Images and the Yezidi-genocide

This seminar focuses on the use of images in describing the genocide on the Yezidis in Iraq in August 2014.

The event will shed light on the current status of a minority with a unique history and identity and how this minority struggles to regain and reconstruct its identity following the genocide committed by Islamic State.

Many Yezidis from the Sinjar community, that was overrun by ISIS, continue to live in exile in the Kurdish areas and/or fear for their safety from their former Arab neighbors.

Currently, the Yezidis must navigate within the framework of intersecting Kurdish and Iraqi nationalisms. The approaches taken by both the Yezidi community as well as the Kurdish Regional Government and the Iraqi state will serve as a key indicator for the future for minorities in post-ISIS Iraq.

This seminar will highlight the position of the Yezidis as a minority living in a strategically important area where local, national, regional and international powers strive for dominance. It will investigate how history can be presented graphically, including reflections related to the use of the comic as a medium to represent traumatic events.

Amy Beam will give an update on the current situation of the Yezidis from Sinjar and will contextualize and discuss potential scenarios for the future of the Yezidi community in Iraq.

Tore Rørbæk will use the recently published graphic novel, Shingal, as a point of departure for a talk that focuses on the use of a comic to create what he considers the missing images of the Yezidi genocide.

Anne Magnussen will talk about how comics are used as testimonials for historical reflection and to inspire activism.

See the list of speakers and the full programme here

The seminar will be in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use our online registration form no later than Monday 9 December 2019 at 10.00. Sign up here