04:19Iraq: ‘Through art, there is peace, there is love’ - Volunteers bring joy to historic Baghdad walls with folkloric paintings
Ali Khalifa, a young man from Iraq, and his team of volunteers are restoring ancient walls with folkloric paintings in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. On Thursday and Friday, Khalifa and his team spread out through the alleys of Kadhimiya to complete their work.
The project started months ago. Initially, the idea was to decorate the ancient spaces that make up the Baghdadi civilization, which is on the brink of oblivion. The paintings attempted to restore the spirit of these old alleys and working-class neighbourhoods.
"Our idea started with painting one mural. The encouragement came from the people, and we see citizens loving the change that takes place, whether it is in the street, school, alley, etc. Our drawings are always aesthetic, educational, and folklore drawings", explained Ali Khalifa, the Butterfly Effect team leader.
Khalifa said that the paintings contain purposeful and positive messages for the people of Iraq. He added, "most of our works are folkloric drawings, especially our drawings in the alleys, which have gained wide resonance."
In the Anbariyeen area of Kadhimiya the volunteer team, which called itself the Butterfly Effect, placed its first expressive drawings on the alleyways of the city. Some paintings featured notable Iraqi personalities, including the late sociologist Ali Al-Wardi, the visual poet Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab and other Baghdadi figures and symbols.
04:19Ali Khalifa, a young man from Iraq, and his team of volunteers are restoring ancient walls with folkloric paintings in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. On Thursday and Friday, Khalifa and his team spread out through the alleys of Kadhimiya to complete their work.
The project started months ago. Initially, the idea was to decorate the ancient spaces that make up the Baghdadi civilization, which is on the brink of oblivion. The paintings attempted to restore the spirit of these old alleys and working-class neighbourhoods.
"Our idea started with painting one mural. The encouragement came from the people, and we see citizens loving the change that takes place, whether it is in the street, school, alley, etc. Our drawings are always aesthetic, educational, and folklore drawings", explained Ali Khalifa, the Butterfly Effect team leader.
Khalifa said that the paintings contain purposeful and positive messages for the people of Iraq. He added, "most of our works are folkloric drawings, especially our drawings in the alleys, which have gained wide resonance."
In the Anbariyeen area of Kadhimiya the volunteer team, which called itself the Butterfly Effect, placed its first expressive drawings on the alleyways of the city. Some paintings featured notable Iraqi personalities, including the late sociologist Ali Al-Wardi, the visual poet Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab and other Baghdadi figures and symbols.