Baghdad Lives – Staying

Mounaf Shaker documents the daily struggle of life in Baghdad

In this week’s programme Iraqi filmmaker, Mounaf Shaker, provides a personal account of his attempts to build a future against all odds in today’s Baghdad. 

 

He reveals how his once lively neighbourhood has become a place of hardship and fear for its residents. American tanks and armoured vehicles patrol constantly and the famous palm groves are now the site of battles between rival militias. 

 

Seemingly mundane tasks, such as his journey to work every morning, are now filled with terrifying uncertainty. Might he be caught in the crossfire of militia fighting or hit by a roadside bomb? To make matters worse Mounaf is presented with the prospect of unemployment when he receives a threatening note advising him not to go back to the university.

 

The film reveals the far-reaching impact sectarian tension and violence is having on the country and the perceived inability of US and Iraqi security forces to quell lawlessness.

 

Amidst the gloom, however, there is a glimmer of hope. Mounaf’s marriage to a Shia woman suggests that reconciliation amongst Iraq’s different religious communities is not impossible.

 

 

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