Gliding into a new future

Four years ago the last time the BBC team visited Mosul it was controlled by the American army ldquoThe team had to be embedded with the militaryrdquo journalist Yalda Hakim tells us over the phone But the American army the last of which left Iraq in 2011 is no longer stationed in Mosul Eager to know how the city and its people have moved on Hakim decided to fly there to see for herself Nineyearold Yousuf centre gears up for paragliding as Yalda Hakim left looks on While the 29yearold daughter of an Afghan immigrant to Australia spent a week on the outskirts of the city security reasons didnrsquot allow her to stay overnight in Mosul ldquoThe situation is still tense Militants had killed nine soldiers just a day before we arrived I didnrsquot expect to feel as nervous about travelling within the city but there was a checkpoint every 500 metres Each time the army would stop our car and check for anything suspicious We maintained a lowprofile so as not to draw too much attentionrdquo she says describing the condition in the city centre When the cityrsquos governor Atheel alNujaifi invited her to visit him Hakim and her team travelled in different cars She wore a headscarf and used her iPhone to covertly film her journey The Sunni governor Hakim found was surprisingly vocal about his disapproval of the Shiadominated central government and their insistence on maintaining army control within Mosul The paragliders The rest of Hakimrsquos week in Iraq was spent on the mountainside about 20 minutes away from Mosul watching and interacting with members of the Falcon Aviation Club Hakimrsquos documentary Our World Iraq Ten Years On focuses on four members of the club Security reasons made it difficult for the team to follow the club members around with cameras ldquoWe sent them handycams and asked them to film their daily lives over the span of a week Their video diaries give us a fair idea of their jobs the cafes they frequent and their oasis in troubled times mdash the club houserdquo says Hakim Keen on restoring the club to its former glory Captain Seba Yasin an exmilitary pilot had been battling with the Iraqi army to regain control of the club house ldquoSaddam Hussein had ensured that the club had the best equipment in the world In 2003 the US military destroyed the club turning it into a military base After the Americans left the Iraqi Army took over Now that Captain Seba has managed to get the club house back his major obstacle remains a lack of fundsrdquo reveals Hakim who also interviewed Captain Sebarsquos 19yearold son Yasin The 200member strong club still meets as often as they can using whatever little equipment they have left The club includes 18 female members two of whom agreed to be interviewed by Hakim ldquoOne is a 42yearold divorcee who is determined to have a positive outlook in life She lives in Mosul with her parents and heads to the hills where the club members meet to go paragliding whenever she canrdquo says Hakim ldquoThe other is a Christian who lives on the outskirts of the city Every day she drives to the university where she teaches physical trainingrdquo Mosul was once known for its diverse cultures with a population of 50000 Christians but it is no longer the same Today Christians in Mosul must travel to a neighbouring city to visit a church Hakim looks at Captain Sebarsquos nineyearold son Yousuf as Mosulrsquos future ldquoThe youngest and bravest member of the group he insisted on paragliding And he managed a tandem jump He wants to grow up to be a pilot He truly reflects the potential that Mosul has and its hopes and dreams for a better futurerdquo Hakim concludes Tune into BBC World News at 11 pm to watch Our World u00a0