A Journey with Sherko Bekas

By Mahmood Shawkat Jaff:

An email informed me that AUIS will welcome distinguished Sulaimani poet, Sherko Bekas, to his first-ever poetry reading at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. That was fine news and perhaps it was the most interesting email that I had received since the beginning of that semester.

On Saturday evening, November 24th, 2012, I went to attend the event, walked into the hall and greeted my colleagues and professors there. The attendees were excited and could not wait to have Mr. Bekas take the floor and read the poems. The hall was quiet and the people were well dressed. The evening started with a welcoming speech from Mr. Bzhar Boskani, one of the organizers of the event, and then Mr. Bekas took the floor.

From his dress, one would know that he was a poet even if they had never heard of him. He was dressed in black and white and a red scarf. Bekas started reading his poems while two musicians were playing the background music.

Sherko Bekas

His poems took me out of the crowd onto a journey. In the journey, Bekas showed me a proud Kurdish man who had dedicated one of his eyes, one of his legs and three of his fingers to freedom of Kurdistan. He showed me how chemical weapons took the life of 5,000 sons and daughters of my nation. He showed me how an elderly Kurdish mother cooked in her kitchen and treated her family. He showed me how much he loved his mother. He showed me how close friends he was with liberty. He showed me how one of his poems cried for the 182,000 victims of Anfal. He showed me the beauty of Kurdistan. He showed me how my nation struggled and sacrificed for the sake of freedom. He introduced me to many of the famous Kurdish poets and artists that I have always wanted to meet. He showed me so many other things that I loved to see. How will I forget that journey?

It was a journey that I never wanted to end, but unfortunately it ended. I looked around at my colleagues and discovered that they were also on different journeys. All of a sudden, we were all back in the hall. Everyone was clapping, everyone was amazed.

On that occasion, we took many pictures with Bekas and he enjoyed spending the evening among us. That evening I learned no less than from any course that I have taken.

How is it possible for us to forget Bekas? He will never be forgotten! Forever he will live in our hearts. I think now is the right time for one to read between his lines in order to get the message he carried all the way through his life. Losing him was a great loss for our nation. May his soul rest in peace!

Mahmood Shawkat Jaff is student at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.