In one of its latest interviews with the great philosopher and professor of philosophy, Zizek, Rudaw TV published the philosopher's last thoughts on the Kurds. Zizek spoke clearly and unambiguously about the Kurds. The philosopher's views on the Kurds had previously been published on the Kurds, especially on the Kurds in the western part of Kurdistan. The liberation movement in the western part of Kurdistan has long attracted the attention of many leftist philosophers and thinkers because of its association with leftist thought. For example, the famous American philosopher and linguist Novam Chomsky has repeatedly spoken about the Kurds, especially the Kurds in the West part of Kurdistan, and recognized their movement as a global liberation movement. In addition, much of the world's leftists have supported the movement. For instance, the French Greens movement officially published that it wanted a system similar to the self-government system in the western part of Kurdistan.
Zizek has previously spoken about the Kurds of the East and West parts of Kurdistan. For example, he spoke about the influence of the Eastern Kurds on the new Iranian revolution, known as the “Women-Life-Freedom” revolution. He believes that the slogan "women, life, freedom" is a progressive and revolutionary slogan and such a slogan does not emerge in any region of Iran except Kurdistan.
Slavoj Zizek, in a recent interview, says that he has hoped to visit Kurdistan and before the spread of the coronavirus, he planned to visit the University of West part of Kurdistan. But it seems he could not and still wishes to visit any part of Kurdistan if he can. Although he says that the southern part of Kurdistan is a different example from the rest of Iraq and that its political and academic system is unique, he does not consider it leftist enough.
What is important in Zizek's interview are two points. First, he has always expressed his desire to visit Kurdistan because he considers it a different region from the rest of the Middle East. Second, he discusses the view of orientalists on the Kurdish people.
As we know, the Kurds now pay attention a lot to what the West and foreigners in general have said about the Kurds in the past. Books on this subject are widely published in the southern part of Kurdistan, most of which are useless and a waste of public resources. For instance, it has become common that Kurds in Iranian travelogues and until later... that such books do not give anything in terms of content apart from their poor, non-Kurdish, and unscientific translations.
What is more important in this article is the views of Western writers about the Kurds. Dozens of books have been written about it. Slavoj Zizek critically discusses the writings of orientalists and how far they are from the reality of Kurdistan.
“The image I had of Kurdistan when I was younger was due to the writings of Western writers about Kurdistan." He believes that these writers have drawn a false and hostile picture of the Kurds. He says these writers describe the Kurdish people as crazy and uninterested in their readers. But in his current understanding, that statement has lost its meaning for him after gaining knowledge of the Kurds. He says the Kurds are now examples of passionate, understanding, and mature people in the Middle East, and they can not only change the whole Middle East, but they can change the world. Therefore, Zhizhak says that the Kurds are the miracle of the new world. For this reason, he says, the Kurds can become an example not only for the neighboring countries but also for the whole world. Zhizhak says the Kurds are very intellectually advanced in the Middle East.
Later, the great philosopher suggests that the Kurds become the leaders of new industries through the digital world and programming, without returning to the old industry. Finally, he says, "I wish to come to Kurdistan, doesn't matter any part of it."
Apart from the fact that Zizek is a great figure in today's intellectual world, it is more important for the Kurds that one of the world's greatest philosophers wants to see their country up close and visit its universities. Hence the type of understanding of politicians and universities in the southern part of Kurdistan. If there is really anything intellectual, political, and global lobbying in Kurdistan, the universities of the South part of Kurdistan and the politicians of the south should embrace Slavoj Zizek as a great thinker, academic, and philosopher, and make his ideas and views reach out to the whole world. So that Arabs, Turks, Persians, and Westerners can hear the truth of the Kurdish people's aspirations from the language of a great philosopher.
Of course, the presence of someone like Zizek in Kurdistan will show the current political and cultural level of the Kurdish people, not the presence of a group of Iranian-Kurdish spies and writers who are making fun of the Kurds in the name of the East part of Kurdistan. They are working for the Islamic Republic of Iran, making fun of Kurds in the East part of Kurdistan, and criticizing the lack of cultural policy in the south has become their profession. What is important for Kurds in cultural diplomacy and cultural planning is the presence of influential foreign and experienced Kurdish personalities in important places in Kurdistan, not the presence of so-called writers by inexperienced and corrupt groups of so-called authors and translators who were invited to the Galawezh Festival, and then they make fun of the Kurdish mentality and identity. Is there any wisdom in Kurdistan to invite the Zizeks and make them not regret their arrival?
