From the pulse of art, from the magic of the brush, and from the richness of color, we paint an artistic tableau that expresses the whispers of our fingertips as they wave the semiotics of victory—drawn from the sweat of the Iraqi fighter’s life. He lies in wait for the enemy, his eyes never closing; there are long nights of vigilance, as his gaze roams the horizons of space, hunting the claws of the bats of darkness. From here, our steps race toward the shore of art, so that the ships of life may dock safely, embraced by the tide and ebb that flirt with the imprints of a fighter who does not heed hardships, but instead opens his arms wide to embrace the map of an Iraq teeming with the cradle of civilizations—an Iraq that stands tall, unshaken by the whistle of the yellow winds. Today we draw… we adorn… we color… and we sculpt for you, O fighter, a monument that immortalizes what your hands have inscribed of victory—hands that caress the trigger, strike fear into enemies, and write glory. Thus, the convoys of the College of Fine Arts cast their anchors on the bank of art, celebrating the birth of an Iraqi army that terrorized the black crows of darkness. Almustaqbal University, The First University in Iraq