President of Koya University speech of The Archaeological Survey of Koya (ASK) workshop

Dear Participant’s

I would like to thank everyone from the Leopold Fransiz Innsbruck University, Institute of Ancient History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, for inviting us to participate in this workshop. Many thanks to the Austrian Embassy in Amman, for providing facilities for our participation as a representative of Koya University in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Special thanks to our dear friend Cinzia Pappi, for her hard work in organizing this workshop.

Our participation here comes from our understanding of the importance of studying the oral history of the region in which we live. There is no doubt that the use of oral history is a fundamental and more vital issue when it comes to the geography and history of Kurdistan, specifically because there is a huge lack of information about past and recent history of this area, and in particular because of the strong and dominant discourse of the central countries who are ruling different parts of Kurdistan And widely, obliterated and marginalized the original people's narrative and story. The absent aspect is precisely the process of recording history directly from its original sounds or in an academic language that it derives from the "original actor"

Oral history is capable of heightening the struggles of local communities in combating attempts to change the historical reality of these societies. This provides space for counter-narratives of particular benefit to societies under the rule of central States.

The practice of oral history within networks and through scientific institutions, such as your institution and our university, can give priority to the building of society and independence from the hierarchical structures of the state, in parallel with the strengthening of relations among the societies of the region.

Oral history production initiatives form the basis of a network in which campaigns within the framework of which a broader response can be given. Working together and share methods and resources, will be very helpful in using oral history in innovative and powerful ways. This networking activity can be used to support specific communities struggling to defend themselves against wrong policies.

This workshop may be the first step towards a real start to a serious institutional work to record the memory of peoples, ethnic and religious groups, and a true emergence of an integrated narrative on the history of the region.

The results of the workshop may indicate the intention of everyone to launch to register the truth, in accordance with the work of a serious institution that amounts to the challenge, with the deceptive accounts and counterfeit of history.

Once again, I thank all those who participated in this workshop and wish you success.

Best wishes…

Assist.Prof. Dr.Wali M.Hamd

President of Koya University