As part of the “Through Dialogue We Remain and Rise” camp activities, the participants toured the streets and homes of the city of Khansour in Sinjar.
The Knights of Dialogue began their tour among the old mud houses, exploring the construction methods and architectural heritage that carry the fragrance of history and authenticity in the city they were visiting for the first time.
The campers entered these houses, met the residents, and learned about the customs, traditions, and daily lives of the people.
Conversations also took place between the young participants and the Yazidi residents about the challenges they face after returning from displacement camps, the effects of drought, water scarcity, and their impact on agriculture in the city, which is known for cultivating grains, seasonal crops, as well as figs and olives.
The campers listened to stories from the residents about the memory of displacement and resisting ISIS terrorists during the genocide that the city experienced in 2014.
To foster closer interaction and understanding of the other, the campers spent the night hosted by Yazidi families who welcomed the team. This experience succeeded in establishing a method of close acquaintance, achieving deep understanding of the other, which is one of the objectives of the Dialogue and Knowing the Other program launched by the Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development in cooperation with KAICIID Arabic and Beit Al-Ta’ayush.
It is worth mentioning that the “Through Dialogue We Remain and Rise” camp began in Baghdad with the participation of youth from Sinjar, followed by youth from Baghdad joining in the first phase. Then it reached Basra, where young men and women from Basra joined the team, which later went to Dhi Qar and then to Nineveh. The camp subsequently entered the Old City of Mosul and now reached Sinjar and its surroundings. The tour will continue soon in other Iraqi cities in a program aimed at promoting dialogue as a means to build peace among followers of different religions and to combat hate speech.
