I was also able to locate some additional biographical information about Haider Hamza's background and upbringing. His experiences in Iraq were far-reaching and in connection with a variety of groups:
"While in Iraq, Haider covered all the major events that took place in his country and witnessed their formation. These events include, live coverage of all 40 trial sessions of his former president Saddam Hussein from inside the courtroom, witnessing the killing of Saddam's sons, the bombing of the holy shrines in Samara, the elections and referendum, establishment of his country's new governments and political cabinet, the killing of al Qaeda leader, Abu Mussab al Zarqawi and the daily sectarian violence. For months, Haider was embedded with U.S. military units covering combat operations throughout Iraq. He also covered the perspective of Iraqi armed resistance as a freelance journalist to learn more about their mind set, goals and the reality of who they really are. As life became more and more dangerous in Iraq, Haider was arrested, shot at, and held captive. He also lost several friends and family. Haider wanted to stay in his home country but he also wanted to live. Haider says, “At some point I realized that it is more important to live for a cause than to die for one.”
I offer these additional links and texts so that we can get a more comprehensive view of who Haider is and where he came from, hopefully adding to the conversation about what this video means to each of us. As well, I want to think about the project itself: What does it mean to "Talk to an Iraqi"? Could we substitute the word "Iraqi" for another representational word, like "Mexican," "Teen Mom," "Homeless," or "Veteran" and end up making the same kind of assumptions, but with different descriptors? Does the booth end up as a kind of metaphor? What would your booth say?
