The Kurdistan Paradox

“Lately I have been running on faith, what else can a poor boy do? Lately I have been talking in my sleep and imagine what I had to say”.

I have to say a lot. Internet access is rare, so I try to encompass as much as possible in this update.  The past few days in Kurdistan have been incredible. We have met Fouad Hoessein, chief of staff of the Kurdistan president Barzani. We also met Barzani’s son, who is head of the Security Forces of the Kurdish Regional Government, multiple NGOs, the ministry of Tourism, Christian parties, and a KDP newspaper. We went to Suleimanya, the other big city in Kurdistan and visited the independent news station NRT, representatives of the Islamist Union, Ahmad Mira the owner of the independent magazine Lvin, Head of PUK (dominant political party in Suleimanya) Politbureau and opposition party Gorran. We went to the American army base and had a picnic with a barbecue in the mountains. We have been in the newspapers, on the internet and our visit to the president’s son was even broadcasted on television. Just now when we went through the security check at the airport, we have been recognized as the delegation that visited Barzani. It’s hard to describe how unique this all is, but I can tell you that it has left a deep impression. In the first sentence I mention Eric Clapton, who has been ‘running on faith’. It’s something that’s almost impossible here. Stories from the coalition parties are completely opposed  to stories from the opposition and there are no statistics available to check it. One thus has to run on faith. I’ll try to describe this weird situation through what I describe as the ‘Kurdistan Paradox’.

In the Kurdistan region there is a clear distinction between the public and private. People say one thing in public, but say or do differently in private. This is true for almost every layer of society. The representatives of the political parties drafted a constitution that protects citizens’ rights, but there’s no law enforcement so over the past few months more than 200 journalists have been arrested, threatened or otherwise violated because they were openly criticizing the regime. They are working on fighting corruption, improving equality and gender issues, but they still control every layer of society and honour killings still occur. Girls can’t walk the streets alone and their dormitories are locked at 7pm while the boys ‘dormitory closes at the 12pm. Although the intentions behind this our good, it is still something that is hard to imagine being in the West. NGOs say they are independent, but they are being financed by the government and don’t always have their own agenda. Independent media say they cover the news independently, but one outlet uses self-censorship on issues like religion, culture and royal families, while the other only supports opposition and can’t hardly ever bring up multiple sources to cover their stories. Ahmad Mira notes he has been arrested because of the publication of a story and when I ask the Head of the Politbureau one day later why this was the case and Mira was not protected by the Law on Journalism, he answers that Mira was not arrested and that he was even given a gun to protect himself. On another level, a lot of houses are being built, but hardly any is finished. I can continue with this for a while, but it seems there’s always a duality attached to every issue in society. This does not mean however that all actors involved don’t want development or progress, it’s just that it’s very hard to believe someone.

After having spoken representatives of almost every political, non-governmental and external parties present in the region, the only thing that can be concluded is that there’s almost only ‘black’ and ‘white’. It’s extremely hard to form a proper opinion because there are no facts and researches present. The ‘truth’ most certainly lies somewhere in between in the ‘grey’ area, but it is impossible to define where this is. It’s an issue that intrigues me after having spent almost a week in the region and definitely makes it very hard to judge any party.

We also laughed a lot. Especially our program coordinator Sinan can be hilarious at times. A few days ago he certainly was the owner of the quote of the day. During our meeting with the Islamist Union we got into a discussion about the implementation of Sharia and its compatibility with liberal democracy. When the debate got overly heated and some assumptions were made, Sinan decided to clarify the situation: “It’s not that we are pro adultery, it’s just that we are against lashes!” You understand this solved the situation immediately.

The stomach is enduring some hardships as well. After ten days of Kebab, it seems to have had enough. Fifteen minutes after every meal I have to run to the toilet to release the Statema Falls. This is sometimes quite the experience when you’re sitting above a ‘hole’ or in the bushes. I decided not to take Norrit, because I want to become ‘immune’ for the rest of my journey. After seven days of diarrhea I gave in and started to take the pills, it’s too bad they are without effect. Haven’t figured out how to solve this situation yet, but for now I just keep on saying: “Never trust a fart!”

Just an hour before our departure to Amman, I realize I’ve been part of something really special. Yesterday when we were driving home after our picnic, we sang songs together with the Kurds and spoke some words of appreciation.  We have truly learned about their society and their characters and I believe they actually also learned something from us. Their efforts have been immense and I can only thank them from the bottom from my heart. We have made new friends and I hope we will be able to receive them in Holland to show them our country.

I would like to finish off with a quote that was written on our bag we received in Halabja; a city that has been the victim of the chemical weapons of Saddam:

“Piece is not something you wish for, it is something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away”.

I sincerely hope Iraq and Kurdistan can find its peace.