Aramean centre for art and culture has been opened in Ankawa, northern Iraq

 

Aramean people: Aramean people (not to be confused with ‘Armenians’) speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. They are the indigenous people of what was called in ancient times Aram- Nahrin, in our days it is called ‘Mesopotamia’.

Some Arameans today identify themselves with “Assyrians”, because of the hate generating activities of the Western missionaries in the Middle-East. Other Arameans became known as “Chaldeans”. However all of them are Arameans.

 

Dutch Version

 

Mosul (Iraq)- Tuesday 19-2-2008 the Kurdish minister for Culture, Mr. Falakaddin Kakeyi, opened a centre in the Aramean city of Ankawa, in northern Iraq of province Kurdistan.

 

Falakaddin Kakeyi is a minister in Kurdistan Regional Government for northern Iraq (KRG).

 

The opening of the Aramean centre was due to the decision of KRG to provide ethnic minorities with means within sphere of KRG to maintain and exercise their cultural heritage.

The Turkmens will have their cultural centre as well.

We welcome the initiative of KRG and wish that more of this kind of initiatives would be unfolded to give the indigenous Aramean people of Iraq the opportunity to attain their minimal fundamental rights which they deserve in agreement with their indigenous roots in this part of the world.

Minister Falakaddin Kakeyi cuts through the tape and opens the Aramean centre for culture and art in Ankawa.

 

What is culture of a people without its own flag?

 

 

Above the entrance of the building the following message is written in Kurdish, Aramaic and Arabic: “The General Directorate of Syrian Culture and Art”

 

The first question which comes to the mind is this: What is culture of a nation without its own flag?

 

On top of the roof the Kurdish flag is waving. The Aramean flag is nowhere to be found. Neither outside, nor inside, as far as one could see.

To respect the antique Aramean heritage, maintained and developed for thousands of years, it would had given evidence of respect to let flapper the Aramean flag next to the Kurdish flag, for the Arameans are the indigenous people of Iraq.

 

On the other side, fair is fair, something like this would be unthinkable in Turkey, while the Turks have much more possibilities than the Kurds.

 

A good sign to start with! We look forward to more of this kind of developments in the future