home to the renowned archaeological site of Babylon and ravaged by modern-day sectarian fighting, Iraqi officials are trying to bring back normalcy by reviving a spring cultural festival that drew hundreds of thousands of people in its heyday.
But in a country where few topics are untouched by sectarian or political tensions as the new democracy grapples with an uncertain future, even the past week's feel-good festival of books, paintings and poetry readings is beset by controversy.
