I think this might be the first time I’ve ever reprinted a post from elsewhere, but I heard something about this story on the news the other day, and now I see our blogging community here in Turkey is taking up the cause, so I thought I’d join in. As a musician myself, I know firsthand how difficult it is to make a name for yourself and to eke out even a moderate living. I can’t imagine how stressful it must be if on top of everything your money troubles make you fear for your life. These guys are working hard, but unfortunately they have everything else working against them, so I want to do my part to see that they get some help.
I’ll be keeping up with this story and I’ll let you know how everything turns out— with any luck this will have a happy ending.
I’m going to go check out that documentary now. Please feel free to repost this in your own blogs or link to this post from your twitters.
From Villa Luna, via Carpetblogger:
Help save our heavy metal friends from an uncertain fate in Baghdad
In November 2007, the Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda was able to get to Turkey through the help of friends who donated money for them to leave Syria. Their visas in Syria were expiring and the government of Syria was threatening to force all Iraqis to return to Iraq.
Now they are in Turkey and their money and options are running out. Life in Turkey is very expensive and very difficult for people waiting to find out if they can officially be resettled by the UNHCR in another country (Turkey does not accept refugees from anywhere other than the West). As it stands now, they may have to return to Baghdad, simply because they can’t afford to stay in Turkey much longer. It’s impossible to stress just how dangerous this will be for them. It could very likely be a death sentence, and the time in which we can help them is quickly running out.
You can help by making a donation to assist Acrassicauda in surviving while they are stuck waiting in Istanbul. The band has no bank accounts, and PayPal doesn’t function in Turkey, so the makers of the documentary about them (Heavy Metal In Baghdad) set up a PayPal account on their behalf. No donation is too small. By giving as little as ten dollars, you can be a part of keeping the heavy metal dreams of four young Iraqi men alive.
Born out of a basement rehearsal space in Baghdad, Acrassicauda (Latin for “black scorpion”) is Iraq’s only heavy metal band. Inspired by western bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Slipknot, they began writing and playing metal in 2001. Their dream of performing live in Iraq soon became the struggle of their lives.
Due to increased security precautions throughout Iraq, it became difficult to practice —much less get through a show— without literally risking their lives. As the situation worsened in Baghdad they began receiving death threats from insurgents and religious fundamentalists accusing them of Satanism.
The war has now all but destroyed their dream of living in peace, growing their hair long, banging their heads, and shredding as loud as they want. The members of Acrassicauda are currently seeking asylum in Istanbul, Turkey. All of their visa applications to foreign countries have been denied.