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The Pianist of Yarmouk by Aeham Ahmad

Author: Aloÿse of Daylesford Book Club, Posted: Tuesday, 17th December 2019, 09:00

In 2013, a video was posted on YouTube of Aeham Ahmad playing the piano in the ruins of Yarmouk, a suburb of Damascus.

Since then Aeham has escaped from Syria and made his home in Germany where he has been joined by his family.

This is the story of Aeham’s life. His father was a talented violinist and carpenter who was totally blind. The family had a renowned music shop with over 1,000 ouds, 600 guitars and many pianos.

Aeham showed great musical ability and won a place at the prestigious music academy in Homs.

Then the bombing began. The family like many others lose everything.

Aeham pushes a piano out onto the streets to escape from the misery, and surrounded by children and neighbours, he plays to them.

There is no food and life is unbearable but still he continues to play.

The story is heart wrenching but the power of music shines through.

It was difficult for Aeham to speak about these memories for the book, reliving the terrible things suffered by his wife and children, but Aeham is a gentle, determined man who believes that music can relieve the suffering.

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The Pianist of Yarmouk by Aeham Ahmad

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