Yezidi Music Foundation Uses Archival Photos to Revitalize Cultural Heritage in Iraq
The Mîrzo Music Foundation in Şingal, Iraq, participated in the Sersal Project during April 2025 Yezidi New Year events. Founded in 2019 with support from musician Ganî Mîrzo, the school helps Yezidi genocide survivors through traditional song education. The project featured archival photographs from the 1927–38 Penn Museum excavations at Tepe Gawra and Tell Billah, recently rediscovered. Singers Fehed, Şakir, Derwêş, and Felah performed the traditional song "Çarşema Nîsanê" alongside these images, reflecting on how visual and oral traditions intersect to preserve culture. The photos are now permanently displayed at the foundation's school in Xanesor. The initiative aims to document and repatriate Yezidi heritage following the 2014 genocide.
Key facts
- The Mîrzo Music Foundation was established in 2019 in Şingal, Iraq, to support Yezidi genocide survivors through music.
- In April 2025, the foundation participated in the Sersal Project, performing traditional songs alongside archival photographs from the Penn Museum.
- The archival images date from 1927–38 excavations at Tepe Gawra and Tell Billah in Iraq.
- Singers discussed how circular patterns in the photos symbolize cultural continuity and resilience.
- The project involved exhibitions in multiple locations including Erbil, Baʿshīqa-Baḥzānī, and Şingal.
Entities
Artists
- Fehed
- Şakir
- Derwêş
- Felah
- Ganî Mîrzo
Institutions
- Penn Museum
- Mîrzo Music Foundation
- Goethe-Institut Erbil
- Catholic Relief Services
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Victoria Libraries
Locations
- Şingal, Iraq
- Xanesor
- Erbil
- Baʿshīqa-Baḥzānī
- Tepe Gawra
- Tell Billah