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Bring down the walls!
26.11.2009
By Delovan Barwari
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November 26, 2009
Linguistic diversity is closely connected to diverse
democracy. A nation proud of its diversity will
safeguard and protect its dialects. As each dialect
holds important clues, culturally, geographically,
and historically in its oral and written forms, it
is an obligation to our nation to promote and
safeguard all Kurdish dialects, on the basis of
unity, academia, heritage, brotherhood, and
democracy.
For so many years, Kurds have been subject to cruel
denial and suppression. The use of the Kurdish
language in education, except in Iraq, has been
outlawed for decades. Today, Iraqi Kurdistan is the
only part of Kurdistan where students are freely
educated in Kurdish, as it is the only region where
Kurds are governing themselves.
In numerous democratic countries, more than one
official language or dialect is recognized at both
the province and the national level. For example,
Switzerland, approximately the size of Iraqi
Kurdistan, has three official languages: German,
French, and Italian. India has 26 national languages
and each state can decide their own official
language or dialect; neither the constitution, nor
any Indian law defines any national language.
In April of 2008, a group of 53 so called
intellectuals (writers, poets, and academics)
initiated a petition to impose a regional dialect as
the standard Kurdish language in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Following the petition,www.ekurd.netthe
former Minister of Education, Dr. Dilshad
Abdulrahman, attempted to impose Sorani as the
medium in the education system, while removing
Kurmanji. However, the move was harshly criticized
and rejected by the intellectuals and academics in
the province of Duhok.
The petition by the group of 53, and the attempt by
the former Minister of Education to impose a dialect
over another is clearly irrational and a step
backwards in the plight of the Kurds. The
predicament in Kurdistan is unlike any other nation
in the world. Kurdistan has been forcefully
partitioned and occupied by four oppressive
governments, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. These
governments have all attempted to assimilate and
eradicate the Kurdish culture and language.
Today, Iraqi Kurdistan is the only part where the
Kurdish language is completely legal in the
education system, media, and government. It is the
only region where the Kurdish language and its
dialects can be fully protected and flourish.
Kurmanji and Sorani are the two dominate dialects in
Kurdistan today. It is worth mentioning that
Kurmanji is the dialect spoken in all parts of
Kurdistan, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria
(approximately 75%); making it a common denominator
in all parts of Kurdistan. On the other hand, Sorani
is a widely spoken as well; spoken in both Iraq and
Iran. Moreover, throughout the years, it has
contributed enormously to the field of academia and
literature.
The same way as Sorani has made tremendous
contributions to the field of academia, Kurmanji is
also an integral part of the Kurdish literature,
with considerable literary contributions by immense
poets and writers dating back to 13 century. To name
a few, Ali Heriri, Meleye Jeziri, Faqye Teyra,
Ahmed-e–Khani, and Cigerxwen. Furthermore, in the
past few decades in the Bahdinan region, hundreds of
books have been published by contemporary literary
giants such as Badirkhan Sindi, Muhsin Quchan,
Mu’ayad Tayib, and Arif Hito.
At present, the province of Duhok is the only region
where the once endangered dialect, Kurmanji, is
surviving and being used in the education system
freely. It is extremely vital for KRG’s newly
appointed Minister of Education, Safeen Dizay, to
protect and promote the Kurdish language by wisely
allocating the resources of its ministry, and taking
into consideration¬ - with an open mind - the view
point and wishes of all its citizens
Due to the dilemma and conditions that Kurds are
living in today, imposing or choosing a dialect over
another is a self-destructive policy; it will
further divide our nation, and create a state of
mistrust amidst the citizens of Kurdistan. We must
think clearly as nation, and plan ahead to bring our
people closer to better understand one another, and
build a sense of nationhood in their hearts and
minds.
It is imperative for any nation to have official
languages as it is one of the unifying factors;
however, the ground works for such plan must be well
calculated and thought out. For the predicament in
Kurdistan today,www.ekurd.netthe
best solution is to allow the provinces or regions
to freely choose the medium of education. Moreover,
regional dialects, as a special Kurdish language
course, should be a requirement as a part of the
curriculum in education system. Implementing such
policy would enable the next generation of students,
(i.e. from Sulaimaniyah or Duhok), to easily
communicate, verbally or in a written form,
regardless of dialect.
A dual-dialect education system will prepare the
next generation of Kurds to easily communicate with
one another in either dialects. Furthermore, it will
help break down the walls, help transform the next
generation to easily understand one another, and
will pave the way for the creation of a unified
Kurdish language.
You may reach the author via email at: Delovan (at)
yahoo.com
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Delovan Barwari
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Delovan Barwari. All
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