HW 33: Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families

The podcast “Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families” was part of the Alive in Baghdad series. The podcast was published on October 15th, 2007. After watching the podcast, it is quite obvious that the message that the podcast is trying to get across is the simple message that most teens in Iraq must help their families with the work because the unemployment rate in Iraq is over half of the population, so those who are able to help their families do. Throughout the podcast three children are shown talking about their lives in helping out their families. The first is Hussein Kamal who tells us that he helps his father with carpentry. The next is Mustafa Malek Fathullah Ali who informs us that he has worked with his father in carpentry since he was a child. He is now fourteen and currently helping his uncle at his house. The final child that they show us is named Yousif. Unlike the other two boys, Yousif does not help his family with work; he is enrolled in the College of Agriculture. Yousif was born with a birth defect and is currently unemployed; he lets us know that a habit he has developed is just sitting at the computer. Yousif is sitting on a patterned dark couch with a white curtain hanging behind him. Outside there is a lot of clay stone structures and the streets look dry and dirty. Any viewer who may watch this podcast might feel a sense of pity towards the Iraqi people who were once able to live normal lives, but since the war are forced to be more cautious with their daily lives and help out their families by working with them instead of attending school. Although I have not seen many videos from Iraq, this video seems to be put together nicely. The boys they chose to interview were very honest and sweet. The most memorable thing I find about this podcast are the boys ending statements to the world. It is like a cry for help, saying please just fight terrorism and defeat it so I can go on with my normal way of life.