Hussein Ameer Harbi is a Baghdad-based drummer and percussionist. An autodidact throughout most of his life – and, since 2021, enrolled in the academic study of music –, Hussein is a proficient instrumentalist, playing an array of Arabic and world percussion instruments, most notably the Riq, but also the darbuka, cajón, congas, and the drumset, among many others. An experienced performer, he has shared the stage with many Iraqi acts, among which the Peace Arts band, touring locations liberated from the ISIS in 2018; the “Lana Al-Hayat (Life is Ours)” concert, in 2022, led by eminent maestro Mustafa Zayer with the Peace Orchestra, advocating for peace, non-violence and social cohesion. Since 2019, Hussein is a member of Tarkib, a multi-disciplinary art collective, organizer of several art events in Baghdad exploring new socio-cultural spaces, interactive interfaces, and interdisciplinary collaborations. In 2021, Hussein founded Sanjat, a 26-piece percussion youth ensemble trained by him from scratch, with support from the Goethe Institut, with the goal of empowering, educating and developing young men and women interested in the world of percussion, and using music as a tool for political expression.
Hussein Ameer Harbi
