This Is Nashville

The Country in our Hearts, Ep. 4: The Kurdish American Dream


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For over three decades Kurdish refugees have found a safe place to land in America.

The latest wave of Kurds is arriving from Turkey – fleeing political repression and nationalist hate groups. But today, they’re coming to a very different America. It’s an America in turmoil. A place where immigrants are increasingly seen as enemies within, to be rooted out and sent back to where they came from.

The Country in our Hearts is the story of how Nashville became home to the largest Kurdish diaspora in America is an epic one. A tale of bloody genocide, of freedom fighters, of stunning perseverance.

But the story of the Kurdish people, no matter where they are, is a story about a country that only exists in the hearts of its people. And the lengths they’ll go to make it real.

Series Credits:

  • Reported and produced by Rose Gilbert
  • Edited and co-produced by Meribah Knight
  • Additional editing by Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner, and Rachel Iacovone, with help from Marianna Bacallao, Char Daston and Justin Barney
  • Mack Linebaugh is Nashville Public Radio’s Vice President of Audience – and supported this project in many ways
  • Our community and cultural advisors on this project were Dr. David Romano and Dilman Yasin
  • Sound Design was done by Martin Cruz
  • Fact checking by Daniel Potter
  • And Original logo artwork is by Nuveen Barwari
  • Traditional music by Arkan Doski
  • With additional music from Blue Dot Sessions
  • Special thanks to Paul McAdoo, Jennifer Nelson and to the village of Chalke, and the people there who showed Rose so much hospitality.

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