INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

International photographer Eddy van Wessel returned to Kurdistan. He offered twenty photographers from Iraq a masterclass in photography. The participants are both from the Kurdish region and from Iraq. The workshop takes place from August 26 -29, 2009, at the training hall of the IMCK in Sulaymaniya. Because of the size of the group, the class is split up in a Kurdish morning session and an Arabic afternoon session. Van Wessel has been training at IMCK two times before. His participants are mainly working for the main newspapers and websites in Sulaymaniya, and for media in Arabic Iraq. The workshop is co-sponsored by SIMI (Supporting Independent Media in Iraq) in Baghdad. On one of the training days he had help from co-trainer and AP-photographer Yahya Barzinji, who talked about the practical sides of working as a photographer.

Sixteen journalists and correspondents from different papers and press agencies in Iraq gathered in the Melia Mansour in Baghdad for an IMCK-training on making a news reportage. The workshop started on August 15, 2009. In four days the journalists will be taught what news is, how to use sources, how to conduct a succesful interview and how to make a news reportage. The short news feature is a form of journalism not often used in Iraq. For IMCK this is the first training in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Before now Iraqi journalists from the South came up to the Kurdish region to be trained, but IMCK wants to be able to reach more journalists. Senior trainer Judit Neurink is testing the waters to see if the situation in Baghdad has improved enough. She is working with co-trainer Kholoud al-Amiry, and translator Ahmed Jibouri who came with her from the IMCK office in Irbil. The training is a joint activity with Simi, the Iraqi Irex-daughter working for Independent Media in Iraq.

Twenty journalists from Wasit came to Sulaymaniya for a training of a week on how to report on politics. The workshop started at August 4 and will end at August 11, 2009, at the IMCK traininghall . The workshop is part of the Wasit -project to bring together journalists and politicians working in Wasit (Al- Kut , South of Iraq). Journalists will be trained in political reporting, but also at the same time in basic journalistic skills. Their counterparts, politicians and officials, did the other side of the workshop last month in Irbil . Trainers are Erwin Buter , who worked as a parliamentary reporter in The Hague, and Hassan Rachidi , who works for Al- Jazeera satellite channel. Buter trains the print journalists, Al- Rachidi is in charge of the TV colleagues. The Wasit project will end in October with a conference for both journalists and politicians, on how to work together for their people. The project is made possible through funding from the American reconstruction team.

August 1 rst , 2009 saw the start of Media bo Khalq , Al- I'elam lil nass , Media for People, the post graduate training in journalism of IMCK . The Kurdish minister of Culture Falahadin Kakei opened the training of young Iraqi graduates, together with minister of Foreign Relations of KRG , Falah Mustafa . While Mr Kakei talked about his past as a journalist, Mr Mustafa called the 'encouragement of a professional and free press one of the key facets' to the Kurdish social process. ,,The KRG fully believes in supporting and encouraging the establishment of a free and professional media in the Kurdistan Region'', he said. ,,Also in the US it took generations before there were good journalists'', Andrew Snow, the US Embassy Regional Reconstruction Team leader told the audience of diplomats , press and trainees. ,,Press Now is proud to be supporting the IMCK and thus Media bo Khalq '', director Leon Willems said. They joined the two Kurdish ...

Nine young journalists joined Dutch radiomaker Fieneke Diamand at the IMCK for a 3 day workshop on background radio. The workshop started at July 26, 2009. Diamand has been working for most of her career in radio, and is specialized in background programs. She worked with the participants on formula's, idea's, how to keep a longer program interesting, etc. She also visited a number of radio stations in Sulaymaniya and Halabja to discuss ways to make background programs more interesting.

IMCK -trainers are getting ready for starting the post graduate course in journalism, Media bo Khalq , on August 1, 2009. Xdir Domle , Ako Muhamed , Mazen al - Taer and Salam Ibrahim will train 30 participants from all over Iraq to become independent journalists. Canadian TV-maker Don North takes them through the details of TV-making and how to share this knowledge with the students that will join the training in Irbil . Media bo Khalk (Media for People) will be officially opened on August 1 in Irbil by a number of Kurdish and international officials.

Trainers for the Media bo Khalq project of IMCK were helped by their Dutch colleague Hans Maas to put together a curriculum for the post graduate training in journalism that starts on August 1, 2009. They worked on it for 3 days, from July 5 till July 7, 2009. Maas leads the Dutch equivalent of Media bo Khalq , a eight month course to teach graduates how to become a journalist. The Rotterdam Erasmus University has a training like that called for short PDOJ (Post Graduate Course in Journalism). Trainers for Media bo Khalq (Media for People) are Xdir Domle (lead trainer), Ako Muhammed (print), Salam Omer Ibrahim (TV) and Mazen al Taer (TV). Media bo Khalq is set up with financial aid from the Netherlands, the USA and the Kurdish prime minister. It will teach 30 students from all over Iraq. Participants still can apply, although the selection procedure has started.