Choman Hardi, Ghareeb Iskander, Kei Miller

What insights can poets provide into violence and conflict? Modern day Iraq and Kurdistan have been repeatedly engulfed by war, yet both trace their heritage to ancient, culturally rich civilisations that arguably gave birth to poetry as we know it. Poets Choman Hardi from Iraqi Kurdistan and Ghareeb Iskander from Iraq are reunited with UK-based Jamaican poet Kei Miller who visited the Kurdistani capital Erbil for last year’s literary festival. Together, they offer poetic dispatches from the frontline and discuss the challenges of capturing conflict in verse. Iraqi Kurdistan forms a quarter of Greater Kurdistan, a largely mountainous region which includes parts of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. Following the first Gulf War, Iraqi Kurdistan emerged as an autonomous entity within Iraq. This event is presented in partnership with Shubbak and the British Council.