Cultural Identity

Hussein Abdullah sways to a different beatthan most Iraqis.His contemporaries may have chosento play the drums or guitar or belt out modern lyrics.He, however, has opted for the oud,a symbol of Iraqi traditional music.There's a good song.There's a bad song.Now, like, most of the music, it's

bad because a lot of TVs, a lot of channels, what I mean.And there is-- lots of singers, they don't have even voice.Bad tunes, bad-- everything is wrong.Hussein is one of a growing number of studentsat Baghdad's Musical Studies Institute,a bastion of the country's traditional music

and a breeding ground for budding talent.[SPEAKING ARABIC]Nowadays, the institute attracts lots of students and teachingstaff are coming back from neighboring countrieswhere they went because of the security situation after 2003.[SPEAKING ARABIC]

Threats from insurgents during ...