Jazeera Patriotic Poster Contest Stimulates Pride in Iraqi Culture

By Capt. Brett Walker

2nd Bn., 4th Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq - Children of southern Baghdad's Doura community recently competed in a contest to indulge a budding sense of cultural pride and experiment with a newfound freedom of speech.

During the month of October, various children from Jazeera, located in the Rashid district, composed more than 100 posters for a Patriotic Poster Contest to express the Iraqi youth's feelings on the current situation in Iraq and their forecasts of the future.

The submissions revealed an astonishing level of cultural awareness from the children, said Amir Salman, a councilmember of the Doura Neighborhood Council. What the children lacked in age, they compensated for with insight.

The First Place Winner of the Jazeera Patriotic Poster Contest displays her winning piece for patrons at the Doura Library and Cultural Center in the Doura community of the Rashid district, located in southern Baghdad. Children of the Jazeera community submitted more than 100 entries into the contest, providing the youth the opportunity to express the Iraqi youth's patriotism for their country. Each contestant took home art supplies provided by the Doura Neighborhood Council for participating in the contest. The First Place Winner earned $100 for the winning entry.

"The children were very proud," stated Salman, who helped organize the event. "They have been telling all of their friends how much fun they had participating."

Some of the children employed a wide array of styles and techniques in the production of the posters. The 8 year olds made astute social observations in oil, and the 10 year olds produced captivating cultural commentary in watercolor.

Some participants portrayed the current situation in Iraq with intricately detailed depictions of daily life; others displayed political cartoons and Iraqi symbolism to convey their interpretation of life.

Hashem Mahmood, an elected district council leader for the Baghdad's Rashid district, attended the initial unveiling of the exhibition.

Iraqi children join hands in a symbol of good will and hope for a new era in the nation of Iraq at the Jazeera Patriotic Poster Contest in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Children of the Jazeera community in Rashid's Doura area submitted more than 100 entries into the contest, providing the youth the opportunity to express the Iraqi youth's patriotism for their country. The Doura Neighborhood Council provided art supplies to the contestants for competing in the contest.

"It is a kind of education for the people and it gives them motivation to do positive things," Hashem said.

The patrons held the event at the Doura Library and Cultural Center, a building that recently underwent extensive repairs and improvements through a joint Iraqi-American project.

Members of the Jazeera Neighborhood Council selected and rewarded the contest winners, said Salman.

The event leveraged the talents of adolescents, but it was aimed at Iraqis of all ages. The opening of the exhibition drew many of the community's most influential people, such as powerful tribal sheiks to respected professional artists.

A menagerie of government officials, journalists, American Soldiers and Iraqi students also filled the library's chambers.

An Iraqi girl displays her art at the Jazeera Patriotic Poster Contest at the Rashid district's Doura Neighborhood Council Building in southern Baghdad. Local community leaders from Doura sponsored the event to provide the Iraqi youth an opportunity to showcase their artistic ability and compete for cash prizes and art supplies. The patrons held the event at the Doura Library and Cultural Center, a building that recently underwent extensive repairs and improvements through a joint Iraqi-American project.

"It was a new experience, so people were excited about it - not just the kids but also the adults," Hashem explained.

"This is a very positive sign," said Maj. Mark Olin, operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. "This is the people of Iraq exercising their freedom of speech and expressing their opinions.

"It is particularly promising that they are comfortable making these statements in front of us."

Salman said that he plans to leave all the posters on display in the Doura Library and Cultural Center for at least a week in an effort to attract more people.

Abdil Hameed, the chairman of the Jazeera Neighborhood Council, explained his intent was to encourage the children of his community to emphasize the country's current situation.

According to Salman and Hashem, that intent successfully came to fruition.

"The parents were happy too," Salman said. "They saw their children working on these projects and felt it was a very positive thing."

"The contest had an excellent effect on adults and it was a fair competition for the kids," Hashem agreed, adding that he felt this event also served as a precursor for the first Doura Art Show, which is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 26, whose theme is "New Life, New Culture."

   _   _