Iraqi beauticians conquer fear at Baghdad festival

Baghdad:
Long targeted during the country's sectarian war, Iraq's best
hairdressers and beauticians have held a festival in central Baghdad to
show their talents, a symbolic move to break with years of fear.

The
event, officially called the Make-up, Hairdressing and Fashion Show,
was organised over the weekend in the small Sadeer Hotel in Andalus
Square, the first of its kind since the 2003 US-led invasion and its
violent aftermath.

It is the latest in a series of efforts by the
Iraqi capital's residents to benefit from a decline in violence from
its peak in 2006 and 2007 and restore Baghdad, once a dynamic and
liberal city in the Middle East.

"The most important thing about
this festival is spotlighting the brightness of Iraqi women, which has
gone unseen by the world," said Nadya Hamza Fuad, one of the organisers.
"This is a first for us after the events of 2003," she said. "We see it
as a first step towards achieving success."

"Darkness used to
dominate, and the light of beauty was extinguished 10 years ago,
especially in women's salons. Society has been held back because of the
dark period." The festival, sponsored by Iraq's Labour and Tourism
Syndicate, brought together a handful of shy participants, upon whom
beauticians and hairdressers showcased their talents, and a crowd of
onlookers in two conference rooms in the hotel where the festival was
held.

In one of the conference rooms, experts showed aspiring
beauticians tricks of the trade and best practices, while in the other, a
small platform was set up where three top hairdressers showed their
skills in front of onlookers before their subjects walked across an
adjoining catwalk.It marked a sharp difference from the climate that
once prevailed in the country, when tens of thousands were killed in the
insurgency and sectarian war that followed the invasion that ousted
now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

Religious extremists in
particular targeted hairdressers, most of whom closed their shops in
fear. Women, few of whom were veiled pre-2003, were suddenly forced to
cover themselves and stay at home."We sat behind locked doors and nobody
used to see us -- only our customers," lamented Najim Ashur, owner of a
beauty and hairdressing academy and one of Iraq's best-known
hairdressers."Our art in Iraq got sick, but it did not die," he said.
"It is always renewing."

Violence has dropped dramatically since
that period, but attacks are still common and Baghdad remains one of the
world's most dangerous cities. Among the beauticians exhibiting their
talents was Ali Bulbul, who has over 30 years experience doing makeup
for television broadcasters and now runs a one-stop beauty centre in
central Baghdad which he opened in late 2011.

"We hope this
movement will continue, and become acceptable to the Iraqi people
again," said Bulbul, who left Iraq in 1990, after Saddam Hussein invaded
neighbouring Kuwait. He returned for good in 2005 resuming as a
television makeup artist. Despite the positive atmosphere, attendees
acknowledged that much remained to be done, with Iraqi actress Meelad
Sirri noting that "there is some confusion, and there needs to be
greater attendance, and more styles on display".

"But it was
generally good," she said. The one-day festival was limited to
word-of-mouth advertising, largely to avoid garnering the attention of
militants who, while weakened compared to years earlier, still carry out
regular attacks in Baghdad and across Iraq.

And while
participants were excited about an increasing openness among beauticians
and hairdressers, some did voice lingering fears. "We did not have any
opportunities because of the society and the circumstances, but girls
want to imitate fashions around the world," said Suad Taha, a
20-year-old who was undergoing a makeover.

"This festival is a
chance for Iraqi girls to show their beauty -- that reflects the beauty
of Iraq." But she admitted: "I have mixed feelings -- of fear, and
happiness."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

And I have to admit, there were pretty... ;)