Sweet Tea with Cardamom: Journey Through Iraqi Kurdistan - Softcover

The Kurds are often described as the largest people without a state in the world. After the Gulf War in 1991 Kurds in Iraq rose against Saddam Hussein’s genocidal regime, and were brutally put down. The UN moved in and set up ‘safe havens’ and, for a brief period, the Kurds set out on the road to self-government and democracy.

During these heady but precarious days, in 1993 Teresa Thornhill journeyed twice to Iraqi Kurdistan. She travelled widely throughout northern Iraq, encountering peshmerga (guerrilla fighters), British soldiers, ordinary villagers and the educated elite. She sought out and met many Kurdish women who were survivors of Saddam Hussein’s atrocities. Thornhill found herself deeply moved by the Kurds she met, and became increasingly involved with their plight. 'Sweet Tea with Cardamom' records with great insight and passion the land, the people and the struggle at a unique moment in the fight for a free Kurdistan.

Teresa Thornhill, a trained barrister and linguist, has travelled widely in the Middle East and Latin America. Her first book, 'Making Women Talk', is a study of the experiences of Palestinian women in Israeli detention.

“Deeply moving and beautifully written. The pain and exuberance of Thornhill’s encounters shine through every chapter of this book”
KANAN MAKIYA