Given the ongoing war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, predominantly female refugees from Ukraine are assuming a new role within the family and society, presenting a significant challenge for many. These refugees must also navigate entirely new social and political structures and face the challenge of personal and societal integration in Germany. They need to be empowered and strengthened for this purpose. Offers for this target group that go beyond fulfilling immediate needs such as housing, clothing, or work are essential, either to become politically and socially active in Germany or their home country, promoting social cohesion. However, offerings for Ukrainian women that go beyond the basics of an orientation course and individually and sustainably support Ukrainian women are very limited.

The elbarlament project shown in the video above provided politically engaged and interested women the opportunity to learn about the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany, especially the underlying democratic principles such as transparency, the rule of law, human rights, and the separation of powers. This is to enable future sociopolitical engagement in Germany, as well as in Ukraine or other countries, if they do not stay in Germany in the long term. The project offered 40 women from Ukraine the opportunity to engage in a dialogue through four consecutive workshops, a shadowing program, excursions, and a networking event. They acquired theoretical and practical knowledge about German democracy and the associated political and civil society structures. The participants, in particular, were empowered by the project to confidently participate in political and societal life in Germany, whether in civil society structures, state or municipal institutions, or political parties, through the acquired competencies of democratic interaction.

The project was funded by Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb).

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When the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) invaded Mosul in 2014, many families left the city. Some people, however, stayed and hid in shelters, not coming out for some time. Between 16 October 2016 and 20 July 2017, Iraqi Government forces fought alongside allied militias, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and international forces to liberate the city in what is called “the Battle of Mosul”.

This story narrates a hundred days in the life of Ayoob’s family that hid and protected themselves during the Battle of Mosul in the basement of the house of Hajj Sa’adoun (80 years old). 

Ayoob narrates a story of trauma, fear, and eventually hope for the families of Mosul during the final months before its liberation. The end of the siege meant that Ayoob could finally say “we’re reborn”. 

This animation is currently being submitted for film festivals and can be accessed on this website at a later stage.

This animation is the outcome of a series of oral history workshops with young adults from the cities of Mosul and the governorate of Ninewa in Iraq. These took place within the project 'Mosul Tells: restoring community links through art and culture'. Coming from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, the participants conducted research and interviews people from their respective communities, collecting folk tales, myths and memories. These old folk tales were then turned into 3D, 2D and Stop Motion animations."

You can learn more about the project at https://elbarlament.org/projects/mosul-tells-restoring-community-links-through-art-and-oral-history/.

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This video was one of the four videos selected in the project 'Artists: Creators of social change' that elbarlament ran from 2021-2022, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

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In September 2022, 'Democracy Moves' offered three groups of Ukrainian women workshops on personal development, the German political system and political participation opportunities in Germany. In addition, a networking event provided them with a space to exchange ideas and plan joint initiatives beyond the duration of the project. The project intended to enable the participating women to orient themselves for future socio-political engagement in Germany - but also in Ukraine or other countries.

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تعرض لنا منار عبد الأمير شناوة، إحدى المشاركات في برنامج القيادة لمشروع "النساء يتحدثن عن السلام" من محافظة القادسية، محطات مهمة من طريقها الملهم نحو النجاح

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