In a variety of ways, Iraqi students are demonstrators who communicate their voice to the world

Al Jazeera Net - Basra

In unique ways, demonstrators in Basra drew the world to the protests in Iraq about two months ago, through the gathering in the city center and chanting the song of the French Revolution, while others expressed their demands for drawing and theatrical performances.

According to one student involved in the protests, the reason for choosing the French Revolution song is that it is world-famous, a way to draw the world to the demonstrations in Iraq, which he considered the global interaction with them is weak, and international media coverage was sub-standard.

Rowan Fayez, a student at the Faculty of Management and Economics, said that participation in the demonstrations revealed the students' artistic and literary talents and encouraged them to join the festivals organized within the framework of the popular civil demonstrations.

She noted that there are many qualitative events presented by the students of the University of Basra, which is not only a protest expression, but it represents a message of protest to the civilized world, and stresses that the Iraqis seek through their demonstrations to reach a stable and prosperous and free of corruption.

Rawan explained that one of the activities witnessed in the University of Basra to play the song of the French Revolution, taken from the film "Les Miserables", where it focuses on the slogan "We want a homeland", which is raised by the protesters in Iraq.

Draw
Other students expressed their demands and protested by drawing paintings reflecting the reality of Iraq and the goals of popular demonstrations.

Commenting on the activities of students of the University of Basra to participate in the protests, Dr. Ammar Khalid al-Rubaie said that "the events presented by the students during the demonstrations constituted a positive situation and reflect the graduation of students from narrow belief or religious and societal measurements to the space of civilization."

Hussein Raad, a law student, said the students 'activities constituted a new protest expression aimed at lifting the restrictions imposed by the ruling parties' authority on governing the country and conveying their message to the world.

He added that the student participation at the beginning was spontaneous and was then called the revolution of white shirts, but then tended to organize and activate participation in support of the protests.

Raad said that the participation of students was not limited to sit-ins and protest marches, but took another aspect represented the establishment of exhibitions of painting and poetry festivals and performances, as well as the organization of a charity market to support the demonstrators.

New Iraq
Raad added that the student became expressing his feelings through drawing or performing theatrical or musical performances, and these expressive movements were rejected until recently by the authorities and parties.

He said that these "innovative" methods gave the demonstrations vitality and sustainability, and remained peaceful and won the attention of international public opinion as it showed a civilized and humanitarian face of the momentum of protests in Iraq weeks ago.

Raad pointed out that "these events suggest that the Iraqi people want to get rid of a dark phase and come to light, and they paint a painting about the future of Iraq if there is no change."

On the other hand, the professor of modern history at the University of Basra, Dr. Haider Lazim Qatrani that the participation of students in the demonstrations is not new in the Iraqi arena, contemporary history of Iraq is full of interaction of Iraqi university students with internal and external events.

Al-Qatrani believes that "the recent demonstrations have created a new pattern of cross-sectarian and regional thinking, which we note in the interaction between most of the Iraqi provinces."

He considered that the participation of students in the demonstrations according to their own methods has established a new stage that could be the nucleus of civil thinking in a civil state after the youth movements reached the stage of despair of the ruling parties.