Eastern Travel from town library

THE AUDIENCE in Oban Library on Friday night travelled to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Egypt without ever leaving their seats.

The were transported on a magic carpet of poetry and songs from members of the Babylon Arabic Band led by Mohammed Nafea, who sang and played the oud; Marion Kenny, flute and guzheng (Chinese harp) and percussionist Dougie Hudson who played tabla and frame drums. The trio are part of a larger band formed by Mohammed, an Iraqi singer and musician, who has been involved in many international festivals around the world including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and the Gulf.

As well as his compositions being used on Iraqi TV, Mohammed formed the Babylon Arabic Band in Edinburgh in 2004.

17_t45lib02 The trio are seen here with Susanne Nicholson, library supervisor, and they were invited to perform in Dunoon and Oban as part of the Scotland-wide Stories without Borders festival. If you couldn’t make it on Friday, you can hear the Babylon Arabic...

17_t45lib01 Rick Potter, composer, performer and instrument repair specialist who lives in Ardfern, was shown the oud used by Mohammed Nafea during his performance.