DUBAI: Baghdad usually makes headlines for violence, political battles, ethnic and sectarian divides, and the bloody geopolitics that have besieged Iraq for decades since the US invasion in 2003. Over recent months, however, the capital city seems to be undergoing an artistic rebirth, with new galleries, festivals, theatre performances, the renovation of Al-Mutanabbi Street — the site of the city’s famed book market, and more.
The revamp of Al-Mutanabbi Street — revealed at the end of December — financed by private-sector banks is perhaps the most obvious sign of regeneration. The street — named after the 10th-century poet Abul Tayeb Al-Mutanabbi — has long been a place where Iraqi cultural elites would gather, ever since its inauguration in 1932 by King Faisal I. It was also the site of the massive youth-led anti-government protests in 2019, which resulted in a violent crackdown — protests which also led to the creation of more art.
Cultural performers and musicians came out to celebrate while colorful fireworks lit up the sky at December’s unveiling of the…
