Second Syriac Media Congress launches in Ankawa, Iraq

ANKAWA, Iraq — The second edition of the Syriac Media Congress was held in Ankawa, Iraq. A group of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian journalists and media institutions from Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the diaspora participated. The Congress aims to revitalize Syriac media.

Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian creative pioneers and youth working in the field of media from around the world, including Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Europe are participating in this media conference. Among the conference participants are Mr. Jacob Mirza representing Suroyo TV from Sweden, Hani Matti and Rania Maliki representing Suroyo TV from Iraq and Syria, Samer Hanna representing Suroyo FM Radio, Syriac linguist Yusuf Bektas, and Minister of Transport and Communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Anu Johar.

The Congress aims to shed light on the strengths and understand the weaknesses of Syriac media with the aim of revitalizing it.

On the first day of the Congress, the themes of the sessions were: institutional Syriac media, issues of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in other media, Syriac as a media language, and Syriac media and modern technologies. In one session, Mirza spoke about the prospects of Western media and his position on the issue of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Beth Nahrin. Malfono Bektas and Minister Johar gave two speeches on the importance of Syriac media and its impact on the reality of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people. At the conclusion of the sessions, the floor was opened for interventions and questions of the audience.

The second day of the Congress was devoted to discussing the results and recommendations by representatives of the participating media institutions and preparing for the announcement of the final statement.

The General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts held the first session of the Syriac Media Congress in November 2010 in Ankawa, Iraq. The first Congress came after a consultative meeting with Syriac media. It was called for and sponsored by Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, Metropolitan of Aleppo and its Dependencies for the Syriac Orthodox, in Aleppo on 1 September 2009.