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A positive note from Syria
Music video collaboration Lavalu and Rihab Azar

We've become accustomed to bad news from Syria, and are only too familiar with images of the human cost of the war there. So we could be forgiven for forgetting that there are real people behind the news stories, people trying to get on with their lives, people with hopes and aspirations.
This is a story about one of them - a Syrian musician, her collaboration with a Dutch singer, and the resulting music video, which has been completed this week. For 'When It's Over' war-torn Damascus meets Arnhem's Spijkerkwartier in the latest charitable project of Arnhem's smallest music festival. SPIJKERROK (www.spijkerrok.com) is the link in the chain connecting Rihab Azar, who plays the 'oud' (a traditional Arabic string instrument), and Arnhem singer Lavalu.

The Message
SPIJKERROK began over 10 years ago in a student house as a way of getting enough money together to buy a new vacuum cleaner. After years of supporting various good causes put forward by friends SPIJKERROK decided to actively search for a suitable project to benefit from the chosen theme: 'freedom of musical speech'. As a result SPIJKERROK sponsored a Dutch war photographer's trip to Syria this year, and collected 50 bags of clothes for a clothing campaign for Syria, organised by Arnhem Syrians. But their most important project of 2012 was bringing Lavalu and Rihab Azar together. This musical alliance realises SPIJKERROK's goal of bringing something positive into the life of one musician, her immediate surroundings and in a small way, the Syrian music scene.

Rihab Azar and Lavalu
After making acquaintance with SPIJKERROK and the musical options available, Rihab chose to contribute an oud part to a Lavalu song on the recently released album Fighting Wildfires. The two women communicated by email and Skype through a shaky internet connection, discussing how they could best include the oud on 'When it's over'. At one point the bombs falling on Damascus were clearly audible in an Arnhem living room.

Beirut, the vibrant capital of Lebanon 60 km from Damascus, was chosen as the best location for Rihab to record her part, and the video was also shot in the studio there. Studio, transport and hotel were all arranged and paid by SPIJKERROK. The Dutch part of the music video was filmed in the Spijkerkwartier in Arnhem, close to the festival site.

With the completion of the video this project has already achieved what it set out to do and can be considered a success, but we would really like to bring it to a wider audience. Although SPIJKERROK has no pretentious ideas about this project, it does want to make a point: that Syria is a beautiful country with lovely people and musicians who want to do nothing other than we do -- make music!

www.spijkerrok.com