Saturday, December 9, 2017

Civil war


"Does that gramophone work?"

"Of course! I will play it for you. But first I have to light my pipe. I never listen to music without it."
His pipe was broken too, with a piece of tape holding it together. He lit it, cranked up the gramophone and out came the voice of an Arab singer from the 1940s, the same one that my grandfather used to listen to in Lebanon. For a moment I was no longer a photographer shooting ruined Aleppo. I was a boy in my mountain village, my grandfather sitting on the sofa in the afternoon listening to the “belle epoque” songs of Arab music.
Anis had recently returned to Aleppo, with plans to rebuild not only his home, but also his large collection of vintage American cars, despite everything being reduced to rubble.

The music over the ruins of Aleppo. Correspondent.afp.com

More words, photos and video of the cars at the link.

2 comments:

Dad Bones said...

That's a poignant story but wasn't some of that rubble created by President Obomba? The old man must have had been moderately rich, or once was, to collect those hoopties.

ricpic said...

We should simply STAY OUT. Heresy to our best and brightest of course. And screw them too.