Baghdad:Waiting for Progress

Explanation of my parody.



From the 18th of December to the 2nd of January, I returned to Baghdad, Iraq the country of my birth for the first time in three years. I had expected to see rebuilding, hope and recovery of this war-stricken city since it had been over 8 months since the US-led war and occupation of the country but in turn what I confronted was in brief, "absurd." And I wish to express my unaltered and true experiences in the following

form, inspired by the existentialist play "Waiting for Godot."



Act I: Oh Master, we thank thee for liberating our womenfolk...

In the newly liberated Iraq, women are all embracing their newly found freedom, now that they have been stripped of rights given to them under secular law. They are being clothed with narrowly interpreted Shar'ia law, all thanks to the Americans. In this scene, we see emancipation manifested in the following:

Mrs. Iraq, mother of three, is unable to drive. As it turns out, the country with the second largest oil reserves in the world, Iraq, is facing a huge gasoline shortage. Cars line the streets -- stretching for miles as men and women wait to fill up their tanks with 30 liters, to be used for the cars and the generators.

Mr. Iraq seats Mrs. Iraq next to him in the car. He would not let Mrs. Iraq drive in a car alone, even if she knew how to drive. A man driving alone is a site witnessed as frequently as flying pigs due to the security situation since "liberation." Once at the gas station, Mr. Iraq pulls into the women's queue -- only a one-hour wait as opposed to the seven-hour wait in the men's line. Mrs. Iraq sits behind the wheel as Mr. Iraq pushes the car from behind. After waiting an hour, they get their 30 liters, and return home.



Act II: The new Iraqi currency?

Four 21-year-old women, at the prime of their youth and freedom, lucky enough to be living in a newly-liberated country during the twenty-first century, wait for their driver to take them to the Baghdad Technological College. As Jaffar pulls up, he opens the trunk to take the four large jugs each girl has in hand. Could it be jugs of wine for a jamming party? Or could it be juice even?

Actually no, parties and get-togethers are virtually nonexistent, especially for girls. The girls are bringing Jaffar their weekly payment of gasoline. Two weeks ago, Jaffar announced his decision to cancel the carpool service. The seven hours of waiting in gasoline lines was simply too much to take, and no increase in the wage could alleviate the situation. As a solution, payment in gas was the only way the girls could keep the service and get to the university.



Act III: National services

Scene I.

Person Free: Wow! A lit house at 7:00 p.m. Is this power national electricity or from the generator?

Person Democracy: It is the national electricity. It came about 20 minutes ago, for the first time in about 24 hours.

Person Free: In my neighborhood, we have not had electricity for the last three days. Do you think my house is lit now?

Person Democracy: Perhaps.

Person Free: I wish the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) would stick to the damn schedule. I mean, they are supposed to follow a timetable where they bless us with two hours of electricity, cut it for four, and so on.

Person Democracy: Perhaps they do not have the timing worked out just yet.

Person Free: Okay. Well, I should return home now. I have been warming up water on the kerosene heaters for the past few days, just to take a warm shower. I better hurry home before the heat is cut. Maybe I can at least iron a little and wash my clothes in hot water!



Scene II: New Year's Eve

The scene is filled with an orchestra of explosions, gunshots, helicopters, and F-16s coming from above.

Families of Person Free and Person Democracy are gathered for a quiet family get-together on New Year's Eve. Usually they celebrate at a country club -- with a singer, a DJ, catered food, and dancing -- a wild time. But this year, the streets are silent after 10:00 p.m. and families end their dinners before 11:00 p.m., in fear of being carjacked or killed on the way back home. Nor do they want to be checked by the American troops. Others decided to have small sleepovers, to witness the coming of 2004. This is the case for these two families.

They listen to the television, powered miraculously by national electricity as the countdown begins:

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two..."

The electricity shuts off right at midnight. Happy 2004! Person Free stumbles to the Aladdin-era kerosene-powered lamp. He lights it and heads over to the loud (but indispensable) generator. He discovers that there is enough gasoline to keep it running for another hour.

Person Free: Well apparently when it comes to cutting electricity, they (CPA and IGC) seem to be on schedule!



Act IV: Freedom of...

Rana: Cousin, take me around Baghdad. I have been cooped up inside for the entire stay. I have not been allowed to go anywhere in this city because of this security situation. Explosions all the time!

Hamoody: Okay. Let's get in the car.

[Stuck in traffic for 30 minutes.]

Rana: What is the deal with this traffic?!

Hamoody: Well, there is no electricity for the traffic lights. The Iraqi police and traffic patrols only function when important officials or American troops need the way cleared. There is no law, so people violate rules left and right. After all, what do they have to lose?

[Cars travel on roads in both directions, on the sidewalks.]

Rana: Look! An Iraqi policeman is actually controlling the traffic now!

Hamoody: He must be a new one!

[GMC cars pass by, carrying officials.]

Rana: Oops, he was just letting those IGC people pass.

Hamoody: When I came back after the war "ended," I could not drive on the roads. Too many roads were closed off. Also, there were so many checkpoints! Imagine that! I have been living in this country for all of my life, but I returned to find everything off-limits to me! Rana, look at that man on the street. Do you see him, the one wearing the black gown? He is famous in Iraq because he wears slogans on his back and people give him money. Read what he has written...

Rana: [reading] "Wa hakadtha dtha' al Iraq..." And in this way, Iraq was lost.



The End