Our team delegation at conference in Brussels

Between 22nd and 24th September a delegation from the Section for Kurdish Studies of Jagiellonian University took part in celebration of the Kurdistan Cultural Week in Brussels organised by the Kurdish Institute in Brussels. The JU delegation was composed of three scholars: dr Renata Kurpiewska-Korbut, Krzysztof Lalik and Karol Kaczorowski.

The Kurdistan Cultural Weeks have been organised in Brussels every year since 2014 in the frame of the project "Ez mafe xwe dizanim" (“I Know My Rights”) dedicated to analyse and support the Kurdish youth’s rights for education in their mother language. The project has been carried out by four entities: Kurdish Institute from Brussels, Pro-Humanitate from Germany, Kurdî Der from Diyarbakir/Amed in Turkey and Section for Kurdish Studies at Jagiellonian University from Poland.

The current Kurdistan Cultural Week were in principle divided into two kinds of events: scientific and cultural ones. The former was a conference that took place in a prestigious location, the Flemish Parliament, on the morning of 23rd September. It contained three panels: the first one was dedicated to a brief summary of participation of the members of the Section for Kurdish Studies of JU in the project “I Know My Rights”. In this panel first the Jagiellonian University delegation took the floor and later a delegation from Kurdî Der and Mr Derwich Ferho as a moderator. At the beginning Mr Derwich Ferho, director of the Kurdish Institute in Brussels, opened the conference and welcomed all quests from Kurdistan, Belgium, France, Poland and other European countries as well as representatives of media. Then Dr Renata Kurpiewska-Korbut introduced in English history of Kurdish studies in Poland mentioning such notable scholars as Prof. Leszek Dzięgiel and Prof. Andrzej Pisowicz. She presented also the activity of the Section for Kurdish Studies of JU that embraces seminars, conferences, field research, publishing books and a quarterly ‘Fritillaria Kurdica’. Next, Mr Karol Kaczorowski talked about different meetings taken place during the project in Brussels and Poland, while Mr Krzysztof Lalik apprised of a ten-day visit in Northern Kurdistan/south-eastern Turkey held in April 2015 by delegation from each member-institution of the project and combined with field research. He also presented the history of scientific debate on minority’s and language’s rights up till today, when these rights are no longer perceived as a deviation from liberal and individual-minded majotiry or ethnocultural neutrality of the state, but as an eligible action of self-defence against abuses in a majority’s nation-building process and as entitled step towards preservation of their own culture and language. Then, Mr Karol Kaczorowski depictured historical development and condition of so called multicultural education in Turkey underling a current exigency of implementing such education thoroughly in practice, not only in theory. The reason for this appeal is that since despite some symbolic reforms in the history of Turkey, many Kurds and commentators have emphasized lack of fulfillment in practice of achieved provisions for the Kurdish language and continuation of legal persecution of its users, specially during present-day military actions in Kurdish cities. Finally, Mr Krzysztof Lalik drew the conclusions of the research pointing out that language rights are becoming viewed as an integral part of human rights and as a compromise between two tendencies: granting minorities equal rights for social and individual development and ensuring territorial unity of the states. He also shared with the audience a proposal of recommendations to Turkey, European Union and Kurdish institutions, application of which, in our opinion, is far likely to improve condition of multicultural education, human and linguistic rights of Kurdish people and peaceful coexistence between Turks and Kurds. So, instead of clinging on to an oversimplified and unfair view that automatically links Kurdish language and culture with separatism and terrorism the Turkish authorities should show respect to their language and culture and ease constraints on opening primary and secondary schools, as well as universities’ units, with Kurdish language, both private and public. By contrast, Kurdish institutions shall continue their attempts to convey Kurdish language and culture to young Kurdish generations and seek partners for dialog among the Turkish policymakers and intellectual elite. All these endeavors and steps should find an active support of the EU institutions. To end Mr Lalik thanked the Kurdish Institute in Brussels for invitation to the project and all participants for fruitful cooperation.

After the presentation of Polish scholars a delegation from Kurdî Der and Mr Derwich Ferho as a moderator took the floor. They talked about the importance of mother tongue education and the particular situation of the Kurds in Turkey. After a short break all panelists, including Polish ones, answered questions from the audience. The last panel that day was devoted language and human rights as well current political situation of Kurds in Turkey. These issues were discussed by Prof. Ibrahim Seydo Aydogan, Mr Dirk Rochtus and Mr Hugo Van Rompaey.

Afternoon that day the cultural events started with the central public procession through the main streets of the capital of Belgium. The procession was led by Kurdish newly-weds riding horses, dressed with Kurdish traditional clothes and accompanied by a posse of Kurdish musicians and dancers. A number of casual people watched the performance and joined the procession, which after a few hours reached the Spanish Square, the main place of Kurdish cultural shows during the Kurdistan Week. Later on they could listen to Kurdish music concert of Ali Ciwan and Sultan Kotluk, while In the evening watch a vernissage of photos of Aurore Belot and paintings of Djamila Gassoian and a movie “Memories on stone” by Shawkat Amin. The next two days abounded with happenings, performance and workshops devoted to Kurdish culture and addressed both to adults and children, Kurdish and non-Kurdish visitors.

The main fruit of the project “I Know My Rights” is a publication of a manual, summarizing the ideas, observations and conclusions about the project drew consecutively by all its institutional participants.

(text&photos by KL)