Political divides followed the polemic writer in death as in life, as mourners and protesters ejected Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi from al-Nawab's funeral procession on Saturday.
The poet's funeral took place after his body was repatriated from Dubai, before being buried in Najjaf [Getty]
The New Arab Staff
21 May, 2022
21 May, 2022
Iraqi revolutionary poet Muthaffar al-Nawab passed away on Friday in the United Arab Emirates, at the age of 88.
The elderly writer had been suffering with chronic illnesses, and had stopped publishing poetry for many years.
Al-Nawab, who was once handed a death sentence for writing highly critical verses against the Baathist regime, is a household name throughout Iraq.
While in prison al-Nawab reportedly dug his way to freedom and lived in exile across the Arab world for over 40 years, writing poetry condemning the tyranny of dictators throughout the region.
The poet also pioneered writing verse in Iraqi dialect, reaching further into the Iraqi public consciousness than many of his contemporaries.
His funeral took place on Saturday as thousands of mourners gathered in central Baghdad to receive his body.
During the procession Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was attending the funeral was ejected after paying his respects as mourners shouted “corrupt, corrupt” and other anti-regime slogans.
Videos circulating on social media show al-Kadhimi being surrounded by security personnel as mourners become aware of his presence and start chanting in unison “Muthaffar is for the people, not for the thieves!”
The prime minister is then seen being escorted through the crowd and whisked into his motorcade, which drives away at pace.
Al-Kadhimi, a former head of the Iraqi intelligence service, had previously tweeted a picture of him standing beside the beloved poet with the caption “Iraq, whose name you have sung wherever you went, is filled with sadness as it bids you farewell to your final resting place.”
An anonymous social media activist tweeted saying: “to those who called for respect of the funeral rites, I call for respect of the poet Muthaffar al-Nawab himself… it’s he who expelled the corrupt politicians from his own funeral.”
Al-Nawab’s body will be buried in Najaf, in the same grave as his mother, at the poet’s request.
Al-Nawab’s body will be buried in Najaf, in the same grave as his mother, at the poet’s request.
Iraq's communist poet Muzaffar al-Nawab dies in Emirati hospital
Muzaffar al-Nawab died on Friday in an Emirati hospital after a long battle against illness, according to Iraqi authorities.
The poet died on Friday in an Emirati hospital [Getty]
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
20 May, 2022
Iraq's renowned communist poet Muzaffar al-Nawab, who faced jail time and exile in the 1960s, died Friday in an Emirati hospital aged 88, Iraqi authorities announced.
The culture ministry said he died after a long battle against illness, without giving details.
"He lives on in the spirit of all those who sing his immortal poems," President Barham Saleh tweeted.
Born in 1934 into a prominent Baghdad family, Nawab was renowned for his poems filled with revolutionary fervour, a commitment to the communist cause and criticism of Arab dictatorships.
His stands led to spells in prison, as well as periods of exile in Iran, Damascus, Beirut and European capitals.
Nawab is credited with having integrated colloquial Iraqi Arabic into his works.
He last visited Iraq in 2011, when he was received in grand pomp by the presidency. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi called Friday for his body to be repatriated by ministerial aircraft.
The poems of Nawab, who was unmarried and had no children, were often evoked during the autumn 2019 wave of youth-led anti-corruption protests that swept Iraq.
"Why did Muzaffar al-Nawab die in the Emirates?... Because you've governed Iraq for 19 years, because Baghdad hospitals do not treat patients, because the country is not livable," Iraqi journalist Omar al-Janabi tweeted.
Muzaffar al-Nawab died on Friday in an Emirati hospital after a long battle against illness, according to Iraqi authorities.
The poet died on Friday in an Emirati hospital [Getty]
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
20 May, 2022
Iraq's renowned communist poet Muzaffar al-Nawab, who faced jail time and exile in the 1960s, died Friday in an Emirati hospital aged 88, Iraqi authorities announced.
The culture ministry said he died after a long battle against illness, without giving details.
"He lives on in the spirit of all those who sing his immortal poems," President Barham Saleh tweeted.
Born in 1934 into a prominent Baghdad family, Nawab was renowned for his poems filled with revolutionary fervour, a commitment to the communist cause and criticism of Arab dictatorships.
His stands led to spells in prison, as well as periods of exile in Iran, Damascus, Beirut and European capitals.
Nawab is credited with having integrated colloquial Iraqi Arabic into his works.
He last visited Iraq in 2011, when he was received in grand pomp by the presidency. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi called Friday for his body to be repatriated by ministerial aircraft.
The poems of Nawab, who was unmarried and had no children, were often evoked during the autumn 2019 wave of youth-led anti-corruption protests that swept Iraq.
"Why did Muzaffar al-Nawab die in the Emirates?... Because you've governed Iraq for 19 years, because Baghdad hospitals do not treat patients, because the country is not livable," Iraqi journalist Omar al-Janabi tweeted.
No comments:
Post a Comment