Sema
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, a ceremony was held at the Lalish Cultural and Social Center in Dohuk, where the “Yazidi Genocide Panorama” was unveiled. This panorama depicts the tragedy that occurred to the Yazidis on August 3, 2014, at the hands of the ISIS terrorist organization.
The event was attended by a wide range of official and community members. Mr. Saeed Jirdo, President of the Lalish Cultural and Social Center, delivered a valuable speech in which he highlighted the “importance of the panorama in documenting the crimes committed against the Yazidi community in Shingal.” He emphasized the role of the Lalish Center in reminding the world of this genocide. He also spoke about “the importance of strengthening efforts to achieve transitional justice in the Sinjar region and seeking justice for the victims,” and continued, “The role of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, has been significant in supporting the victims of the genocide, and his efforts to assist the Yazidis in every possible way are clear.”
The Yazidi Genocide Panorama illustrates the most difficult days the Yazidis endured in 2014. The panorama was designed by a group of visual artists from Erbil, including Aram Nasser, Kilan Abdullah, and Ali Alwani. During the ceremony, artist Aram Nasser spoke about the panorama, stating, “The Yazidi Genocide Panorama carries powerful symbols and expressions of the Yazidi tragedy,” pointing out “the artistic techniques used to depict the depth of pain and the suffering of the Yazidi victims from Shingal during the early days of the genocide.” He added, “Art is a message, and through this message, I tried to convey part of what the Yazidis went through to the world and show solidarity with the Yazidi community.” He further explained, “We studied the reality of the Yazidi genocide from an academic perspective, and this work is not just an artistic creation but a living testimony to the tragedy faced by the Yazidi community, which suffered horrific violations by ISIS terrorists.” He confirmed that “this work took more than a month to complete, with support from the office of Mr. Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region,” and he thanked the workers in the office and the senior administration of the Lalish Cultural and Social Center for their cooperation and support.
Also present at the ceremony were Mr. Nazim Harki, head of the 17th branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Dr. Karwan Mohammad Saber from the office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, and a large number of administrative, political, and cultural figures from various Yazidi regions, as well as relatives of Yazidi genocide victims.
In a poignant moment, the symbol of the Yazidi genocide, “Day Shami,” and a group of Yazidi survivors, unveiled the panorama that portrays the tragedy of Shingal and its victims. This artwork represented the ongoing memory of this tragedy, and the Yazidi survivors and the families of the victims emphasized the necessity of recognizing the Yazidi genocide to ensure that such atrocities are not repeated in the future.
It is worth noting that the participation of Yazidi survivors and the families of the victims reflects the immense pain experienced by Yazidi families as the Yazidi Genocide Panorama was unveiled at the Lalish Cultural and Social Center. It serves as a reminder to keep the Yazidi cause alive in the human conscience and to remind the world of the Yazidis’ suffering.