PRT Muthanna
Colors of Warka
Much of the landscape of Muthanna Province is barren without color, but on January 10, PRT Muthanna, in cooperation with a local NGO, helped twenty-five female artists display their paintings and sketches for the United States Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and members of the Iraqi and international press.
The art project, entitled Colors of Warka, began in November 2008 with a meeting between the PRT and local artists. Seeking to engage a demographic the PRT seldom had an opportunity to speak with, the Team’s Public Diplomacy staff arranged a small gallery showing for local artists. The initial event offered the artists an opportunity – many for the first time – to display their work publicly and to talk openly about art and freedom of expression. The PRT subsequently met with members of Muthanna’s Provincial Council, professors from Muthanna University, and artists, themselves to discuss the possibility of holding a larger showing. “As the relationship between the United States and Iraq normalizes, we are placing a greater focus on English language teaching programs, exchanges, and other cultural programs,” said PRT Team Leader Brad Lynch. “We met with the artists and could see immediately see how talented they were,” Lynch continued, “and helping them display their work in a more formal manner was a way to help them tell their story. Which is really the story of Iraq.” The title of the exhibit, Colors of Warka, comes from the local name (Warka) of the ancient Sumerian goddess of beauty, Inanna.
Through a generous grant from the Public Affairs Section at the US Embassy in Baghdad, the PRT and a local NGO, Public Awareness Organization, hosted Ambassador Crocker for a gallery presentation and provided art supplies (paints – oils, water colors, brushes, canvases) and an easel to each of the participants of the program. During the coming month artists will paint submissions for a larger gallery event beginning March 1 and the artists were given free reign to paint on any subject. The Colors of Warka exhibit will show for one week in each of Muthanna’s three largest cities: Samawa, Rumaytha, and Khider. During his first-ever visit to Muthanna Province, Ambassador Crocker took time to speak with each and every artist at the exhibit and the artists provided the him and the media with a detailed description of their paintings. The art encompassed the breadth of the artists’ experiences, highlight the struggles of women, the plight of children, the role of faith, and scenes that depicted the hopeful future of Iraq and its people.
For the PRT, the kick-off event for the Colors of Warka Project was a success on many levels. Aimed at engaging an often-ignored demographic, this PRT-sponsored project has amplified the voices of women in Muthanna through supporting creative expression. One of the artists, Samira Jabr, who spoke with the Ambassador about her submissions remarked, “Today was the biggest day of my life. To have an opportunity to present my art to such an audience is something we women thought impossible.” Ali abd Al-Razzaq, the director of the implementing NGO said, “We have helped bring the talents of our sisters into the open for all to see. We are grateful for the help from the PRT, but even more grateful to the artists who shared their art with the people of Muthanna.” As the event came to a close one artist whispered to the woman standing next to her, “Through our paintings, everyone will know our stories. They will know we are here.”
Far more than just an exhibit of art, Colors of Warka, has brought the hopes, struggles, dreams, and visions of Iraq’s future seen through the eyes of the women of Muthanna into full view for the residents of Muthanna Province.