Our Team
Choman Hardi
Feminist poet and scholar, co-founder
Aras Fatah
Writer and social commentator, co-founder
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Feminist poet and scholar, co-founder
Writer and social commentator, co-founder
At the heart of our work is a commitment to care, creativity, and community. These values guide everything we do, from the spaces we create to the stories we share.
Care First: We provide a welcoming and safe space for rest, reflection, conversation, and learning. We believe that meaningful change begins with the chance to pause, feel heard, and be restored.
Question the Usual: We create opportunities to look at life differently, to ask new questions, to challenge unfair norms, and to imagine futures that are more just, more creative, and more connected.
Art with Purpose: We support artistic work that brings joy, beauty, and meaning to people affected by conflict and hardship. Through the arts, we build bridges of empathy and help communities reconnect, rebuild trust, and envision change together.
Hardi Cultural Center is conveniently located west of the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and has spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains.
Hardi Cultural Center is a 20-minute drive from Hazarmerd, which has a collection of historic Paleolithic caves where human remains have been found dating back to 50,000 BCE.
Our buildings have big windows offering views across vineyards and fig and pomegranate groves. Guests can stroll in the grounds and enjoy food cooked with ingredients from the garden. The site is environmentally designed and homely, heated by open fires and is solar powered.
Societies shaped by conflict often miss safe spaces for reflection. Women's stories are frequently excluded from historical narratives. We create environments where diverse voices can be heard and preserved.
