Of course, maintaining any semblance of normality in such an environment would be an achievement in itself. Everyday life becomes a battle to survive and everything else tends to be lost in that, including culture that Westerners take for granted. However, a number of blogs attempt to keep the cultural flame burning for Iraq and lend an expressive voice to art, entertainment, and other cultural staples.
Baghdad Artist is perhaps one of the more well-known artists but the blog has not been recently updated which, given its quality and presentation, is a shame. Poetry is also alive in Baghdad; "And the ball rolled into a Baghdad dumpster" tells the story of the experience of a group of children playing near a neglected dumpster. Art and writing is one Iraqi teenager's only source of solace among the misery. She says, “I don't really feel like writing anymore,” but says that she may “start scanning some drawing and put them here. I love art.” Lana, the author of the blog, describes herself as Iraq’s "future presidentESS", however it currently has to be questioned if there will be an Iraq left for Lana to preside over.
Article comments
1 - Josh Tull
How in the world did you miss "Alive in Baghdad" when you were writing this article? They have single handedly DEFINED web coverage of Iraq. They consistently get high caliber stories that mainstream T.V. wouldn't dream of showing.
They have a weekly vlog that they produce and won "Best Vlog" at the Vloggies last year.