Dr. Donny George

Dr. Donny George's life is interwoven with some of the world's most famous antiquities and archaeological sites and with the international struggle to save the world's cultural patrimony. A native of Al-Anbar Province, Iraq, Dr. George received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in archaeology at the University of Baghdad and carried out archaeological fieldwork at such fabled sites as Babylon (where he was Field Director for site restoration) and Nineveh. Mr. George, a Christian, was a mid-level official in the Baath Party under Saddam Hussein's government, serving as Director-General of the Iraqi Museums from 2003 to 2005.

He was central to the recovery of some of humanity's most important antiquities following the looting of the Baghdad Museum. Dr. George became the international face of the plight of ancient sites and artifacts in Iraq, many of which have been stolen or destroyed since the war began in 2003. In 2005 he became Chairman of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, but in 2006 was forced by security concerns to flee with his family from his native country.

Having sought refuge in the US, he is currently Visiting Professor at the State University of New York at Stonybrook. Dr. George has been telling audiences about the destruction of Iraq's cultural heritage and is working to raise awareness about the threats to the human cultural legacy that exist worldwide in many places around the world. He has lectured overseas in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. In this country, he has appeared in Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Taos. His Eugene appearance at TAC Festival 2008 was his first on the West Coast of the US.