On Thursday 11 April 2024, Director General of Syriac Culture and Arts in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna and Syriac Heritage and Museum Director Bernard Youssef received a delegation of the Gishru (Bridge) Organisation, which included our people’s youth residing in varous countries around the world including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom, at the hall of the Syriac Heritage Museum in Erbil Governorate’s Ankawa District.
The visiting delegation toured the museum’s corridors and viewed its holdings and assets, which represent the cultural, patrimonial and popular heritage of our people from the various regions of the homeland in which they are present. They praised the work carried out by the General Directorate’s Syriac Heritage and Museum Directorate in preserving our people’s authentic heritage in the homeland.
In his speech, Syriac Heritage and Museum Director Bernard Youssef welcomed the visiting delegation and provided a comprehensive explanation of the tasks and activities carried out by the museum to preserve our ancestors’ heritage. At the end of his speech, he wished the organisation and its members success in their volunteer work.
This was followed with a speech by the Director General of Syriac Culture and Arts, Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna, in which he stressed that the Syriac Heritage Museum has become the mirror that reflects the authenticity of our people rooted in the depth of Mesopotamian history, indicating that the museum continues to archive and digitise its archaeological assets and collectibles to make them accessible to researchers in the future.
At the conclusion of his speech, Oghanna praised the role of the Gishru Organisation in supporting our people’s existence on the land of their ancestors, and their role in bringing together approximately 70 young men and women from different parts of the world to communicate with their peers inside the homeland.
In turn, the head of the delegation, Miss Audrana Esho from Canada, spoke about her great happiness at the warm reception she felt, and her positive impression with the visiting delegation about the beauty of the country after their participation in the festivals and celebrations held on the occasion of the Akitu holidays.
At the conclusion of the visit, the Director General presented a copy of the publication of the Directorate’s activities during 2023 to the Gishru Organisation’s delegation. This was preceded by a discussion of the most prominent cultural and social activities and events organised by the General Directorate during the past period, where Oghanna stressed that the Directorate’s doors are open for cooperation with all relevant Syriac institutions connected to our people.
