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The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Culture held a festival on Wednesday, April 4, to honor the courageous struggle and strife of Qazi Mohammed, the founder of the Kurdistan Republic in Mahabad.
The festival was held in Roshinbiri Hall in Erbil under the auspices of Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani. The event was widely attended by the public, government and party officials, academics, and politicians.
The first Kurdish republic in modern history was founded in 1946 by Kurdish leader Qazi Mohammed in the Iranian Kurdish city of Mahabad. The republic lasted only 11 months before the then Iranian government destroyed it. Crises in 1946 prompted the founder to surrender himself, followed by a trial that ended with his execution by hanging in November of the same year.
Held in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the festival was also attended by President Barzani's representatives, Iraq President Jalal Talabani, and the Speaker of Kurdistan National Assembly Adnan Mufti, all of whom delivered their speeches in appreciation of the Kurdistan Republic on the first day of the festival. Some documentaries and theatrical plays were also presented.
The second day of the festival involved the participation of an outstanding number of political and academic personalities who delivered their remarks in honor of Kurdistan Republic. Addressing the event, Ali Saifi Qazi described Qazi Mohammed, founder of the Kurdistan Republic, as the "Ghandi" of the Kurds, and added that he was already a renowned and respected personality before he became the president of the Kurdistan Republic. "Qazi Mohammed loved his people and struggled for them. Although against his will, he turned himself in to the Iranian government in order to protect his people from being killed in conflict with the Iranian authorities. Even in his subsequent trial, he continued to defend his people," Qazi added.
Later that day, Dr. Jamal Qadir, an instructor from Koya University, presented research about the factors that led to the collapse of Qaziz's Kurdistan Republic, a reading that motivated an active participation by the attendees who discussed the birth of the republic and its immediate downfall. Dr. Qadir complained that there has not been any serious research on how and why the Kurdistan Republic collapsed in such a short period of time and therefore called upon specialists to look for answers.
Meanwhile, Hamid Gawhari, a politician, presented a document that shed light on a concord between the Kurdistan Democratic Party of the Kurds in Iran and the Barzani Kurds in Iraq. The document appeared in the form of a commentary in one of the Kurdish newspapers published back in the Kurdistan Republic era that highlights and puts great faith in the significance of democracy, economic growth, and independence for the people of Kurdistan, according to Gawhari. "Kurdistan Republic came into being during a crisis situation. The timing was late and thus it did not live long," Gawhari added, regarding the demising factors.
Hussein Madani, a researcher and a politician, highly praised the role and the personality of Qazi Mohammed and expressed his amazement at what Qazi Mohammed had achieved for the republic in the course of only 11 months. Madani said most of the accomplishments of Qazi Mohammed were in the direction of modernism. "In a country where more than 90% of the population was illiterate and the ruler being one of the oppressive, Qazi Mohammed managed to build his republic with very few resources. In addition to that, the leader was able to found a number of civil society groupings such as the Democratic Women Union and Democratic Youth Union. Qazi Mohammed did his best to save the republic. However, the nature of international politics back then was not supportive and then caused the demise of the republic," Madani said, regarding the achievements of the Kurdistan Republic and the causes behind its early downfall.
Talking to The Kurdish Globe, Hussein Rahabar, an artist who participated in the festival, said that Kurdistan Republic has so far been underestimated. He added that speeches and readings made for Kurdistan Republic on the first day of the festival were non-academic.
A number of participants said that festivals such as this one held other advantages for the attendees. Iraj Nahid, from the Iranian part of Kurdistan, said that in addition to commemorating the Kurdistan Republic, the festival provided a valuable opportunity for Kurdish intellectuals and specialists to meet and network. Khaliq Sarsam, a poet, said that the festival was able to bring Kurds from all four parts of Kurdistan together and give them the chance to interact. Kurdistan is divided between Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
A theatrical play by Kurds from the Turkish part of Kurdistan on the last day of the event concluded festival activities.