Premiering at the Iraqi Parliament in 2020, Nobody’s Listening is a powerful Virtual Reality project for advocacy and memorialisation of the Yazidi genocide. Developed by survivors in collaboration with the Yazidi organisation Yazda and the award-winning human rights studio Upstream XR, the project provides a platform for Yazidi survivors to share their stories, advocate for justice, and preserve their community’s collective memory. More information is available at www.nobodys-listening.com.
The project has been presented at the Nobel Peace Center, U.S. Congress, UK Parliament, and French Senate, and is used annually in Baghdad to commemorate the Yazidi genocide. Through virtual reality, survivor testimony, and art, Nobody’s Listening transforms remembrance into active resistance against denial and forgetting. It demonstrates how immersive storytelling can restore dignity, build empathy, and strengthen democratic awareness by giving marginalized communities control over their own narratives.
Since its premiere, the exhibition has reached more than 120,000 visitors across 20 countries. Independent research funded by USAID found that over 70 percent of participants reported a changed understanding of Yazidi culture, and over 90 percent expressed support for justice for survivors. Its measurable impact has positioned Nobody’s Listening as one of the most significant examples of how digital media can influence education, policy, and transitional justice.
This special event aligns closely with the conference theme Memory and Democracy. It will feature a survivor testimony, a VR screening of Nobody’s Listening, and a discussion on art, technology, and transitional justice. Yazidi survivor Thikran Mato will lead participants through the VR experience, while Ryan X. D’Souza will discuss the role of immersive media in atrocity prevention and human rights advocacy.
By bringing this experience to Buenos Aires, the event connects global memory movements, linking the Yazidi struggle for justice with Latin American histories of dictatorship and resistance.
Thikran Mato (Chair & Presenting Author) – Yazidi genocide survivor and human rights activist from Kocho, Iraq. After surviving ISIS captivity, he now leads advocacy efforts for Yazidi survivors and works with the International Commission on Missing Persons in Germany. Ryan X. D’Souza (Co-presenter) – Founder and Director of Upstream XR, an award-winning human rights studio producing immersive experiences on war, displacement, and survival, including Nobody’s Listening.
20260729T173020260729T1900America/Argentina/Buenos_AiresSE From Testimony to Technology: Preserving Memory of the Yazidi Genocide through Virtual RealitySV302MSA Buenos Aires 2026buenosairesconference@memorystudiesassociation.org
