Nobody’s Listening is a groundbreaking multimedia exhibition that explores the 2014 Yazidi genocide and its aftermath by bringing together survivor testimony, art, and a moving and immersive virtual reality experience.
Nobody’s Listening
An innovative virtual reality experience and immersive exhibition on the 2014 Yazidi genocide and its continuing legacy.
April 2027 - January 2028
This exhibition has not started yet.
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Photo: Marcio Pimenta @marpimenta
Exhibition details
In 2014, the self‐declared Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of northern Iraq and launched a campaign of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes.
Their main targets were the Yazidi people, Christians and other ethno‐religious communities. Persecution extended to anyone not abiding by ISIS’ distorted ideology. Even other Muslims.
Many men, adolescent boys and the elderly were killed. Younger boys were forcibly recruited, indoctrinated and made to fight for ISIS. Yazidi women and girls were abducted and sold into a system of enslavement. They suffered sustained sexual, physical and psychological violence, torture and abuse at the hands of their captors. Homes, places of worship and cultural heritage were desecrated and destroyed.
Some managed to escape. Others were sold back to their communities by individual ISIS fighters. Thousands now live in tented camps inside Iraq, unable to return home due to ongoing security fears. Many Yazidis feel they have been abandoned by the outside world. Nobody is listening.
Survivors have shown extraordinary courage, agency and resilience in the face of unspeakable horror.
This is their story.
By centring personal testimony and bringing together art, photography and an immersive virtual reality experience, Nobody’s Listening commemorates the Yazidi genocide and amplifies the voices of survivors in pursuit of justice, recovery and community restoration.
Quotations
For many Yazidis, the events of August 2014 are not distant history. They are living memory. Nearly every Yazidi family carries a story of loss, displacement, survival, or separation. For younger generations of Yazidis growing up in Canada, it matters to know that their history, identity, and experiences, including the resilience that followed, belong in institutions like the CMHR and in Canada’s collective memory.
Through its innovative juxtaposition of art, testimony, and virtual reality, Nobody’s Listening offers the opportunity to engage with stories about the 2014 Yazidi genocide and its aftermath in a truly immersive manner that inspires transformative reflection and action.
Nobody’s Listening gives survivors a space where their courage, determination and agency can be heard by people around the world. Bringing this exhibition to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is an important step in providing a platform for the Canadian Yazidi community, and others affected by ISIS atrocities, to have their experiences recognized and remembered. Empathy is the first step. What follows must be justice.
Summary
Nobody’s Listening will be displayed in the Level 1 Gallery at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights from April 2027 to January 2028.
Credits
Created and organized by Upstream International
Curators: Dijon Dajee and Ryan D’Souza
Produced by Easy Tiger Creative
Virtual reality produced by Surround Vision
Presented by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in partnership with Upstream International
CMHR Community Advisor: Jamileh Naso, Dara Advisory