Academy for Peace and Dialogue in Kurdistan-Iraq
“Here with you, I have experienced how beautiful life can be!” said a participant of the second Academy for Peace and Dialogue in Kurdistan-Iraq, which took place from May 18-25 in the historic city of Alqosh. Together with our partner organization Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, we invited 16 young people from all over the north of the country to talk about how hatred and intolerance can be overcome and what peace can look like after war and conflict.
The participants were Muslim, Christian, Ezidi and Kaka’i; Shabak, Kurd, Arab and Assyro-Chaldean. These communities are deeply rooted in the country and its history, and their diversity has contributed to Iraq’s cultural richness. However, the country has also faced major challenges in the past, characterized by extreme violence and sectarian tensions. To this day, people from the country’s marginalized communities suffer from discrimination and exclusion. This is another reason why many of them are committed to equality and justice.
A series of questions accompanied us during the Academy: What do we want from people with different religious beliefs? What kind of society do we actually want to live in? What responsibility does the dominating part society have? And what role does culture of remembrance play in this process? The participants had numerous discussions on this topic, in which difficult issues were not ignored. A Yazidi participant spoke about the violent expulsion of her family in the summer of 2014. She made it clear that, despite everything, she has not lost her faith in people and humanity and wants to work with fellow campaigners for a life in security and peace. Her empathy and her call for solidarity moved us all greatly.
In addition to workshops, the academy also included three visits to holy sites and places of worship and exchanges with the respective religious representatives: The sanctuary of the Ezidis in Lalish, a mosque in Shekhan and the Rabban Hormizd monastery in Alqosh. In addition, we organized a discussion between the religious representatives of these three communities and the theater pedagogue Dr. Hawre Zangana. On the penultimate day, the participants staged a play in which they took a critical look at the role of schools and argued for an inclusive and tolerant curriculum.
The Academy was a challenging experience in terms of time, content and emotion. Consequently, resource-oriented leisure activities such as daily energizers, a mountain tour and a campfire were a must. We are particularly grateful for the hospitality of the local community, who welcomed such a diverse group to the Al-Fadi monastery for the first time.
“The space that has been created here in Alqosh is incredibly important. It must not remain an exception. The fact that I was allowed to tell my story here and that I was listened to with empathy and assured of support is a unique experience for me and one that I will never forget,” said one participant in the final round. “This energy will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
