Duisi
Musa Imali
Musa is originally from Vedeno Gorge¹ in Chechnya. In 1999 at the beginning of the Second Chechen War, Musa fled with his family to Pankisi Gorge.² A highly-regarded musician in his home country, Musa plays the guitar and the pondar, a fretted lute with three metal strings, similar to the panduri.³ Today, Musa lives with his wife, three daughters and son in the village of Duisi. He sings songs about war and his homeland. To hear other artists from Pankisi Gorge, visit the page of Pankisi Ensemble.
¹Vedeno, famous for its resistance fighting, is where Imam Shamil made his last stand against the Russian Imperial Army. It is also the site of an infamous battle between the Russian army and Chechen separatists in August, 2001.
² A valley in northeastern Georgia that borders Chechnya and is mainly inhabited by Kists, Chechens who migrated by Georgia almost two hundred years ago.
³ A three-stringed, fretted lute common in all regions of northeastern Georgia. The instrument is most frequently used to accompany ballad singing. Read more about the panduri here.
Musa Imali