In a crowded pub in Erbil, Iraq, the Argenta singer-songwriter Tenise Marie was put on the spot.
She was part of a large group of people of Assyrian descent from all over the world, meeting for the first time. They were taking turns singing solo for the crowd, in Assyrian, without musical accompaniment.
Someone passed the mic to Tenise.
This was the first day of her journey to explore her family roots, and she was overwhelmed.
Support local journalism today
Join thousands of other like-minded readers and sign up below to gain immediate & unlimited access to our news for the next 30 days – plus start receiving our newsletters.
Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines.
