I have a friend from Kurdistan

By Meer Ako Ali:

When I hear any non-Kurd declare, “I have a friend from Kurdistan,” I get a tingling in my stomach. This sentence – or assertion, if you wish – embodies most of what I envision for my people, for the people of my flag. It does not only discharge all slights of discrimination and denial against the Kurds but also safeguards two really important aspirations of the Kurds: friendship with other peoples and nations and recognition of the land that they occupy, Kurdistan. This sentence is music for me.

I discovered that this sentence is music – literally. My friend from Syria who has a friend from Kurdistan (me!) sent me the link to a song by Samih Choukeir called لي صديق من كردستان or I have a friend from Kurdistan in Arabic. I was amazed. The song is extremely delightful and evocative; every time I listen to it I am completely inspired and it leaves me perfectly unsatisfied at the end that I want to press replay.

Samih Choukeir is a singer of revolutions from the province of Suweida in Syria. They describe him as a committed singer, composer, and poet who has been keen on addressing issues of critical importance to humanity for 3 decades now. They also compliment his courage in the defiance of the oppressive Syrian Baath regime. Most notably here, Choukeir is close friends with his Kurdish counterpart, Şivan Perwer, who is also a renowned and talented singer of revolutions.

In I have a Friend from Kurdistan, Choukeir is singing about Perwer. He describes his voice as “the flames of Newroz on the mountain peaks” and declares that they are on the same road and are both burning with the same fiery passion “until comes one wonderful day when we will all celebrate on the mountain peaks.” This friendship is amazing and inspiring for both peoples. This song is a token.

Besides visible aspects like Choukeir’s passionate voice that enthralls and the composition that has hints of both zeal and hope, this song has a sense of redolence to it that can imply different things for different people in sundry ways. For me it is a pensive reminder of the Arabic theme song from the Robin Hood cartoon series that occupied my childhood and also a wistful dream of the friendship that could have existed, that could exist between the Kurds and their neighbors.

This friendship could exist. It should. If not, I do not know how we as an ethnicity are going to survive because it is absolutely necessary. By reaching out to make friends with peoples of other identities as opposed to adopting a more hostile approach, we open up the door for them to acknowledge us as friends and as inhabitants of what we like to call “Kurdistan.” We cannot expect to receive without having to give, and the first step will have to start with us.

Thankfully, Choukeir and Perwer have provided us with a model friendship. Theirs is a token which leaves us thirsty for that celebration on the mountain peaks, for that wonderful day. I hope to see you all there.