It may seem naive or absurdly optimistic, but we are nevertheless convinced that music has the power to bring about change for the better. On this evening we give the chance to two troubadours from Syria and Afghanistan to shine a little light on the horizon. Music for a better world.

Aman Yusufi was just eleven when he discovered the dambura, the two-stringed long-necked lute which is typical of the Hazara people from the central mountains of Afghanistan. It didn’t take long for him to start seriously experimenting with the instrument and also to start singing. What began as a hobby in villages, schools and at family gatherings quickly developed into a veritable passion and has resulted in a collection of more than 30 cassettes of his own work. Since arriving in Belgium as a refugee he has dedicated himself to supporting and entertaining his fellow-countrymen with his superb Hazaragi songs, both solo and with his group Refugees for Refugees.

Singer Ibrahim Keivo calls himself the voice of old Syria. He was born in 1966 into a family of Armenian refugees in a Yazidi-Kurdish village in the north of Syria. He grew up in a region spanning the borders of the old Syria (Al-Jezireh – the island), Mesopotamia and the Near East: a cultural landscape with a rich past, a variety of religions and many languages and dialects. An area in Mesopotamia where Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Kurds Arameans and Armenians lived together sharing their songs and music. Keivo’s knowledge of the region’s various traditions and instruments including the bouzouki, saz, baglama, oud and kamancheh is as staggering as his knowledge of its languages. Keivo is fluent in Botani, Kurmançi, Kurdish, Armenian, Turkish and various Arabic dialects. With his powerful stage presence, his deep understanding of Syria’s multicultural heritage and his universal philosophy he unites different eras, cultures and languages. Over a long career highlights include performing solo in the Damascus opera house, playing the role of Bacchus in a musical composed by Nouri Iskander during the Kunstenfestival des Arts in Brussels and, more recently, appearing as a guest of the Brussels Jazz Orchestra.

 Ibrahim Keivo : vocals, bouzouki, saz, baglama, oud and jumbush

 Aman Yusufi : vocals, dambura
 Majid Zare : tabla