CPTnet
2 April 2014
IRAQI KURDISTAN: Participants in Iraqi Kurdistan training reflect on their five
weeks
We knew
that the first training in Iraqi Kurdistan would be special not only because of
the setting but also because we were training local partners to become official
members of the organization. In
addition, we had trainees and trainers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany,
Sweden, Colombia, and Canada, which created a multicultural atmosphere for the
five weeks from 22 February to 29 March 2014 we were together.
Below
are some reflections from the trainees about their experiences:
Parween from Iraqi Kurdistan: “I learned that the racism is going on
all over the world in different forms. I am affected by genocide
because I’m a Kurd; a Palestinian is oppressed because of fundamentalism; African peoples became slaves;
Colombians are disadvantaged because of exploitation by multinational
corporations, and Canadian First Nations peoples are affected because of
colonialism. Capitalism is big
umbrella for collecting more money for capitalists and ignoring human beings
and human rights.”
Mohamad from Iraqi Kurdistan: “What I learned about sexism is how
much I should work to bring justice and equality among my society. I have
to start with myself. I have to give more help to give courage to my
wife, my mother, my sister, and all the women around the world. I need to
respect their feelings and their dreams.
It is very important, however, for me to be a good example for the other
men in my society and for my sons.”
Gosia from Poland: “Thanks to this training I understand that
peacemaking is not only for heroes.
A better world depends on us— our own work in ourselves and our teamwork
with others. We have to start from
us. The training provided some ideas
how to do that.”
Juliane from Germany: “Now peacemaking is not a fuzzy idea
anymore but can be put into action.
I learned about how important media and public awareness are as well as
deep, personal relationships.
Having this training in Kurdistan especially helped me to understand the
differences between cultures better.
Hearing from Kurdish people about how they have lived and still live
under oppression helped me so much to see my own privileges.”
The trainees helped to create a video portraying their experiences
during this time of learning and growing.
The link to this video is : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH7sF4kx5u0
This training was an important step in
changing how training is done in CPT. Training and including local peacemakers
is a crucial part of our work – please, consider supporting this training and
future local trainings by making a donation!
