The Impact of the Evil Side of the English Language on My Life as an Artist

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/jinte.6.1.0003
• Pages: 30-40
• Published date: 11 November 2022
• Date: 11 November 2022
• Author: Halgurd A. Baram
• Subject Matter: Kurdish art,Kurdish language,Sorani,endangered languages,English,Iraqi Kurdistan,intersectionality,conflict

30 Volume Six, Number One

“The Impact of the Evil Side” — Baram

The Impact of the Evil Side of the English Language on My Life as an Arst

Halgurd A. Baram

University of S ulaimani, Sulaim ani, Iraqi Kurdistan

Abstract: DiscussingtheEnglishlanguageanditsdicultimpositionintoKurdishlifeinIraqiKurdistan,

Baram positions the Kurdishlanguage as the boundary that marks Kurdish cultural space.He places

Kurdish speakers in a precarious interrelationshipbetween globalization and its negative eects, the

endangerednature of  the Kurdishlanguage and itspreservation as keyto the cultural survivalof  the

Kurds,andtheEnglishlanguageasaproblematictool,necessaryforinteractionswithaglobalcommunity

butladenwithimperialisticanti-MiddleEasternandanti-Islamicmeanings.

Keywords: Kurdishart,Kurdishlanguage,Sorani,endangeredlanguages,English,Iraqi

Kurdistan,intersectionality,conict

Itwould notbe an exaggerationto claim thatthe biggest problemI am nowconfronted withis

aproblem withthe English language.1WhatI mean by“a problemwith the English language”

is not in my ability to speak, read, or write English. What I mean is that I haveexperienced

thatindividualswithinKurdishsociety willquestionyouif it isobservedbyyourpeoplethatyou

speakanother language.Itmeans thatyou wereeither forcedtolearnor choseto learn another

language—both pose problems. As an Iraqi Kurd, we were subject to the eradication of  our

culture,forcedtospeak Arabic,andfound ourselvesinashameful stateof being forcedtospeak

theArabiclanguage.Inmanywaysit isapieceof ourrecenthistor ythatrepresentsatimewhen

weweremadetobesubmissiveandobedient.NowwerealizethattheEnglishlanguagehascome

asan unexpected guestentering our country and Kurdishculture.As with Kurdishexperiences

withtheArabic language,Englishalso nowconfrontsuswithan urgentculturalresponsibilityto

preserveKurdishidentity,and aboveall,ourrichlanguage. Asanartist andwriterof  occasional

articles,language hasdrivenmuch of myartistic concernand hasalways beenone of themain

focusesof  myart practice.2 Inother areasof  mywork, I havebeencritical of  thecultural and

politicalmeaningsembeddedin thevisualexperienceof Kurdish,Arabic,andEng lishlanguages

andtheiconicformthesewrittenlanguagestakeandthewaysinwhichtheyarevisuallyconsumed

throughtheimageof thewrittenword.3MyworkwiththeKurdishandArabiclanguageshasbeen

basedin an interestfor thecapacity of  thewritten wordwithin thecontext of  art,wherein the

wordshavetheabilitytoextendtheirpotentialbeyondtheirliteralmeaning,asavehicletocarry

meaningsthroughtheirvisualaspects.IuseKurdish,English,Arabic,andIslamictextsandscripts

broadlyinmypractice.Becauseof this,Indthatmyartworkisinevitablyengaged withpolitics,

becausetheselanguagesinthemselvesarehighlypoliticalrepresentativesof politicalidentitiesfor

1ThisessaywaswritteninKurdishandtranslatedintoEnglishbytheauthor.

2Sectionsof thisessayappearedpreviouslyinBaram2018:38–51.

3Baram2018:38.