In August 2014, 200,000 people fled their homes in Mosul, Iraq. Amoungst this group of people were many ethnic and religious minorities – Assyrian Christians, Turkmen Shia, Shabak Shia, Yezidis, Kakai and Sabean Mandaeans.
Assyrian Christians are indigenous to the Middle East. Northern Iraq is their homeland.
Turkmen Shia are Iraq’s third-largest ethnic group and follow Islam.
The religion of the Shabak Shia people is a mix of Christianity and Islam. They number around 250,000. These groups of people have lived together in the Nineveh province for centuries.
Some of these people, having fled to Irbil made the difficult journey to Amman, ending up in the streets, in tents and in squalid rooms.
We worked with these groups of people to bring some hope through music.
We worked with groups of children and teenagers using boomwhackers to enable rhythm and harmony to develop naturally. The children responded with enthusiasm and energy, composing raps, rhythms and songs – bringing back memories of their homeland and home cultures.
The mixture of colours, sounds and percussive elements ensured each child had a chance to participate and enjoy. Please enjoy the photos and think about ways in which you can sponsor this work
Harmony of Hope 