\r«~ ^.c* :'..-'!--.::'ii':>. y-XJP'ti' . ':A. .Appeal to Kurdish Students Dear friends: Our "Kurdish Students1 Cultural Society in Europe" is going on steadily, faithful to its principal aims as declared in its statute. Its most important purpose is to unite Kurdish students to better serve Kurdish national culture. The success of our Society depends on your co-operation with its committees, local and executive, on what each of us> whether or not members of these committees, is doing and will do to realize its purposes. It depends on the articles you have been invited to write and which will be published in its bulletin; on the regularity with whioh subscriptions will be acquitted; on the zeal you will put in carrying out its resolutions and on the control you will exercise over its organs when you prove to be actively interested in its soaring. It is your Society, its aim is to serve you; let us then, in our turn, serve it so that it might fulfil its task and live long and prosper. Our Society lias not yet been able to attain all Kurdish students in Europe* You will agree that it is of everyone's duty to endeavour to establish this contact and communicate to committees the addresses of these students who have not yet been attained, whatever passport they might have and in whatever country they might study, so that our activities circle would always be larger and our union more important and more bound to last. Let us range ourselves under our cultural Society pacific banner so that we could better serve the national oulture of our People, his language, literature and history and study objectively the different aspects of his life and make them known to others. Our great Kurdish People needs us, and, indeed, we are able to accomplish our duty toward him, in the cultural fields, if we unite and pass over the domain of passive feelings to that of rational and courageous action, Kurdish students wherever you are, unite yourselves in order to better serve the national culture of our People! This should be our guiding principle and daily slogan. President of "Kurdish Students' Cultural Society in Europe" , Ismet Cheriff, Switzerland, - 1 - Appel aux etudiants kurdes Chers amis] "L'Association Culturelle des Etudiants Kurdes en Europe" va de 1'avant, fidele aux principes enonces dans son statut. Son objectif le plus important est d'unir les etudiants kurdes pour mieux servir la culture nationale du peuple kurde, le succes de notre .Association depend de votre cooperation avec ses oomites, locaux et directeur, de ce que fait et fera chacun de nouse, qu^il soit ou non rnembre de ces comites, pour atteindre ses objectifs. Cela depend des articles que vous ^avez cte invite's a ecrire et qui seront publi£s^dans son bulletin, de la re'gularite' dans le paiement des cotisations, du zele qu'on rcettra a executer ses decisions et du controle continuel et stimulant que vous exercerez sur ses organes en vous montrant activement souoieux de son essor. Elle est yotre Association, ce qu'elle vise c'est de vous servir; mettons-nouse done, a notre tour, a son service pour qu'elle s'acquitte de sa mission et puisse vivre et prosperer. Notre Association n'a pas eu la possibilite jusqu'ici de se mettre en contact ovec tous las etudiants kurdes en Europe. II est du devoir de chacun de nous de faire son possible pour etablir ce contact et communiquer aux comites les adresses de tous les etudiants kurdes qui n'ont pu etre atteints, quels que soient les passeports qu'ils portent ^et les pays ou iles etudiont, afin que s'agrandisse le cercle de nos activites culturelles. Notre union ne s'en trouvere que plus grande et plus apte a. durer. Rangeons-nous sous la banrdere paoifique de notre chere Association pour mieux servir la culture nationale de notre Peuple, sa langue, sa literature et son histoire notarainent, et pour eclairer scientifiquement les divers aspects de sa vie et les faire conna'itre au raonde, Notre grand Peuple kurde a besoin de nous, et nous sommes a.meme d'accomplir notre devoir envers lui, sur le plan culturel, a condition que nous unissions et que nous franchissions le domaine des sentiments passifs pur oelui de llaction rationnelle et courageuse, Etudiants kurdes la ou vous Stes, unissez-vous pour mieux servir la culture nationale de notre Peuple,' Tel doit 6tre notre principe conducteur, notre slogan de tous les jours, Le president de 1! "Association Culturelle aes Etudiants Kurdes en Europe" , Ismet Cheriff, Suisse, - 2 - AN APPROACH TO KURDISH MDSIC (By Bakir, A. Ali) London, Introduction Human nature is musical itself. Birds and certain animals, as low down the ladder of evolution as snakes, also recognise and even systematic, concordant and euphonious sounds. We all know one or more stories woven around the fact that snakes respond to whistling and similar sounds. However, human being, due to his higher degree of mental development, not only simply recognises concordant and euphonious sounds from the non-euphonious ones, in other words musical from non-musical, but he also knows and understands their nature. He appreciates and dsicrindnates between them, pours his emotions and wistful desires and whims into them, expresses his sufferings and triumph through then, Archeological excavations in Iraq (Mesopotamia), Egypt and, probably in India, China and elsewhere, prove beyond any doubt that Man, since the early anthropological days, had a recognition and understanding of this 'natural phcnomens of music'. As early as five thousand years ago, music making and instrumentation were well advanced in Mesopotamia k, Egypt and, perhaps, elsewhere. It is not going beyond the truth to claim that musio since the early days was regarded not as a luxury but almost as an every day neoessity of human life. In our age of atomic energy and 'sputniks', CULTURE is as staple as food, clothing and housing for us to lead a happy life. This may not necessarily apply to the lesser educated ordinary people; yet one wonders what purpose atomic-power and 'sputniks' will serve if they do not mean ultimate prosperoty and cultural enrichment of ALL'. We are no longer statisfied with the mere requirement of a primitive lifee We wish to lead a decent and happy life. Cultural enrichment and intellectual satisfaction are essential for the accomplishment of this happiness, Man, being social by nature, likes to communicate and express his thoughts, feelings and experience to the others. When he experiences misfortunes and hardships, or is faced with difficulties and disaster, he cries out for help of others. The mere thought of their help, or even their sympathy, will relieve his sorrows and will give him consolation ana courage. ""When ho is happy or triumphant he wants to celebrate and does so by expressing his mirth and victory! Among others, fine arts, sports, literature, poetry and musxo are foremost in giving strength, elaboration and meaning to these feelings. Music," as history proves, lias always been, and will continue to~be,°the most effective, elaborate and, perhaps, the easiest way of self-expression. Folklores, lyrics and dances all the world over, sxnoe thousands of years, are best acoustio and phonetio documents of the history of peoples throughout these years, - 3 - Prom the emphasis and accentuation already put on music it should be obvious to the readers and colleagues that it is our duty, as the intellectual vanguard of our nation, to give attention, with due responsibility, to this very important part of our national culture. The Wealth of the Kurdish Musical Culture. i Kurds, ai-e, as is a well "known fact to their neighbours, a musical nation. If any one had a tour around Kurdistan, particularly the mountainous villages in central Kurdistan, he will be able to whet his appetite with delightful, enchanting and highly colourful lyrics, folk songs and dances, Kurdish music, like central and eastern European, is more inclined to tune and melody colouration though its nontheless exciting and captivating, Kurdistan is a beautiful and mountainous country. With freezing cold weather, and deep snow for several months in the year, the life becomes harsh and testing in most parts. But the beauty with which nature shows itself in the following half of the year, and which it bestows so abundantly to its lovers like a nymph on her wedding day, oan only inspire its inhabitants with love, glorification and rapture - from the simplest shepherd and cowboy, peasant and forroster to the poet and philosopher of towns and cultural centres. Added to this caprice of nature from one extreme to another is the nomadic and unsettled life that continued for hundreds of years, and which still exists to some extent. The engagement of many Kurds in commerce and long distance caravans, due to the unique commercial ana geographical situation of Kurdistan. All these had their way in forming and developing the chax-acteristic Kurdish music. No wonder then that one finds such a wide contrast in Kurdish music, A variation is observed from the lucid and amorous duets and lyrics. Leisurely or light hearted and brisk "Halperke's" (dances) to long breath, high reach "Quater U Allaweysi's" solo songs and exciting or even tempestuous and blazing rythms and dances. A So far only the original "Halperke's", "Hayran U Lawuk" and "Quatar U allaweysx" songs and lyrics have been mentioned. All these are original and characteristic Kurdish folk music that have been created throughout hundreds of years by thousands of unknown ordinary folk. As far as musical culture is concerned, it must be admitted, with unparallelled regret, that we have nothing to offer apart from this very rich national wealth of original folk music.