Gallery gives Harrisonburg a look at Kurdistan

Photo by Josiah Garber

A piece done by Kurdish painter Oman Nawsrat.

There are almost 500 Kurdish refugees in Harrisonburg. Twenty-seven of these refugees that attend Harrisonburg city schools participated in The Wena Photo Project. "Wena" means "photo" in the Sorani dialect of the Kurdish language.

This project was created in part to educate the Harrisonburg community about the Kurdish refugees living in the area and to foster the Kurdish youth in the area to reflect on their experiences and community while learning photography skills.

Each week this class of young photographers met for two hours in the Muhlenburg Lutheran Church. They were asked to photograph things that represented who they were and what their culture was like, particularly what it meant to be Muslim in Harrisonburg.

Since World War I, the Kurds have been oppressed by Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. All of the 27 photographers but two were born in Iraqi Kurdistan and moved to the United States when they were very young. Combined, all these elements have lead to a creative spark for these seven to 14 year-olds. It was important that their story be told.

After completing all of the assignments, the children chose from the almost 1,000 pictures taken during their three month class to create a gallery to be displayed in various locations. Accompanying the photos are writings that were selected by Project Coordinator Andrew Bush. Bush has been working with Kurds in the Harrisonburg area since December of 2001 as part of a senior honors project. On May 24, 2003, The Wena Photo Project premiered at the Mutten Gallery.

EMU art professor Cyndi Gusler commented, "I am pleased to have this work on EMU's campus and hope that students, staff, and faculty will visit the student gallery and read and look at the exhibit. This show is pertinent to world events, and is one way for individuals at EMU to broaden their experience."

“This Wena (Photo) Project gives us a chance to view snapshots of daily life through the lens of Kurdish youth who are refugees to the U.S. There is a wealth of information in this seemingly simple group of photos. This particular show has the potential to begin to deteriorate current stereotypical notions of Islamic people by providing intimate views of life that look familiar enough that we (non-Kurds) can relate. This is essential to building bridges between people and cultures," said Gusler.

She went on to say, "The photos are not professional pieces, but would fall into the category of children's art. The body of work is more anthropological than artistic, but one can see the value of using an art medium (such as photography) to create such an expression."

The Wena Photo Project is shown in conjunction with a series of paintings by Osman Nawsrat. Nawsrat was a Kurdish man who worked with the Public Works Commission in Kurdistan. His paintings that are shown in the gallery are centrally themed around finding peace for the Kurds.

The Wena Photo Project and Nawsrat’s paintings are on display in the Student Gallery next to Common Grounds. It is a sight you will not want to miss.