HCC In The News...

Home | Return to News Archives

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANSON SMITH AT 203-332-5229

8/25/2005

HCC STUDENT’S EXHIBIT ON KURDISTAN ON DISPLAY AT BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY

BRIDGEPORT – Kurdistan in Words and Pictures, an exhibit prepared by Housatonic Community College student Nidal Ali of Bridgeport, is on display at the Bridgeport Public Library until Sept. 9.

The exhibit, a montage of photos and text written by Ali, gives a birds-eye view of the history, culture and language of Kurdistan, an ethnic area that has been divided up among Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Armenia.  The exhibit is on display in the library’s main atrium, opposite the main atrium on State Street.

“We saw an opportunity to profile a unique people that, for the most part, have escaped world attention,” said Community Relations Librarian Michael Bielawa, who booked the exhibit. “It presented an opportunity to showcase to our patrons a culture they might not be aware of.”

Ali is an ethnic Kurd who traces her roots to the city of Halabja, site of the infamous gassing of the population by Saddam Hussein that killed 5,000 men, women and children. She left her homeland 1999 after her father, brother, uncle and cousin, all political activists, were killed by Iraqi police.

She made her way to Syria, where she remained for a year until, with the help of the United Nations, was able to move to the USA. She moved to Connecticut in 2002, after spending a year in Virginia.

Ali, who credits Housatonic with teaching her English, has nothing but positive words for the college. “The teachers are perfect,” she said. “They work hard for the students. They want to help them reach their goals.”

Ali, who was a teacher in Iraq before emigrating, hopes to become a teacher in Kurdistan. “The children are the future,” Ali said. “That’s why I want to care for the children.”

Ali would also like to become a journalist.

“That way, my voice can reach the world,” she said. “And I can talk about the children.”