Strengthening Youth Cultural Initiatives in the Germian Region

Since 2017, two youth cultural centres have been established in the Germian region as part of HAUKARI projects, one in Kifri and one in Rizgary. These centres offer a diverse range of artistic, cultural, educational, and sports activities for young people.

Table of Contents

Background

In the face of ongoing political, military, humanitarian, and economic crises in the Kurdish Region of Iraq, many young people in the Germian region- marked by violence, conflict, and neglected infrastructure- are experiencing a lack of prospects and growing political disillusionment. Many withdraw into private life or religious discourse, become vulnerable to radical ideologies, or consider migration. Young women are particularly affected by traditional and patriarchal environments that restrict their mobility and professional opportunities.

The Project

Against this backdrop, two Cultural Youth Centres were founded- one in Kifri in 2017 and another in Rizgary in 2019. These centres aim to strengthen grassroots democratic, non-partisan, and gender-inclusive self-organization structures among young people, and to create spaces for further education, as well as creative and artistic expression. By developing social visions beyond traditional political party lines and participating in the shaping of their cities, young people can contribute to a stronger social future for their region.

Both project partners see themselves as non-partisan, gender-equitable, multiethnic initiatives led by and open to young people. Locally, the term “youth” (Kurdish: gencan) refers to the age group between 18 and 38. As a counterbalance to political elites and partisan dominance, both initiatives focus on cultural and artistic activities and explore opportunities for social and political engagement beyond traditional party politics. They strive for grassroots, open organizational structures and critically reflect on tendencies toward institutionalization (“NGO-ization”). Their shared goals include: non-partisan art and cultural spaces for youth; education and awareness to promote emancipation from fundamentalism; encouraging young people to stay in the region and shape its social and cultural life; gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence; multiethnic dialogue; and joint engagement with the region’s violent past.

©Markus Mühlhaus, Attenzione photographers, attenzione-photo.com 

Cultural Youth Centre Kifri

In the framework of the project, a large building with a garden and courtyard, provided by the local Department of Culture, was renovated and designed. Film, theater, and art groups met here to organize cinema screenings, theater workshops, readings, and art exhibitions. A wide range of educational offerings included tutoring for school pupils and university students, English and computer courses, as well as workshops and seminars on women’s rights and gender roles, and action days for International Women’s Day.

Artists from the centre and students from the College of Fine Arts, in cooperation with the city administration, greened and redesigned public parks and open spaces, set up a youth guesthouse, and carried out art projects in the urban landscape.

Conflicts

However, there were also setbacks. In summer 2019, internal conflicts among the activists at the Cultural Youth Centre Kifri led to a break between some of them and HAUKARI e.V. Work with young people and artists in Kifri could only continue in alternative spaces at the end of 2019. HAUKARI e.V. engaged intensively with these conflicts both in Kurdistan-Iraq and in Germany. These developments must be viewed in the context of a region shaped by violence and division, and the resulting competition for access to resources. Attempts by political parties to exert influence — disapproving of non-partisan youth work — also played a role. At the same time, the conflicts revealed that beyond the enthusiasm for and support of individual youth initiatives, it is essential for long-term work to encourage young people to develop self-organized, grassroots democratic and participatory structures that operate independently of HAUKARI e.V., enable the participation of diverse actors, and ensure transparent decision-making and accountability.

Cultural Youth Centre Rizgary

In 2019, another Cultural Youth Centre opened in Rizgary, a city 30 km from Kifri and the future site of the HAUKARI e.V. -supported memorial forum for female survivors of the Anfal campaign. Here, rooms in the city library were renovated for use by young people and artists.

From the outset, all planned activities in Rizgary were jointly discussed and developed with the city administration, existing youth institutions, and educational establishments such as the Kalar Vocational Training Center and the University of Germian. The response was overwhelming: within a short time, many young people approached the centre with their own ideas and initiatives. A wide-ranging program of educational, cultural, and leisure activities developed, with strong participation by and for women and girls: from training seminars for female journalists and women’s rights activists to outreach education and discussion groups for women and girls with limited mobility in suburban or rural households. Women’s swimming courses and a city-wide bicycle rally publicly challenged social taboos.

Special Initiatives of the Recent Years

In October 2018, HAUKARI e.V. and the Cultural Youth Centre Kifri organized an “Art and Peace Festival” in Kifri. The festival brought together 60 artists from 8 cities in the Kurdish region and 4 cities in Iraq. They exhibited their works, screened films, performed theater, and played music. Over 600 people, mainly young people, but also community leaders, participated. By using historic buildings and public spaces for exhibitions and street theater, the entire city became a stage. Artists brought their works and ideas on human rights, gender justice, and democracy to the streets and actively involved the public. The festival also built on Kifri’s long history of peaceful coexistence among different ethnic groups. For three days, life was celebrated in all its diversity, sending a powerful message for dialogue and peace in the face of conflict and growing fundamentalism and nationalism!

  • For the Kurdish New Year celebration on March 21, 2019, the Cultural Youth Centre Kifri, together with the mayor and city administration, organized a festival at the city reservoir. The event combined the celebration of the new year with remembrance of the Kurdish uprising against the Iraqi Baath regime in 1991. Hundreds of Kurdish, Turkmen, and Arab families, many displaced by ISIS and Shia militias, danced together around the New Year’s fire.
  • With additional support from medico international, students from the Kifri College of Fine Arts and youth activists helped renovate 11 schools in Kifri in 2019. They organized tutoring, awareness workshops, recreational programs, and a children’s festival on International Children’s Day attended by over 300 children, drawing many students to the youth centre’s activities.
  • Another special moment was the girls’ bicycle competition in Rizgary in January 2020. Once a forced resettlement camp for Anfal survivors, Rizgary was long shaped by a conservative gender order and the stigmatization of many of its residents, often single mothers. The public bicycle race directly challenged rigid gender roles, allowing a new generation of girls to reshape the image of their city.
  • In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, youth centre staff and volunteers launched numerous emergency aid initiatives. Women from sewing groups produced masks and protective clothing. Youth volunteers organized the distribution of hygiene kits in the city and conducted awareness campaigns on safety measures. The centres also worked closely with local authorities to support public health efforts.

Supporters and Partners

The early stages of the youth project in Kifri and the first Art and Peace Festival in 2019 were funded by medico international. Since 2018, HAUKARI e.V. has received funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for the expansion of the Cultural Youth Centres in Kifri and Rizgary, and for their diverse cultural and educational activities.