Halabja 19 year memorial day

The day before today we travelled to Slemani with a stop in Kirkuk. It was snowing which is quite strange in Slemani at this time just some days before the Kurdish Newroz, New Year.

We were at a arts exhibition performed by our Youth Culture Center in Slemani. Impressing talents are teachers there and the result was a very special and very rare arts exhibition in its kind.

It was held at Saddams secret service office which in practice was a torture center and death chamber.


The day started with work and in "Bauhaus" this view could be enjoyed, even by the owner.

At Bauhaus

Exhibition part I - In the basement



Old bloody Saddam weapons I

Old bloody Saddam weapons II

Arts exhibition hall - Also former secret service building

UZI in Kurdistan? Wel,l it looks handy for the life guard.

End

Halabja 19 years after the chemical attack on the memorial day.

Choman Youth Center opening

Yesterday we went on a trip to Choman to open the Youth Culture Center. It was a great success and a great day. The youth in Choman are very enlightened, proud and active. The center consist of a small library, a cinema a complete gym and cafeteria. Everybody work there independent of belonging and without salary. They do it to serve the youth in their area.

Choman is a city that has had big importance in the history of Kurdish struggle. It is a incredibly beautiful city close to Eastern Kurdistan. It is surrounded by mountain chain where on is the highest in south Kurdistan, Halgurd mountain.

The work we perform are unlike what have until now been done in Kurdistan and Iraq. All of our projects main criteria is that the projects are independent from religion and political belonging. This is what has caused serious problems here. We focus on youth empowerment and capacity building.

Not so comfortable but very secure =)

Entrance to Choman Youth Culture Center.

Choman Youth Center theater group.

Part of Choman Youth Center theater group and one of our staff that did not want to be on my blog. They had a special request, wireless mini microphones and sound system for their shows. Another request that was presented in the seminar that was held was a Radio station.

The lunch was not one minute to late. We had to wait until it was barbecued of course.

Start of a trip with amazing views, new projects and historical places.

World most beautiful sports stadium with surroundings? This is a big panorama picture that did not fit here.

The mountain passes are just breathtaking. But the view from the top of the mountains are can not be described by word and picture can not even represent a small fraction of the feeling.

We visited this village high up in the mountains. Here people are living like they have done for many years. Villages like this with preserved cultural and historical objects are few. This is because of Saddam’s Anfal
campaign where he wanted to eliminate the Kurds for ever.

Girls in Kurdish cloths seem to be popular.

The magnificent “Two Brother” rocks. A couple of hundred meters down this valley there is a nice river. Maybe this will be an adventurous tourist place in the future.




Close to this place is a historical bunker with underground tunnels. It was the political center and where Mustafa Barzani performed all his work from, in the late 6o:s.

A educational summer camp will be held in Kurdistan open for all Kurds, especially for Kurds from the diaspora this summer. Those who like to experience this in real life should participate.