Day 1 Erbil International Hotel and Midya Hall and Gallery, Erbil
9.30 am
Coffee and Registration
10.00 am
Welcome by ArtRole Chief Executive Adalet R. Garmiany
Keynote Speeches
Mr. Sokol Kondi, Head of Office, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Erbil Regional Office
Joseph Pennington: USA Consul General, Erbil
Asos Najib Abdullah: Minister of Labour and Social, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq
10.45 am
FGM: the film that changed the law in Kurdistan: Two filmmakers Nabaz Ahmed and Shara Amin, spent almost a decade reporting the greatest taboo subject in Kurdish society: female genital mutilation. Nabaz Ahmed and Shara Amin persuaded people to talk about the effects of FGM and the film they made helped get the practice outlawed in 2011. In the last few years the number of girls being mutilated in Kurdistan has fallen by over 60%. The story of their decade-long fight against FGM has been made into a documentary by the Guardian and BBC Arabic.
11.00 am
Symposium
Presentations by international & local speakers who will discuss their particular roles in
addressing public awareness and media coverage of human and women’s rights issues.
Chairperson: Alison Helen Salam – Writer and Lecturer at the UKH, Iraqi Kurdistan.
Speakers:
Six Speakers: 4 Iraqi and 2 International (speakers will talk for 10 minutes each)
Suzan M. Aref, founder-Director (WEO) Women’s Empowerment Organisation, Erbil
Chnar Sa’ad Abdulah, Politician, former minister of Martyr and Anfal, Erbil
Angel Zatorski: Artist and Curator, London, United Kingdom
Awezan Nury: Poet, Writer and Project Manager at PANA Centre for Women’s Rights, Kirkuk
Lameaa Alose: Short story writer, Salahaddin City
Rob Vreeken: Journalist at De Volkskrant and published book on women issues From Koran to Girl Power, Netherlands
Questions to the panel and contributions from symposium participants
12.30 pm
Break: Coffee and Refreshments
2.30 pm
Delegates and invited guests transported back to hotel
5.30 pm
Walk to Midya Hall
6.00 pm
Exhibition Preview: Women Photographers
Venue: Midya Gallery
Refreshments and welcome
An exhibition of contemporary photography by female Iraqi artists from across the country. The exhibition will create both a platform for these photographers to explore and challenge expectations of Iraq today as well as introduce a generation of exciting new artists.
Current awareness of contemporary Iraq has been limited by the aesthetics and culture of conflict. However, these female artists have not been bound by it. This exhibition will include
artists who are exploring their own situation and addressing their own issues through art, locally and internationally.
The exhibition showcases emerging artists from across Iraq. It will continue to build cultural links between Iraq, the Middle East and the rest of the world and provide further opportunities for artistic development by encouraging future collaboration and exchange.
Gona Hassan & Bnar Sardar, Sulaymania
Nama Assd Ibrahim, Erbil
Najla Kazi Hassan, Babylon
Shawnm R. Garmiany, Kirkuk
Huda Jamal & Shoxan Mahamed Salih, Halabja
Saja Amr Ibrahim, Baghdad
7.30 pm
Theatre: The Beauty Inside (a play about honour killing)
Venue: Midya Hall.
A collaboration between American Playwright Catherine Filloux & Iraqi director Gaziza Omer with actors from across Iraq.
The Beauty Inside is about honour killing, inspired by a real event which happened in Turkey. The play identifies the complication of women’s lives in certain societies; how law, religion, media, traditions and authority treat women and gender equality. This play will be a combination of experiences between an American playwright, Kurdish director, Turkish setting and actors from across Iraq.
“This moving character study pits East against West, tradition against progress, and ambition against conscience, in a drama whose lyrical dialogue evokes the surprising ambivalence of this wrenching battle.” Village Voice.
9.00 pm
Delegation returns to hotel
Day 2 Erbil
10.30 am
Workshop and Presentation by Catherine Filloux playwright, Fulbright Senior Specialist, librettist for Where Elephants Weep (Composer Him Sophy)
Venue: Salahaddin University, Erbil
Catherine will talk about a number of artistic and cultural USA projects in different conflict zones around the world where American women participated and held strong roles for human rights, gender equality, education and art. Catherine is also sharing her personal experience working in different parts of the world.
Catherine Filloux is an award-winning playwright who has been writing about human rights for the past 20 years. Filloux’s awards include: Voice Award for Artistic Works (Voices of Women), New Generations-Future Collaborations Award (Mellon Foundation/TCG), Peace Writing Award (Omni Center for Peace), Critics Choice Opera News, Roger L. Stevens Award (Kennedy Center), Eric Kocher Playwrights Award (O’Neill) and the Callaway Award (New Dramatists).
12.00 pm
Break
1.00 pm
Travel from Erbil to Sulaymania for International
and Local Delegates
4.00 pm
Arrival in Sulaymania
7.30 pm
Dinner at a local restaurant
Day 3 Tawar Hall, Sulaymania
9.30 am
Coffee and Registration
10.00 am
Welcome by ArtRole Chief Executive Adalet R. Garmiany
10.15 am
Keynote Speech
Lady Hero, First Lady of Iraq – Iraqi President Talibani’s wife
10.30 am
FGM: the film that changed the law in Kurdistan: Two filmmakers Nabaz Ahmed, Shara Amin, spent almost a decade reporting the greatest taboo subject in Kurdish society: female genital mutilation. Nabaz Ahmed and Shara Amin persuaded people to talk about the effects of FGM and the film they made helped get the practice outlawed in 2011. In the last few years the number of girls being mutilated in Kurdistan has fallen by over 60%. The story of their decade-long fight against FGM has been made into a documentary by the Guardian and BBC Arabic.
11.00 am
Symposium
Presentations by international and local speakers to discuss gender equality in the 21st century
(Six Speakers: 4 Iraqi and 2 International)
Chaired by Shawbo Askari, British-Kurdish Iraqi based Activist & Director at WUK (Each speaker will give a 7 minute talk)
Speakers:
Bahar Monzr Othman: Director of People Development Organisation PDO, Sulaymania
Dilsha Yousif Mohammed Tamo: Writer, poet and activist, Syria
Azhar Ali: Artist, poet, actors and activist, living and working in Baghdad
Sahar Samadian: Art Critic and Researcher, Tehran, Iran
Hanaa Ahmed Mohammed: Writer and Poet, Musol
Elham Alzabedy: Musician and member of peace organisor for contemporary women, Basra
Questions and discussion with the panel and contributions from symposium participants
12.30 pm
Break: Coffee and Refreshments
2.30 pm
Delegation and invited guests return to hotel
Transportation from Hotel back to Tawa Hall
6.00 pm
Refreshments and Welcome
7.00 pm
The Beauty Inside (a play about honour killing)
Venue: Tawar Hall
A collaboration between American Playwright Catherine Filloux and Iraqi director Gaziza Omer with actors from across Iraq.
The Beauty Inside is about honour killing,
inspired by a real event which happened in
Turkey. The play identifies the complication of women’s lives in certain societies; how law, religion, media, traditions and authority treat women and gender equality. This play will be a combination of experiences between an American playwright, Kurdish director, Turkish setting and actors from across Iraq.
“This moving character study pits East against West, tradition against progress, and ambition against conscience, in a drama whose lyrical dialogue evokes the surprising ambivalence of this wrenching battle.” Village Voice.
8.30 pm
Return to hotel
Day 4 Tour of Sulaymania and presentation
9.00 am
Tour of Sulaymania City
International and local guests are invited to explore the artistic and cultural developments of the city, visiting museums, galleries, historical sites, women’s centres and organisations, university and colleges, as well as meeting artists, curators, art students and academics.
10.30 am
Workshop and Presentation by Catherine Filloux playwright, Fulbright Senior Specialist, librettist for Where Elephants Weep (Composer Him Sophy)
Venue: American University, Sulaymania
Catherine will talk about number of artistic and cultural USA projects in different part of the world that American women had strong participation and role, in Human Rights, Gender Equality, Education and art in conflict zone. Catherine also sharing her personal experience working in different part of the world.
Catherine Filloux is an award-winning playwright who has been writing about human rights for the past 20 years, Filloux’s awards include: Voice Award for Artistic Works (Voices of Women), New Generations-Future Collaborations Award (Mellon Foundation/TCG), Peace Writing Award (Omni Center for Peace), Critics Choice Opera News, Roger L. Stevens Award (Kennedy Center), Eric Kocher Playwrights Award (O’Neill) and the Callaway Award (New Dramatists).
1.00 pm
Break: Coffee and Refreshments
2.30 pm
Delegation and invited guests return to hotel
5.30 pm
Transportation from hotel back to Tawar Hall
6.00 pm
Round Table Evaluation and Discussion of the Conference
Venue: Tawar Hall
This session will evaluate this year’s IWCI conference and explore possibilities for future events. This open forum session invites individuals or organisations to deliver 5 minute presentations.
8.30 pm
Return to hotel
Day 5 Kirkuk Culture Centre
9.30 am
Coffee and Registration
10.00 am
Welcome by ArtRole Chief Executive Adalet R. Garmiany
Keynote Speeches
D. Najmaldin Karim, Kirkuk Governor
Frances Guy: UN Women’s Representative, Iraq
10.35 am
FGM: the film that changed the law in Kurdistan: Two filmmakers Nabaz Ahmed, Shara Amin, spent almost a decade reporting the greatest taboo subject in Kurdish society: female genital mutilation. Nabaz Ahmed and Shara Amin persuaded people to talk about the effects of FGM and the film they made helped get the practice outlawed in 2011. In the last few years the number of girls being mutilated in Kurdistan has fallen by over 60%. The story of their decade-long fight against FGM has been made into a documentary by the Guardian and BBC Arabic.
11.45 pm
Discussion of FGM
Guest speakers from the Iraqi film industry will add their experience to an open discussion on the making of FGM and society’s reaction to it.
1.30 pm
Break: Coffee and Refreshments
Departure (evening, time to be confirmed)
Day 6 Meeting Iraqi Women’s organisations, Erbil
10.30 am
ArtRole invites Iraqi women’s organisations, centres and agencies to discuss this conference and collaboration in future conferences, to promote Iraqi Kurdistan as the centre for women’s issues in the region and internationally
Venue: Chwar Chra Hotel
12.30 pm
Break: Coffee and Refreshments
3.00 pm
Departure (evening, time to be confirmed)
