“Shara speaks
Shakespearean Kurdish. She doesn’t use any Arabic, Turkish or Farsi words when
she speaks Kurdish. Her Kurdish is peti* and if she doesn’t know the word in
Kurdish she thinks about it until she remembers.” I am a bit shocked but
pleased when my Christian friend next to me explains to an American colleague
why he sometimes laughs when I speak Kurdish. I never knew it was because of my
Shakespearean Kurdish. I always thought it was my weird, Dutch accent people
would laugh about.
I believe I have to thank my parents and grandparents for this. We have some
revolutionary Kurdish writers in our family who all fought, with their pens, type
machines, printing presses and computers, for the Kurdish cause. In 1915 Hussein
Huzni Mukiryani, my grandfather’s brother, bought a new printing press from
Germany and invented Kurdish linguistic characters in order to distinguish the
Kurdish language from the Arabic one. He was one of the most leading Kurdish
writers and journalists; famous for his works. Serving the Kurdish cause back
then wasn’t easy. He was threatened with death and imprisoned for several
years.
A. M. Hamilton, was a civil engineer from New Zealand, who traveled to this
part of Kurdistan to build a road that would stretch from Northern Iraq on to
the Iranian border, met Huzni Mukiryani and described him in his book. What he
said was;
“Sayed Heusni is not merely an historian, he is also the local journalist
and newspaper proprietor. There is a brass notice on his door which reads, Zari
Kermanji (The Cry of the Kurdish) which is the name of his paper…
His type is set by hand. From the oak of the mountains – side the cuts small
blocks of wood.
He planes them smooth and true and upon them he etches the illustrations for
his paper. He inks his plates, turns the primitive printing press, then sets
and binds his sheets together to from the monthly magazine. A copy goes to the
high Commissioner and another to the league of Nations in Geneva. The Cry of Kurdish
is called a “monthly” magazine but often enough the little paper is suppressed
on account of its Kurdish sentiments which are not always approved of by the
Governments at Baghdad.”
A. M. Hamilton, Road Through Kurdistan. 1937.
On May 25, 1926, the first issue of Zari Kirmanji appeared in Ruwandiz.
This Saturday, May 25th, exactly 87 years later, Huzni’s house will
be rebuild in Ruwandiz. His house will be a cultural center for youth.
I will certainly be there to support it and to see where my peti Kurdish comes
from.
*Peti means perfect
Kurdish
His type is set by hand. From the oak of the mountains – side the cuts small blocks of wood.
He planes them smooth and true and upon them he etches the illustrations for his paper. He inks his plates, turns the primitive printing press, then sets and binds his sheets together to from the monthly magazine. A copy goes to the high Commissioner and another to the league of Nations in Geneva. The Cry of Kurdish is called a “monthly” magazine but often enough the little paper is suppressed on account of its Kurdish sentiments which are not always approved of by the Governments at Baghdad.”
