A People’s Story
What does a century of life under aging empires and changing regimes do to a people?
In 1918, the Ottoman Empire fell and Iraq entered the orbit of the British Empire. In 1968, the Baath Party seized the country in a coup. By 1979, Saddam Hussein had consolidated power. Iraq’s next forty years are marked by war with Iran, Kuwait, and the United States. By 2017, the country had endured invasion, occupation, and seen the rise and fall of the Islamic State.
Forgotten in this history are the lives of Iraq’s people. It’s time to listen to their stories.
Re-centering Iraqi Voices
Iraq’s history is often told at the level of political and military elite. Forgotten in this narrative are the lives of people who live their lives and define themselves in ways that cannot be captured in broad sweeping accounts of history.
This podcast centers their stories. It elevates their voices.
From schools to shops and streets, the people of Mosul can fill volumes with tales of who they are and what they’ve witnessed.
In this series, we turn the volume up and bring Mosul to America.
The Need for This Series
The U.S. has spent decades intervening in Iraq. Yet, at this time, the daily lives and perspectives of Iraqis are rarely elevated in American media outlets.
This series looks to break this trend.
Podcasts make audio entertainment and education on demand accessible and egalitarian.
It’s a ready-made medium to break silences and tell history from the grassroots.
Whose Voices Are Heard?
A young artist carrying on the old ways. Brothers operating a traditional bakery. A professor of education. An Iraqi-Armenian Christian woman. A tailor. A boxer-turned-taxi-driver. Woven in with these characters’ accounts, you will hear the voices of Iraqi scholars giving context to the theme of each story, illuminating everything from the role of imperialism, economics, geopolitics, to art history.
Local Mosuli reporters captured these stories. These stories are a constellation of identities that challenge perceptions of what it means to be Iraqi.
This podcast revolves around these people. It is long overdue.
Genre and Audience
This series focuses on local reporting and people’s history.
Beyond news coverage and conventional history, it is an affirmation of people, told from the grassroots to reach and teach an American audience.
Whether a teaching tool in classrooms or a car ride companion, this series is accessible and provocative.