Music that Unites Us

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In the Indian Punjab, two young teenage girls are singing ancient poetry written by a Muslim Sufi saint buried over the border in Pakistan. Meanwhile, across the barbed wire in Pakistan, the female folk singer Bali Jatti, whose music is inspired by Indian culture, is performing to a rapturous crowd of Pakistani men. This is not the only example of split-identity music which unites fans across borders that divide old enemies. Asad Ali Chaudhry also explores Cypriot folk music shared by Greeks and Turks, and how a Russian folk metal band came to have a strong Finnish influence. (Photo: A street music group in the old part of the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, 2013. Credit: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images)