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NPT Visits Our Next Door Neighbors in
Little Kurdistan, USA
24.5.2008
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May
24, 2008
Over the past thirty years, Kurdish immigrants in
Nashville have started the first Kurdish Mosque in
the United States and opened businesses,
restaurants, markets and bakeries, building what is
now the largest Kurdish population in North America.
On Wednesday, May 28 at 8:00 p.m., Nashville Public
Television (NPT) introduces the city to this
thriving community with the premiere of NEXT DOOR
NEIGHBORS: LITTLE KURDISTAN, USA, the first in a new
series of documentary programs under the NEXT DOOR
NEIGHBORS banner.
"As refugees, Kurds have overcome significant
barriers to survive and flourish in Nashville," says
Will Pedigo, the program's writer, producer and
director. "They arrive as outsiders; estranged from
their homeland and strangers in their new home. With
this documentary, and the future installments in the
Next Door Neighbors series, we hope to encourage
Nashville to make strides towards a greater
awareness of its diversity and provide an avenue for
interaction among all our neighbors."
The first significant wave of Kurds arrived in
Nashville in 1976. They have since established a
vibrant community recognized by Kurds nationally for
its strong cultural and traditional heritage. The
half-hour NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS: LITTLE KURDISTAN, USA
examines how these Kurds have adapted to life in
Nashville and provides insight into the struggles
refugees face as they build new lives in a new home.
The documentary explores what it means to be
Kurdish,www.ekurd.net
and reflects on the
journey Kurds make as they become Kurdish-Americans
trying to assimilate into American culture and still
hold on to their traditions. In addition to meeting
a variety of Kurdish immigrants and
Kurdish-Americans, viewers will also visit Azadi
International Foods for fresh-baked Kurdish bread,
go inside the Salahadeen Center, the first Kurdish
Mosque in the United States, and hear about life in
Nashville from younger generations of Kurds.
The NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS series looks at Nashville's
status as a new destination city for refugees and
immigrants, and explores the rich diversity of
people now calling Nashville home. Across the United
States, mid-sized cities like Nashville are
experiencing unprecedented growth in their
international populations. Together these
communities are redefining the traditional
international city on a smaller local scale.
"As our new neighbors rebuild their lives in
Nashville," says Pedigo, "their experiences,
contributions and conflicts impact the city. They
are also challenged by isolation and barriers
unknown to many Nashvillians. How Nashville
addresses its changing demographic will be important
for the future of similar communities across the
country."
The NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS series will include in-depth
web content at wnpt.net, public forums and feature a
panel discussion after each of the four programs.
NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS: LITTLE KURDISTAN, USA is made
possible through a grant from the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting's My Source initiative and is
supported by The HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and
the TriStar Family of Hospitals. A partnership with
the Vanderbilt University Center for Nashville
Studies provided valuable research and community
outreach.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
tennessean com
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