Hadani Ditmars is an international journalist based in Canada and the author of the
bestseller, 'Dancing in the No Fly Zone: a Woman’s Journey Through Iraq' (Arris Books), a
book that provides a unique perspective on the troubled nation both before and after the US
invasion. Ditmars, an independent reporter whose mixed European and Middle Eastern ancestry
often allowed her to pass as an Iraqi, dared to traverse the distance that separates most
Western journalists from their subjects, traveling between two cultural worlds in sometimes
dangerous and revealing ways. Unlike her male colleagues, her gender also allowed her a
connection with Iraqi women, whose struggle she continues to voice. Hadani is a compelling
speaker whose presentations have been described as both provocative and evocative,
informative and insightful, moving and hard hitting. She uses humor and pathos, anecdotes
and reportage, words and images to convey both the tragedy and the beauty of contemporary
Iraq. Not to be missed by anyone who cares deeply about the fate of Iraq and civilization itself.
Hadani's Profile
Hadani Ditmars is an international journalist based in Canada whose work has been
published in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, The
London Independent, The Globe and Mail, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, and broadcast on the BBC
and CBC radio and television.
Her Ms. Magazine essay on Iraqi women has been adopted for many university courses.
She has been covering the Middle East since 1992, Iraq since 1997, and has reported from
Iran, North Africa, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Colombia, Indonesia and Gaza and the
West Bank.
Her next book is on Israel/Palestine, where she first worked in 1994 for a joint Israeli-
Palestinian magazine.
She speaks French, Spanish and conversational German and Arabic (very basic Hebrew).
She has lived and worked in Paris, London, Beirut and Jerusalem.
Topic Categories
Human Rights, Peace
Ethnically Diverse Speakers
Feminist Perspectives
Presentation Titles
Iraq – before and after the invasion -- A unique perspective on Iraq from an
international woman journalist, focusing on the human stories – how women, children,
Christians, Muslims, artists and actors cope with great resilience, spirit and strength in the face
of continuing war, oppressions and chaos. A compelling portrait of a nation under siege
delivered through a keynote address, readings from the book, stories, slides, music, poetry
and video footage.
Audience Testimonials
"You made a powerful impression on the students. You are such a delightgul and engaging
personality. I feel really lucky that I was able to read your book, hear your lecture and get to
know you as a person." -- Lynn Lubamersky, PhD, Boise State University
"I saw Hadani Ditmars read from her book at the Vancouver Public library last year. She brings
a thorough analysis that's been shaped by following the Iraqi situation over a long period of
time. To have this sense of observation from the early days of sanctions gives a much fuller
picture of what's been happening since the distortions that have happened post-invasion. It
brings to light another time before the Hutton Inquiry and the US charge for war. We need
more voices like hers out there that illuminate a complex situation and give some depth and
humanity to the madness the place has become." -- Am Johal, community activist and UBC
Faculty of Arts course planner
"It was indeed a great pleasure to meet and hear Hadani Ditmars as a keynote
speaker at one of the many conferences I often participate and attend. Her
talk was intriguing, humourous and passionate and engaged the audience of
over 400 professional practitioners and policy makers. She was brilliant in
connecting the dots between global and local realities as she spoke of her
personal experience, as well as reading from her book on Iraq. Her stories
about the resilience of people she has met and interviewed in war zones
around the world as well as refugees in the West, truly celebrated the human
spirit."
- Eyob Naizghi, Executive Director of MOSAIC an NGO
In Her Own Words
"I hope to convey the depth of culture and humanity of a place that has been bombed,
tyrannized and demonized for decades. Iraq was once a modern, secular state where women
enjoyed a high status. It has become the child of a tragic marriage between criminal anarchy
and religious fundamentalism. Let’s hope that the cradle of civilization does not become its
deathbed."
