The YES Academy in Iraq

Source: Huffington Post

"Min hem ya neem," bellowed the baritone Kurdish Hamlet. To be or not to be -- always a good question to be asked of any public diplomacy venture.

Recently, American Voices held its annual Youth Excellence on Stage (YES) Academy in the city of Duhok, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. American Voices, the nonprofit for which I am the Director of Communications, conducts cultural diplomacy to countries emerging from conflict or isolation. At American Voices, we believe that cultural diplomacy requires sustained engagement, and as such this year marked the sixth in which we held the performing arts academy program in Iraq.



To read the full article by Paul Rockower The YES Academy in Iraq