Song of Freedom

Azad is a little boy who wonders why his bird sitting in a cage refuses to sing. Then the unfortunate bird tells that it’s hard to be happy and sing if you’re seized in a cage without the opportunity to discover the beauty of the world. This is an introduction to The Song of Freedom, a Mawlud Ibrahim Hassan’s story which Grftar Kakayi illustrated in 2012. A story that seems to include all the essence of Grftar’s life and work — as well as our very existence. He lived in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk with his family, but their house was blown up and the artist, Yesid Kurd, was politically persecuted as a regime critic.

For several weeks, Grftar, his wife and two children have been living in the refugee shelter on Mühlenstraße, Germany, and since then, the artist had a wish: finally “sing” again. Today, Grftar is regularly in the middle of his passion, with the usual irony and an overwhelming desire for freedom.