S-35. Unknown to No One

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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ruby Jones.

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And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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The band Unknown to No One has a dream. This music group wants everyone around the world to know their music. But that is not their only dream. They also desire to use their music to share a message of love and peace.

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The words from their song While We Can are a good example. Liz Waid shares some of the words from the song.

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"If you're looking for some hope
and searching for a better life,
You can have it if you want it,
but what will you sacrifice?
Love's the key to set us free...
why can't you understand?
Let's change it while we can."

Voice 1

But why do the band members care so much about peace? Unknown to No One began in Baghdad, Iraq, when government of Saddam Hussein was in power. They have lived through the end of this government, the American invasion, and the current conflict. These experiences have shaped the band's music and their message.

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Unknown to No One began in 1999 with two members, Art and Shant. The two shared a love of music, particularly English-language music. But they knew they needed a few more voices for their band. So they put a message on a local radio station in Baghdad.

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A musician named Hassan heard the message on the radio. He then told his cousin Akhlad and his friend Nadeem about it. All three became members of the band. They all liked pop music - so that was what they decided to play.

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Nadeem is one of the band's main singers. But Unknown to No One does not have just one lead singer. Each of the five members sings. The band's website explains,

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"Since they each have different voice qualities, they can choose the right lead for any given song or mood. It's a shared position that they all enjoy."

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Each of the band members has special musical gifts that he brings to the band. Four of the band members play musical instruments. Hassan plays the guitar. Shant plays the drums. Akhlad plays a very interesting instrument. It is a Middle Eastern instrument called the joza. The joza is made from the shell of a hard round coconut fruit. It has strings and is played with a stick called a bow. Art plays the piano. He is also the main song writer.

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However, at first, the band struggled to find listeners. During this time, the government made firm rules against anything that came from the West. Unknown to No One had popular songs, but local radio stations would not play them.

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Then in 2003, the United States led a military invasion of Iraq. This war made it difficult for the band members to practice. However, they played together when and where they could. Often they played at their houses. Sometimes, they played in the back of a car. And other times they would go to the desert to practice.

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After the war ended in 2004, Iraq became increasingly more dangerous. The war was officially over, but the conflict got worse. It was still not safe for Unknown to No One to play English music. They stopped playing together and found other jobs. But not one of them gave up their dream of becoming a world famous band.

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And, then, things changed again. Shant met a business man. And the business man offered to help Unknown to No One make another record. So Shant worked to gather the band back together again. Towards the end of 2004, the members of Unknown to No One reunited in Iraq.

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But it was clear that it was not safe to stay in Iraq. So they went to Jordan. They hoped that in Jordan they would be able to get travel documents. The business man had made plans for them to make a new record in London. It was not easy to get the visas and documents they needed. Shant even had to sing in the government office in front of a crowd of people, just to prove he was a singer!

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In London, the band was able to record three songs. One of these was their popular song While We Can. The band wrote the song in 2006, in reaction to the situation in Iraq. The disorder, violence, and death they saw caused them great sadness. The song describes this great sadness, as in this part:

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"In the time of guilt, in the time of wasted years
Nothing more than hate and never ending fears
Controls your mind, takes away your pride
Nothing seems to be spared"

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But mostly, the song represented the hope that could come from that sadness. The song shares their desire to see the situation change. It expresses the band's belief that love is the way to change. The song also encourages people to take action. To love and make changes while they have the chance. Akhlad expresses this opinion on the band's website,

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"When we sing about the importance of peace, we are coming at it from our own experiences. We want people to feel the same way we do and music is the best vehicle for that. You can send any message you want by music, and people will react to it more than anything else."

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For Unknown to No One, music is a way for people to unite even with their differences. Art and Shant are Christians. Akhlad, Hassan, and Nadeem are Muslims. They live and work together peacefully. The war in Iraq showed the world violence and hate. So the five members of Unknown to No One decided to use their music to make a positive change. They felt responsible to use their music to unite people from different religions, places, and experiences. Art writes on the band's website,

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"I think music can make communication easier between people of different ethnic groups as they share together the common emotions that unite us - love, fear, happiness, sadness and hope."

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If you would like to learn more about Unknown to No One or hear their music, please visit the script page of this program for a link to their website.

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The writer of today's program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can visit our website at http://www.radio.english.net. This program is called "Unknown to No One." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.