New York, NY - The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) works around the world to inform and foster dialogue amongst critical stakeholders on key global issues. We do this through our programs with the U.S. Congress and the United Nations, engaging young people, supporting cultural diplomacy, and working on humanitarian programs. HDI is committed to supporting cultural diplomacy, including implementing film, sports, and music programs with U.S. Embassies and Consulates.
HDI has a strong relationship with the people of Kurdistan. Our programs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) have included Congressional visits and cultural projects. We are currently working with the noted Kurdish photographer and archivist Rawsht Twana, who resides in Italy. On June 24, 2023, the Ministry of Culture of Italy announced the winners of its coveted Italian Council competition in support of arts and culture. The award is designed for the development of talents and for the international promotion of Italian artists, curators, and critics. Among this year’s recipients is Rawsht Twana. HDI has partnered with Rawsht Twana and the Twana Archive Project since 2016. Rawsht is the son of Kurdish photographer Twana Abdullah Wasim who was killed as he attempted to broker a ceasefire during the Kurdish Civil War of the 1990s. Rawsht has followed his father’s artistic path into the world of photography and is now completing a book on his life. The book and its accompanying exhibition entitled Twana’s Box will celebrate Twana’s works which were lost during the war and found by Rawsht years later in a cardboard box. The grant from the Italian Ministry of Culture will help make this possible. HDI has lent support to this project with the Italian Foreign Ministry and will assist in producing the show in Washington, DC, in 2025.