“In the Land of a Thousand Springs” / Written by: Prof. Dr. Karim Farman
Prof. Dr. Karim Farman / Iraqi academic writer and Professor of Law and Political Systems at Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco.
The new publication by our dear friend, Prof. Dr. Nesreen Barwari, stands as a creative addition and a distinguished documentation of the journey of a self-made, eminently successful Iraqi woman. She has rightfully secured her place in the history of the struggle of Iraqi women in general, and the courageous Kurdish woman in particular.
I first met Dr. Nesreen Barwari at the League of Arab States in Cairo in 2005, during a ceremony honoring her national career. She was recognized by His Excellency Amr Moussa, the former Secretary-General of the League, as one of seven distinguished women, in her capacity as Iraq’s Minister of Municipalities and Public Works, a civil activist from the Kurdistan Region, and a political leader in the Kurdistan Democratic Party. It was a beautiful irony that a Kurdish woman received the Distinguished Arab Woman Award, blending within her gentle soul a deep sense of national belonging and a Kurdish loyalty to the aspirations of her people. I recall a witty and smiling remark she made before Mr. Amr Moussa, stemming from her optimistic spirit and human depth: “They call me Kurdish in Baghdad and Baghdadi in Kurdistan, by virtue of my birth and upbringing in Baghdad.”
Born in Baghdad in 1967, her memoirs recount the journey of a Kurdish woman forging her identity amidst war, loss, and resilience. Since childhood, her mother’s vivid stories and her family’s legacy of patience taught her that survival and self-formation are woven from the threads of memory.
The chapters of her life unfold against the backdrop of Iraq’s turbulent decades: the Iran-Iraq War, the Anfal campaign, her father’s compulsory military service, the experience of political detention, and her family’s displacement during the Gulf War. These experiences revealed both the brutality of oppression and the unbreakable bonds of family. Throughout it all, education became her path toward the future—first in Baghdad, then at Harvard University, where she navigated life as a Kurdish woman in a foreign world.
Upon returning to Kurdistan, Nesreen became a driving force for change and renewal, supporting displaced families, launching community initiatives, and advocating for her people’s cause on the international stage through the government, the United Nations, and NGOs. Her memoirs are simultaneously a personal reflection and a call for solidarity: a tribute to resilience, the transformative power of storytelling, and the tireless Kurdish pursuit of identity and recognition.
Dr. Nesreen Barwari has spent over thirty years working with the Iraqi Federal Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the United Nations, non-profits, and academic institutions. She has dedicated her career to conflict resolution and peacebuilding through good governance, relief efforts, support for trauma victims, and education across various sectors in Iraq. The UN honored her for her work with vulnerable groups; she was named among the top ten distinguished women in the Arab world by the Arab League and selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
She holds a degree in Architectural Engineering, a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy, and a PhD in Spatial Planning. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys music and nature. As a visual artist, she draws inspiration from the renewal of spring in Kurdistan, where blooming flowers and flowing springs reflect an enduring spirit of resilience.
Source: https://essada.info/138651
