Islamic State forces attacked the predominantly Yazidi district of Sinjar in northern Iraq in August 2014. Thousands were killed, kidnapped or enslaved, while survivors fled to Mount Sinjar, Iraqi Kurdistan and foreign countries. Many displaced families remained unable to return because of insecurity and destruction.

Survivor testimony, oral history and poetry have become essential means of preserving Yazidi identity and documenting captivity. Iraqi poet Dunya Mikhail's The Beekeeper brought the experiences of escaped Yazidi women to a broad international readership.