“I want those who left me to come back from the journey.
I want to give them part of my soul as a keepsake.”
—Afifa Iskandar, “It Burned My Soul”
Today’s Doodle celebrates the “Iraqi Blackbird,” Afifa Iskandar, on what would have been her 98th birthday. Inspired by her love of poetry, Iskandar built up an extensive catalog over the course of her career and is widely known as one of the most acclaimed female singers in Iraqi history.
Born in Mosul on this day in 1921, Iskandar started singing at the age of 5, performing her first concert as a teenager in a small cabaret in the city of Erbil. She went on to delight audiences at home and around the region, eventually performing in the U.S. and Europe as well. Her ability to sing the music of
maqam al-’iraqi, a 400-year-old style weaving sung poetry together with traditional instrumentation, made her stand out from her contemporaries throughout the Middle East.
Throughout her career, Iskandar performed for Iraqi monarchs and government leaders. Iskandar voluntarily retired following the country’s 1979 political change. Though publicly silent, Iraq’s “blackbird” never lost her passion for singing, performing for friends and loved ones in private.
Her music lives on today through songs like "
Ya aqqid alhajibayn" and "
Ikhlas meni" for the world to enjoy.
Happy birthday, Afifa Iskandar!
Early concept sketch and draft by artist Matt Cruickshank
10.12.2019-Tuesday-செவ்வாய்-Doodle-Afifa Iskandar’s 98th Birthday-PNG.
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