"At first I really fought with myself about taking on the job of renovating a palace once owned by Saddam," says Aloosawi. It troubled him that the building had been constructed in the mid-1990s, a period when the country was suffering from war and famine.
"On the day that I saw if for the first time, I realised that it had not been built with bricks but with the blood of the people. On the day of the opening, though, I cried twice. Out of happiness. Because I saw how much the museum in this space meant to Iraqis." [...]
Most Iraqis under Saddam's regime knew nothing of what went on behind the palace walls. Engineer Duray Tawfik, from HWH Associates, the British engineering company overseeing the project, says he was horrified to learn that three meals were cooked each day by Saddam's staff, in case the leader ever turned up. He never did. [...]
"You wouldn't believe the interest from the public," says Obaid. "Social media has just exploded." At the opening a man approached the team to say he has many artefacts he wants to donate - including what he says is the front door from the first church to be built in the city.
"It may seem strange to house a museum in this palace," Obaid adds. "Something built by Saddam, something that symbolises so much pain and inhumanity. But who has won this time? Saddam Hussein or civilisation? Civilisation always wins."
No comments:
Post a Comment