Magin_Edward-thesis

18
time that intellectuals “rediscovered their Kurdish identity,” after a long period of being
affected by Arab society (Blau 1996:24-5). However, soon after Baghdad declared war
against the Kurds in March of 1974, many intellectuals, including writers and poets,
joined the movement against the central government (Hassanpour 1996:55). A period of
freedom was again cut short and literary life for Kurds in Iraq halted in the midst of
Kurdish uprisings and perilous wars―wars that wasted much of the Kurdish area. During
this time, the regime in Turkey occasionally permitted use of the Kurdish language;
however, they, too, continued to deny Kurdish people many basic civil rights (Blau
1996:24-5).
2.1.4 1980 to present day
During the 1980s many intellectuals in Turkey chose exile and found their way to
Europe and other western countries, where they experienced their greatest freedom of
expression. Kurdish literature had been forbidden in Turkey and Syria for decades, but
now it was able to develop from afar. The greatest “renaissance” in Northern Kurdish
literature came via the support of the government of Sweden which assisted Kurdish
residents who came to them for refuge. With a large publishing budget provided by the
Swedish authorities, literary creativity blossomed among writers, poets and journalists
(Blau 1996:25-6). According to Blau (1996:25), more than 300 books in Northern
Kurdish have been published in Sweden.
Meanwhile, in countries like Iran, Kurdish books are greatly scrutinized and
censored, if published at all. As of the mid-1990s, there were no newspapers being
published and Kurdish was not being used as the medium of instruction in schools. It is
difficult to assess the present day situation of Iranian Kurds (Blau 1996:25-6).
In Iraq, freedom of expression has developed greatly since the establishment of a
no-fly zone in the north of the country in 1991. The Kurdish area continues to develop
and remains a haven for speakers of both Northern and Central Kurdish, and there is
much activity in all forms of literature, within the bounds that are permitted by the semiautonomous
Kurdish government.