When we speak of “Oriental music”, we therefore mean music in all its traditional and contemporary forms that renders references to the musical heritage of the region (the region including the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Turkey, and countries of the Greater Central Asia region with Oriental music traditions). We are mainly focusing on music that lacks market promotion and that is hardly or not available in regular stores.

 

Irab was founded in Beirut in order to address the striking lack of availability and awareness regarding the rich musical heritage and contemporary production of Oriental music. Since 2003, we work to enhance the promotion, production, and distribution of Oriental music, to support contemporary local artists in their visibility, and to engage the public. With “Oriental music” we mean music in all its traditional and contemporary forms that renders references to the musical heritage of the region. We are mainly focusing on music that lacks market promotion and that is hardly or not available in regular stores.

 

Oriental music (and poetry, which is an essential source of music lyrics) are the two main cultural expressions in the region. Through making aware the importance of safeguarding and promoting Oriental music both in its heritage and its dynamic development, we seek to strengthen a positive and integral element of identities in the region and thus to counter feelings of inferiority and fear vis-à-vis globalization and cultural domination. Grounding our work on a democratic and human rights oriented perspective, we believe that pluralism and freedom of expression can only be achieved if our societies encourage access to diverse cultural resources.

 

Irab is an officially registered non-profit association, and has until now completed  a number of activities, including the organization of concerts and musical listening salons, the collection of recordings, the distribution and re-production of CDs, and participation in local and international conferences.

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“While ensuring the free flow of ideas by word and image, care should be exercised that all cultures can express themselves and make themselves known. Freedom of expression, media pluralism, multilingualism, equal access to art and to scientific and technological knowledge, including in digital form, and the possibility for all cultures to have access to the means of expression and dissemination are the guarantees of cultural diversity.” (Article 6 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity).