"Aftermath": Lives Interrupted

Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the award-winning creators of The Exonerated, traveled to the Middle East in June 2008 to interview 37 Iraqi refugees who fled their country for relative safety in Jordan. Following their visit, Ms. Blank and Mr. Jensen turned their conversations into a 90-minute documentary drama called "Aftermath". The play, showing through October 18 at the New York Theater Workshop, follows the lives of nine Iraqis since the U.S. invasion in 2003. As noted in a review by the New York Times, "Aftermath" is shaped to make you feel as if you are the interviewer with the Iraqis always offering tea or coffee and answering unasked questions. An interpreter, Shahid, is always present, showing how those who know English are indispensable to the foreigners in their country and he provides translation and context for the Iraqis throughout the play. Following the lives of a doctor, an imam, an artist, a pharmacist and others, you find yourself unable to look away throughout the 90-minute production and leave wondering how many other devastating stories are left untold. Directed by Ms. Blank, "Aftermath" is an incredible representation of how violence, chaos and displacement have changed the lives of millions of Iraqis.

Click here to watch a trailer of the play.

UNHCR's Nansen Award goes to Senator Kennedy

UNHCR announced that the late Senator Kennedy has been awarded the annual Nansen Refugee Award for his accomplishments as a defender of refugee assistance and protection for nearly half a century. Senator Kennedy sponsored more than 70 refugee related measures and was instrumental in helping millions of persecuted people. The late Senator led a congressional effort to help U.S.-affiliated Iraqis, eventually resulting in the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act being passed in January 2008. The List Project worked with Senator Kennedy and his staff in seeking government action to resettle U.S-affiliated Iraqis and is delighted to see that the Senator's work on behalf of vulnerable populations has been awarded by UNHCR.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said: "Senator Kennedy stood out as a forceful advocate for those who suddenly found themselves with no voice and no rights. Year after year, conflict after conflict, he put the plight of refugees on the agenda and drove through policies that saved and shaped countless lives."