Opinions & Interviews

Cultural institute to serve Chaldean Syriac Assyrian intellectual in Kurdistan

Sunday, February 7th 2010 7:58 AM
 



Erbil, Feb. 7 (AKnews) "living cultures can not be marginalized no matter how long the tyranny lasted, because what is linked to land and production is the man himself," with these words the Head of Chaldean Culture Association, Paul Shamoun, started his talk to The Independent National News Agency of Kurdistan (AKnews).
 
"Our Committee serves the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian intellectual, who holds a culture which has tradition and history full of civilized achievements that go back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar, Ishtar Assur," adding that "without the continued support by President Massoud Barzani (President of Kurdistan Region) and his opening on different cultures, we wouldn't have been able to establish this Committee."
 
About the creation of the association, the cultural situation and other topics were discussed in the body of the following interview:
 
AKnews: How did the idea of establishing you Association spark?
 
Paul Shamoun: The idea of the establishment had been a dream that every Chaldean Syriac Assyrian intellectual have had in Erbil and specifically in Ankawah town, and after an intensive and pursuit meeting done by the elite group of intellectuals from different components in the society, there was an idea to put the foundation stone and take the first step of the Association.
  
AKnews: When did the Association begin its work officially?

P.Sh: the Association started officially on 1 / 12 / 1998 and started its work, for the first time in the presence of the majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly.
 
AKnews: What is the organizational structure that the Association rely on?

 P.Sh: the Assembly has its own organizational structure that consists from the general board, and the administrative body. The general board is considered the main sructure of the Assembly; and it includes the members who have gained their membership and has a lot of functions, such as holding the regular annual meeting to discuss the general report and to elect a new administrative board, or to resolve the administrative body.
 
The administrative body represents the highest executive body in the Assembly and it manages and supervises all the public committee, and consists of nine regular members and three other reserve members elected by the general committee.
 
AKnews: What are the activities undertaken by the Assembly?

P.Sh: The Assembly consists of multiple sections and committees, including the theater department , media committee, department of computing, Committee of copyright translation, department of music and others.

Each of these committees have different activities according to their powers..For example, the media commission publishes a quarterly magazine called Rivea Caldia (intellectual Chaldean) and a monthly newspaper called (Ainkawah House), in addition to managing the website of the Association, while the copyright commission in cooperation with the computers commission serve the intellectuals from all nationalities and religions, where it issues and publishes literary works.

The Association has a draft of a press that is still under implementation, where the implementation and the third of the project was done and the Association is working to complete this project to be an essential basis for the development of the Assembly.
 
AKnews: Are these activities private or opened to all?

P.Sh: The Association seeks to achieve the goal of the intellectuals and meet their aspirations, and it tries to include everyone from all nationalities and religions without discrimination and exclusion and it stresses on the unity of history and partnership of determination and rejecting of sectarianism and factionalism. And this is confirmed by the article 2 of its rules which says: (the identity of the Assembly includes no political or sectarian issue and cares for culture, arts and heritage and of Chaldean and all Syriac-speaking communities.
 
AKnews: How does the Association support its activities?

P.Sh: the Association gets ongoing support from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) since its establishment and until now; and at the lead, there is President Massoud Barzani, who laid the foundation of this Assembly. and brother Nechirvan Barzani and brother Sarkis Agha Jan; and I thank them very much because without their continued support and the openness of President Massoud Barzani on the cultures and his continuous support for intellectuals from different religions and nationalities, we would have not been able to establish this great cultural Association.
  
AKnews: Does the Association have any branches in other regions?

P.Sh: Yes the Assembly, and since it was established, tried to serve the culture and intellectuals in all areas..So we opened a branch for the Association in Shaqlawah, then in Al-Qush and finally in Sulaymaniyah; and as a result of the intensive efforts, the number of members of the Association in all its branches is (2,000) members.
Rn/Sh. (AKnews)

 
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