Shifa Barzani, General Supervisor of the Kurdistani Diaspora Confederation at Barzani Headquarters:“The Diaspora Is Kurdistan’s Soft Power; They Have Turned Their Displacement into a Source of Kurdish Identity, and Their Separation from Their Homeland into an Endless National and Patriotic Love”

Shifa Barzani is the General Supervisor of the Kurdistani Diaspora Confederation at Barzani Headquarters. Over the past several years, the Confederation has succeeded in bringing together a significant part of the Kurdish diaspora around its work.

For this edition of the “Dialogue Circle” programme, which focused on “The Role of the Kurdish Diaspora Outside the Homeland in Promoting Nationalism,” Shifa Barzani was unable to participate directly because he was outside the country. However, he prepared a special message for the discussion. His message was presented to the participants as an audio recording at the beginning of the session, in which he presented his views and perspectives on “The Diaspora and Nationalism” as follows:

First of all, we would like to express our sincere thanks for this opportunity, and we extend our gratitude to the organisers and dear participants.

Let us begin with the word diaspora.

The word “diaspora” is used in European languages and means “dispersion” or “scattering.” As you know, the Kurdish people are a stateless and divided nation, dispersed across different countries. Within this division and dispersion, the issue of nationalism is not a simple matter; rather, it raises many questions and observations.

For decades and centuries, the Kurdish people have continued their struggle and efforts both inside and outside their homeland.

In this brief presentation, we will not discuss the struggle of the people of Kurdistan inside the country. Instead, our focus is on the struggle of the Kurdish diaspora outside its homeland.

The main questions are:

• Can a nation exist beyond its geographical borders?
• Can Kurdish nationalism continue its struggle and activities outside its original homeland?

We firmly believe that the answer to these questions is yes.

Yes, our nation can live as Kurds outside its own homeland, and it can also become a highly capable and valuable part of the societies in which its people live.

Throughout our work in the field of the Kurdish diaspora, several realities and truths have become clear to us. One of these realities is that Kurdish nationalism in the diaspora and Kurdish nationalism within Kurdistan operate in the same direction.

Dear participants, in this brief discussion, I would like to clarify these questions mentioned above, along with several other questions and themes, for you.

First Point: Migration as One of the Gateways to Kurdish Identity

The first step in the formation of a diaspora is migration.

As we all know, migration and emigration have played an important role throughout human history, as well as in the history of religions and nations. Many countries were established as a result of migration.

When we turn to the history of Kurdistan, we can see throughout history that the farther Kurdish poets moved away from their homeland, the stronger their sense of national identity became, and the more powerful their national poetry was.

For example, read the writings of Melayê Cizîrî, Nalî and Hêmin.

Let us also reflect together on the crossing of the Aras River by the immortal Barzani and his companions, and their migration to the former Soviet Union. Let us consider how many national and nationalist lessons can be found in this experience.

Choosing migration and becoming part of the diaspora has often represented a sign of resistance, continuous struggle and perseverance.

The vast majority of Kurdish migration to countries outside their homeland did not take place by choice; rather, it was the result of forced displacement.

It was this migration that contributed to the publication of the first Kurdish newspaper in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, in 1898, and to the establishment of the first Kurdish radio broadcasts in Yerevan during the 1930s.

The examples mentioned above were not merely ordinary historical events concerning migration. Rather, they were paths towards nationalism and historical gateways to Kurdish identity and Kurdishness.

Second Point: How Nationalism continues in the Diaspora

When we speak about nationalism, we generally think of land, borders, state, population and language.

A nation is naturally connected to a particular geographical place. However, migration raises a different question for us:

What happens to nationalism when members of a nation live outside their homeland?