Singing star Kadhim al Sahir returns home to Iraq

Star's return to Baghdad as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF not greeted with universal acclaim, as some ask, 'Where was he in 2005 or 2007 when we needed him?'

Kadhim al Sahir speaks to the press in Baghdad after being made a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

BAGHDAD // Iraq might be famous for its enormous oil wealth, date palms and more recently terrible violence. But in the Arab world it is also renowned as the country that created Kadhim al Sahir, one of the region's towering singer-songwriting talents.

After 14 years in exile, al Sahir, Iraq's most esteemed modern-day singer, and one of the most popular artists in the Middle East, has returned to Baghdad as a UN goodwill ambassador.

Al Sahir, 53, is perhaps the only composer with a massive regional following to write and sing in formal, classical Arabic, complete with its intricate, at times unfathomable grammatical rules, rather than relying on the regional dialects favoured by a younger generation of identikit artists.

He has also shown a willingness to turn his back on the four-minute pop recording, producing a sweeping orchestral epic that lasts more than an hour, in keeping with Arabic traditions of songs that tell stories.

Born in the northern city of Mosul, Mr al Sahir grew up in Baghdad but left Iraq in 1997, with the country in the grip of crippling economic sanctions, and with artists forced to work under massive censorship by the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Mr al Sahir's return to Baghdad on Monday, as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the UN children's fund, was his first visit to the country of his birth since then.

At a press conference in the fortified Green Zone, Mr al Sahir, a father of two, said he wanted to raise awareness about the conditions Iraqi chidren face in their lives, particularly issues of rural education.

"I will visit villages to help the children who study in mud schools and are deprived of the simple rights of childhood," he said.

"My message to Iraqi officials is to take care of children … who are the shining future of Iraq.

"My hope is to draw a smile on the face of each Iraqi child," he added.

While a hero to many Iraqis - he has written angry, heart-wrenching songs about their difficult lives and coping with bloodshed - news of his return after such a long time away was not universally welcomed.

Nada al Fari, a young actress in Baghdad, said: "He hasn't supported the country, or fellow Iraqi artists, or children for that matter for years, so why is he coming back now?

"Where was he in 2005 or 2007 when we needed him?"