Ninos Aho

Date: April 27, 2023

Ninos Aho was born in 1945 in a small village in Syria, Gerkeh-Shama. He relocated to Qamishli and later Damascus in pursuit of continuing education.

In 1971, he left Syria and came to the United States. After living in the United States for over 20 years, Ninos, his wife, and their children decided to go back to Syria to support the Assyrian national movement.

In Syria, he had joined the Assyrian Democratic Organization, an organization founded in 1957, in 1961 during an underground convention. The Organization was dedicated to bringing together the various sects of the Assyrian nation and raising awareness of the Assyrian national identity.

This was especially important in various Middle Eastern countries which sought to forcefully eradicate the Assyrian national identity. In an effort to combat Arab nationalist sentiments, he had the local Syriac Orthodox church choirs perform his poetry and disseminate it to the public.

His fame grew as renowned Middle Eastern musicians such as Ninib A. Lahdo and Wadi al-Safi performed his poetry in songs, amplifying its
reach and impact.

In 2013, Ninos Aho succumbed to complications arising from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away. His funeral was performed in the Syriac Orthodox Church with the attendance of a bishop of the Church of the East. His legacy of both poetry and activism will endure for many years to come.

Written By: Sarah Gawo

Bibliography

“Assyrischer Poet Und Aktivist Ninos Aho Wegen Blutkrebserkrankung Verstorben.”

Bethnahrin, 17 July 2013,
https://bethnahrin.de/2013/07/16/assyrischer-poet-und-aktivist-ninos-aho-wegen-blutkreb serkrankung-verstorben/.

“The New Assyrian Poem by Ninos Aho.” PoemHunter.com, 27 Sept. 2014,
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-new-assyrian/.

“Ninos Aho: Qeenatha .” Qeenatha.com, https://www.qeenatha.com/artists/NinosAho/359/.

“Ninos Aho: The Great Assyrian Poet.” Ninos Aho | The Great Assyrian Poet, https://www.atour.com/people/20120304a.html.

Emmanuel Baba Dawud “Ammo Baba”

Date: November 11, 2022

Ammo Baba, Iraq’s “First Prince of Football”

There are few Assyrian soccer players (or footballers, as they’re better known on the other side of the Atlantic ocean) more loved than Emmanuel Baba Dawud, or Ammo Baba.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1934, Baba’s prowess for the sport was made clear at the young age of 16. Iraqi schoolboys’ coach, Ismail Mohammed, discovered Baba while playing for the Liwa Al-Dulaim school province team. He’d come to know the sport by watching British soldiers playing the game, and had an instinctual pull to the game.

With the encouragement of Mohammed, Ammo Baba moved to the Royal Air Force (RAF) Employees’ Club, where he played for four years. His career exploded, however, when he made his senior debut during the International Military Sports Council qualifier in 1955. His career took on an international scope when he scored the team’s first goal against Morocco in 1957.

Upon sustaining an injury in 1958, Iraq’s King Faisal II sent him to London for treatment. During that time, he was scouted by a number of English clubs—including Liverpool, Chelsea, and Celtic. However, Iraq was experiencing new waves of political unrest, and with the safety of his family in mind, he returned home.

After nearly 20 years of playing, Baba’s career ended in 1970, but his career was far from over. Baba coached a number of Iraqi teams, even going as far as to coach three Olympic teams.

Baba’s entire soccer career was colored by the politics of the time. In the 1960s, political parties were starting to worm their way even into sports. He refused to let his face be used for political gain, even when it meant punishment for him. Throughout his entire career, he stood up for his players, as well as his people.

For many Iraqi citizens, Baba was a pure representation of the people. Despite the hardships, his passion for the sport never died. In the later years of his life, he founded a soccer school for underprivileged children—many of whom have grown to be professional soccer players. Following his death in 2009, Al-Rusafa Stadium was renamed to Ammo Baba Stadium in honor of his work.

Babba was a bright spot for a country that desperately needed one. His impression will be felt on the world of soccer for decades to come.

Published by: Brian Banyamin

Written by: Cassy Ledger 

“Ammo Baba.” Goalden Times, http://www.goaldentimes.org/tag/ammo-baba/.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, August 17). Ammo Baba. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammo_Baba