Roj Bash !

A post card about a Band of Boy-Scouts in Silêmanî (Suleymaniah) in 1927. These cute guys were among the first Baden Powell’s scouts in Middle-East.

In 1927, Iraq was a young monarchy, decided and instaured by Great-Britain. It was not independant but ruled under a British Mandate. Independance will came in 1932.

At this time, Southern Kurdistan, which was called Mosul Vilayet, after many debates and investigation of the League of Nations, had been integrated to the young Iraq, against Kurds’ will and Turks’ will. Kurds, led by Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, wanted to be independant, under a British Mandate, like Iraq. Turks claimed that Mosul Vilayet belonged to the new republic of Turkey, for it was a part of former Ottoman Empire.

Sheikh Mahmud led many revolts, especially in 1923 and 1927, the year where the picture was taken. He tried to gain the support of Turkey against England and Iraq. Turks of course agreed to mine British influence in Kurdistan, but did not really wish a free Kurdistan. So after 1930, Sheikh Mahmud was exiled in Southern Iraq and stopped any political activities. Since 1926, Souther Kurdistan was integrated officially in the new Iraqi kingdom.

This picture is the reflect of a complex situation : These boys from Sulaymanieh have joined a youth organization founded 20 years ago by Baden Powell, an English Officer. They have formed a Western band which probably played western or modern Arab music. Above them, we can see the new Iraqi flag and the flag of Iraqi scouts. Who were the boys ? Were they notables’s sons, belonged to families allied to British ? Or pupils in foreign schools, some private institutions for rich students ? Or at the contrary, orphans or pupils in schools for poor families?

We know nothing about these kids, just that they were probably Kurds, and joined an English organization at a time where the destiny of Kurdistan was torn between Iraq and Turkey, under the selfish rule of Great Britain. In a certain fact, these young Kurds are like costumed page boys in a historical play where British, Arab, Turkish plays were the main actors in Kurdistan.