American concert in Hewlêr

I have now Arianet so it is easy to use internet here in Hewlêr. But for example tomorrow I travel out from here and now I have time to put only this picture to my blog.

It is from a concert today evening by American soldiers in the auditory of Kurdistan's Ministry of Culture in Hewlêr.

I have heard Kurdistan's national hymn "Yah Rahqeeb" many times, but this was the first time I heard it played by American soldiers.

After Kurdish and Iraqi national hymns the rest of the concert consisted of American folk music.

I have still ban to enter Turkey

When I was deported from Turkey December 2006, I received from Turkish police only oral information that I have a ban to enter Turkey. They did not give me any paper about it. Neither I was told the reason for the ban and how long time it is valid.

My advocate Murat Timur has tried to get this information since that from the Foreign Ministry of Turkey and from a court. Until now the only response what he has got is a paper that the application has been received. Turkey neither gave any answer to the note Finnish Consulate left to Turkish Foreign Ministry in January 2007.

Another advocate advised me to travel to Turkey to find out whether I still have a ban to enter there. So I travelled from Iraq to Habur on Friday the 4th October 2008. My plan was to go to Batman Festival which was arranged that week-end. I participated Batman Festival also three years ago. The journey from Iraqi boarder to Batman takes about three hours.

I was in Habur police station three hours (I was also permitted to visit a cafeteria and tax free shop). Policemen told me that I have a ban to enter Turkey. At last I got this information also on a paper. Policemen did not tell me reason for the ban, they said there is an office in Ankara where I can get this information. Their English was not good enough to explain what is this place. I made phone call to advocate Murat Timur so that the policemen could have explained this for him in Turkish but they refused to speak with Timur.

This little episode is one example about the present political situation in Turkey. It has not developed towards a positive direction. Turkish citizens (which the Kurds residing in Turkey are) and associations which are run according the Turkish law must have the right to receive visitors freely according their wish. This is impossible when the state gives bans to enter the country. My ban to enter Turkey violates the rights of Turkish citizens.

I have spoken here in Hewlêr which several people who have a ban to enter Turkey, both Iraqi citizens and foreigners. They all say that they have not lost anything when they are denied the possibility to travel Turkey. In a way I feel also like this. Three hours was enough to remember the atmosphere of fear which dominates life in Turkey. Of course I was disappointed that I could not participate Batman Festival and that I did not get information about the reasons for my ban to enter Turkey. But any way it was a relief to return to Iraq. I crossed walking the boarder river, escorted by a Turkish soldier until about middle of the bridge, and then received by a Kurdish peshmerga.

There was still one surprising thing. I had in my mobile phone SIM card of an Finnish telephone company (Eliisa). With it I could easily make phone calls and send SMS to Finland. But not to Iraq, the network was out of order. Despite the distance is only a few hundred meters.

Life in Iraqi Kurdistan

From left: Falakaddeen Kakaie (Culture Minister, KRG), Ayla Akat Ata (MP, DTP, Turkey), Kristiina Koivunen and Bengi Yildiz (MP, DTP, Turkey). Hawler the 9th September 2008.

I am still in Iraqi Kurdistan tackling with heat, internet and several other problems.

Life in Hawler is very interesting. There would be enough of things to write a book, not just posts in a blog (well, actually that's just what I am doing).

Insallah when internet works I try to put some more pictures to Sahmaran. But only when I can use wireless network with my own laptop. I do not put my flash memory (memory stick) to any Iraqi computer. Among other problems Iraq has its own national community of computer viruses. I am tired to take my laptop to anti-virus treatment every time when I have used my flash memory in the computer of someone else. I have sent pictures to Finland from various computers - when I let my camera to be checked it had more than twenty viruses.

The above picture is taken here in Hawler the 9th September 2008.

I have lots of other interesting pictures too, but the scheduldes of Hawler internet and mine don't seem to fit together. When internet is functioning I do not have time to write to Sahmaran and vice versa.

The charm of traditional Iraqi houses

I am now in Kurdistan. I am happy to stay in a Kurdish families, in addition to hotels. I learn a lot this about the every day life in Kurdistan.

My country Finland is very cold most time of the year. But that is not a problem for us because our houses are good and warm. Finnish people spend much time inside the houses.

For me the most charming thing in the traditional Iraqi houses was the way how people spend lots of time in the open air. They spend evenings in gardens, make food in back yards and sleep on house roofs as well as bake bread there. Also I have slept nights on the roof. It is something I will always remember: the beauty of the sky, the distant voices of the city, warm air and feeling of safety despite of being in the open air. My friends here in Finland are jealous when I tell about it.

Also I admir how few high houses there are Hawler - this is very positive. In most European countries only rich city dwellers have villas and their own gardens. It is so also in Turkey. Most Kurdish people there live in apartments and only dream about gardens. They spend evenings drinking tea in their small balconies. In Turkish cities not even rich people have such one-family-houses where Iraqi Kurds usually live.

Traditional way of house building has developed during many decades, maybe even centuries. Houses fit to the conditions in the best possible because the knowledge is collected during many generations.

This Iraqi Kurdish knowledge should be remembered when building new housing areas instead of importing ideas from totally different environments.

Take only the best foreign ideas!

I am surprised to see that people do not pay attention on saving energy when it is available. In Europe it is popular tendency to save energy because of ecological reasons and the rising prise of petrol. Hopefully the people who make construction plans in Kurdistan study these experiences, for example solar energy.

It surprised me that solar energy is not used in North Iraq. In Turkey it is very common, people heat water with it.

Maybe they think that there is no need to have other energy sources than petrol because there is so much of it. But why not use solar energy when there is plenty of it available? Free of charge!

I could have written about the lack of houses in Hawler. I know it is big and acute problem. There is need to build very many houses. But despite people need them in a hurry the plans should made with long perspective.

The world is preparing itself for changes in energy systems, from dependency of petrol to renewable energy sources. Houses are being built to last for many decades. They should be planned so that they are flexible to adjust new technologies what ever things the climate change and development of renewable energy technologies bring.

My interview in PUKmedia about Kurdish movements

You can listen my interview which PUKmedia made today (the 23rd August 2008) in Sulaymania. It is in English and translated to Kurdish.

http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6007&Itemid=42

Back in Kurdistan

Sahmaran has been silent for a long time, sorry for that. I have not been near internet. I arrived to the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq the 19th August. Now I am in Sulaymania following the Sulaymania Film Festival.

I will write more as soon as I have time and access to internet.

Culture Minister Falakaddin Kakeyi in Finland

I (left) and Culture Minister Falakaddin Kakeyi.

Falakaddin Kakeyi, Culture Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government, is now in Finland. I met him on Wednesday the 29th July 2008 in Helsinki.

Pashay Gawra, a music team of sixteen members, is expected to come Finland from Rawanduz, South Kurdistan. They should play on Saturday the 2st August on Faces Etnofestival in Karjaa. But due to problems and delays in getting visa it is not yet sure whether they will come here.