Halabja In the Golden Days
Part of the Journeys Festival International
Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan is known mainly because of the terrible chemical weapons attack in 1988. This formed part of the ‘Anfal’ campaign of persecution in which up to 182,000 Kurds were killed by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath regime. Before Anfal, Halabja was famous for its gardens and the beauty of its landscapes, its poets and historical figures such as ‘Lady’ Adela Jaff.
Gulan and our associates have conducted interviews with people from Halabja to create a series of articles on the city’s art, theatre, music and sports. Together with essays written by experts on Halabja’s history, poetry and costumes, these articles are being published in this magazine as part of the Journeys Festival International 2020.
In addition to the many people from Halabja involved in this project, Gulan has also worked with Portsmouth’s Kurdish community, Portsmouth Cathedral and the organisation Mali Kurd. The large Kurdish community in Portsmouth, many of whom were originally from Halabja, have for many years held an annual commemoration ceremony for the Halabja attack.
Halabja: In the Golden Days was published online as part of the Journeys Festival International from 12th – 18th October 2020. The magazine can now be viewed / downloaded in .pdf format via the link below.