Mosul after ISIL: Rebuilding the city’s soul

After the fall of ISIL in Iraq’s Mosul, poetry can be read and music played in public again.

Before ISIL took control of Mosul in 2014, the Iraqi city was famed for its cultural heritage – its poets, musicians and artists.

Now, despite the destruction, they have begun to return.

A cafe in the city has become a centre for cultural life since ISIL’s defeat late last year.

Artists feel the reconstruction of the city starts “with rebuilding souls before houses”.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports.

By Charles Stratford