Author: Wassim Ibrahim

From Damascus to Andalusia: Building Bridges Through Music

I have always believed that human beings are capable of living together in harmony. Throughout my years in Europe—whether in Kraków, Vienna, the United States, France, Syria, or Lebanon—this belief has not only endured but deepened. What politics divides, love and culture can unite. This conviction is at the heart of my life’s work: intercultural music, intercultural dialogue, and the creation of spaces where people from different backgrounds can meet through sound.

❝We can still choose harmony.
We can still build bridges.❞ 

The Origins of an Idea

This journey began nearly three decades ago, around 1995–1996 in Damascus, when I worked with the Rainbow Choirs under the direction of my dear friend and brother, Hussam Eddin Brimo. It was there that I first discovered the transformative power of collective singing across cultures.

Years later, when I settled in Kraków, this idea evolved into something tangible: the creation of Chór w Kontakcie, a multicultural choir that would later be called an “Ambassador of Multiple Cultures.” Through this initiative, I began to promote the musical traditions of the Levant, Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Arab world, Turkey, and Iran—sharing them with Polish audiences who received them with curiosity and open hearts.

An Expanding Community of Voices

Over time, a true artistic community formed around these workshops—people who not only listened to Eastern music, but learned it, sang it, and embodied its spirit. I began teaching in various formats: at Kontakt in Kraków, in Waldorf schools, at EtnoKraków/Rozstaje Festival, and even overseas in Wisconsin, USA.

Two years ago, I met Marzena Mandel, whose vision aligned with mine. Together, we began organising dedicated workshops on Eastern music in Kraków. Their success planted a new idea: What if we carried this exchange to Andalusia—the legendary crossroads of cultures?

❝Andalusia remains the purest symbol of this dream: a land where Islam, Christianity, and Judaism once sat at the same table—where poetry, prayer, and song flowed freely between them.❞

Andalusia — A Return to Civilizational Harmony

The invitation to Andalusia became more than a journey; it became a pilgrimage. We centered the workshop around the musical threads that once wove together Al-Andalus: Arabic songs, Sephardic melodies in Ladino, and echoes of medieval coexistence.

We travelled as a group of fifteen voices from Poland, carrying the ancient songs of Damascus into the heart of Spain. We sang in Andalusian Arabic, in Ladino, and in the shared language of emotion. Over several days, we built a repertoire of twelve pieces, rehearsed them, performed them, and finally recorded them.

What we built there was more than a concert. We built a bridge.

❝What politics divides, music can unite.❞ 

A Living Project: Music as Resistance to Division

This experience was the beginning of a project that will continue. Through future workshops, we aim to show that cultural understanding is not abstract—it is sung, spoken, and felt. It is built through listening. It asks us not to judge, but to embrace others as they are.

Our goal is simple: To find points of connection and collaboration to create something beautiful together.

Andalusia remains the purest symbol of this dream: a land where Islam, Christianity, and Judaism once sat at the same table—where poetry, prayer, and song flowed freely between them.

Looking Ahead

This journey is only beginning. With each workshop, concert, and shared voice, I continue to believe:

We can still choose harmony.
We can still build bridges.
And through music, we can still remember how to love one another.

❝…cultural understanding is not abstract—it is sung, spoken, and felt.❞

Returning to Damascus: A Journey of Memory and Hope

After 12 years away, I returned to Damascus—to my family, my neighborhood, and the room that still holds the echoes of my memories. Walking through the ancient alleys, I felt history breathing through the walls, as the calls to prayer and church bells intertwined in the same harmony that has always defined this city. It was as if time had never tried to break it.
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