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On today's episode of Cafe International, our series on Syrian music continues with the group, Taraf Syriana. As their name suggests, they perform Syrian and Romani folk music. “Taraf” is the Romani word for musical group. The Domani, the Romani community of Syria, was estimated to be 250,000 before the war. The Domani migrated from India over 1000 years ago, arriving in Persia before eventually settling in Syria. We feature interviews with members of the band, who all attended top conservatories in Syria and Europe, and later immigrated to Montreal, including Omar Abou Afach (viola), and former member of Syria's National Orchestra (1993-2015), Naeem Shanwar (qanun) - a former music professor at the University of Homs in Syria, accordionist Sergiu Popa, cellist Noemy Braun, and vocalist Ayham Abou Ammar.