Team
Founder and Executive Director
Elham Nasser Al Zubaidy is a visual artist, and the daughter of the late well-known Iraqi visual artist Nasser Al Zubaidy. From a young age, she loved painting, poetry and writing. Since graduating from the music program at the Fine Arts Institute in Basra, Iraq in 1984, Elham worked extensively with local and international civil society organizations, and noticed that initiatives were mostly concerned with supporting widows and divorced women. She saw a need to support educated woman such as visual artists, playwrights, journalists, and writers who work in culture, art, and media in Iraq. She remarked, "I always believed that the educated woman is the leader who can help the rest of Iraqi women in society, especially those Iraqi women who have suffered from marginalization, lack of opportunities, deprivation and terrorism." That is why she founded the Lotus Cultural Women's League and continues to lead its efforts today.
Dr. Thawra Yousif Yaqoub has more than 17 years of experience working in the non-profit sector, in the area of culture and the arts. Her background is professor emeritus of theatrical performance. She is an enthusiastic teacher, director, and senior administrator. Before coming to Lotus Cultural Women’s League, Dr. Yousif directed the Department of Theatrical Arts at Basra University and served as a rapporteur for the Department of Performing Arts for 14 years. She is a long-time member of the Iraqi Artists Syndicate and is an experienced trainer in visual arts and educational theatre. In her current role as Project Manager, Dr. Yousif translates great ideas into viable projects. She remarked, “ideas possess the ingredients for growth, but need appropriate conditions and care to thrive.”
Project Manager
Deputy Manager
Angham Nasser Al Zubaidy is a retired university instructor from the administrative technical college of Basra in Iraq. She is a visual artist and writer who has contributed to many galleries and poetry collections. Her first poetry collection was named Hakatha Takalamat al maraa, and her second poetry collection came out in 2016 named Imraa tarfudh al talashi.
Thaera Al Mayahi
Graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in 1983, Department of Acting
Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts 2007, Department of Theater Direction
A plastic artist. She has several personal exhibitions. Including to be or not to be in 2013. Gray composed the first part in the Ministry of Culture and Arts in 2015 within the event of Baghdad, the capital of culture and arts, and the second part in Sulaymaniyah in 2014 The fourth exhibition in the Titanic Hotel in 2016 under the title of colorful tales .. and many participations in several countries,
I also had the voluntary experience of teaching prisoners the heavy sentences in Sulaymaniyah, teaching them the art of drawing, hand-made, and decoration for a period of 7 months at my own expense.
I received several honors and certificates of appreciation, one of which was Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan for my participation in the Children's Theater
Member
