Kurdish-Turkish ties stronger than ever - Kurdish Globe

The Kurdish Globe No. 349, Monday, April 23, 2012 9Calligraphy art vanishes in KurdistanDigital printing machines weaken livelihoods of calligraphersWith the development ofdigital printing, businesspupeople and shopkeepersprefer to advertise theirproducts and servicesvia rented billboards andscreen-printed placards. Ifsomeone walks by Erbil’sdowntown market, he canrarely see boards writtenby a calligrapher in thestreets or on the walls ofshops.Inside his calligraphy offufice located near the Citadudel, Muhammad Husseinpracticed writing on paperjust to kill time. He said,"The printing houses aredoing our jobs nowadays.No one cares what the impuportance of calligraphy is.If things continue to gothis way, the art will vaniuish very soon."Hussein blames the slowluly vanishing art’s problemson the government, sayingit doesn't consider it an artanymore. "Some peopletell us that our art is notvital anymore since compuputers can do better. ButI don't think this is rightbecause some designers atthe printing houses haveonly imitated our jobs--they added nothing new tothe art of calligraphy."Asked why some calligruraphers use printing macuchines and computers toattract customers, Husseinsaid, "I hate to do printiuing but this is what peoplewant. Whoever undersustands the importance ofhandwriting still asks us touse paints and brushes towrite on their shops’ hangiuGlobe Photo by Muhammad NajatA man uses digital printing machine.ing boards."Right near Hussein's offufice are many printinghouses for large formatdigital printing such asbillboard printing, oversizedindoor and outdoorhanging banners, frontlitand backlit banners aswell as screen printing."Celestial flex, whichis a laminated PVC vinylfabric that is excellent assolvent digital printingand banner substrates,is widely used. We alsomake flags and provideadvertisement services forclients with special needs,"said Ari Shwan, who runsa printing house.According to Shwan, theprinting houses do a diffuferent job from what calluligraphers do; he believesthose who call themselvescalligraphers shouldn'tallow themselves to usecomputers and do designsfor advertisement boards,for instance. "We are notworking at the expense ofcalligraphers at all. Wedo something and they dosomething else. It is not uswho do their jobs, but it isthem sometimes who doour jobs," noted Shwan.Najat Anwar Qadir, 58, awell-known Kurdish calluligrapher from Erbil city,told The Kurdish Globethat the art of calligraphybecame completely ignunored after digital printinghouses opened in Kurdistutan. "No one recognizesthe works of good calligruraphers since what a goodcalligrapher does can bedone by the worst calligruraphers by using printingmachines. Nowadays eveuerything is done by compuputer, which has almostdestroyed calligraphers'works; now many worksof calligraphy are made bycomputer. I know peoplewho nothing about the artwho call themselves calluligraphers. This is reallyfrustrating," complainedQadir.Now Qadir mainly focucuses on ornamentingmosques; in fact, he singugle-handedly ornamentedthe biggest mosque inKurdistan region, JalilKhayat Mosque in Erbil.He also ornamented theBig Mosque in Suleimaniyuya city as well as severalbig mosques in Turkey.Qadir, founder of Kurdistutan Calligraphers Associatution, just started decoratiuing two mosques in Erbil;he needs 30 to 45 days tofinish each. According tohim, the art of calligraphyis greatly admired in othercountries and an importanttourist attraction. "Thereis an academy of calligrapuphy in Turkey where compupetitions are organized forhandwritings. In Kurdistutan, we have very goodcalligraphers who takepart in international compupetitions and get excellentresults."Qadir used to hold calluligraphy courses and hehas trained many a succucessful calligrapher. One,Sabah Maghdid, oftenplaces first in internationalcompetitions.Qadir hopes the governmument establishes a schooland appoints top calligruraphers to train others sothat the art of calligraphynever disappears.Zakaria MuhammedErbilzakaria.kurdishglobe@gmail.comPeople struggle to collect salaries from banksGovernment still using “the old system” to distribute fundsBanking systemsneed “furtheractivated tofacilitate thebanking processes.”Due to lack of personalbank accounts, governmument employees have ahard time while trying toreceive their salaries atbanks. Banking expertsbelieve that the bankingsystem should be furtheractivated and developedto facilitate banking procucesses for the public. Otheuer issues such as counterfufeiting or damaged banknotes would be solved,and government can alsouse people’s savings inbanks.Siddiq Kakarash, 70,waited for hours on a hardmetal chair in the waitingarea at the Federal Bankin Erbil, with the hope thathis grandson would finishall the paper work at diffuferent bank departmentsand windows, then receivehis 220,000 IQD (approximumately $185) salary bycheck.Kakarash, who lookedvery tired, his hands trembubling, says he has to comehere and wait for hoursevery month and “summerand winter.”The government is stillusing the old system todistribute its employees’salaries, which has exhuhausted people. BotanOsman, head of the ITDepartment of the KRG,says that they have issued150,000 IDs for governmument staff “but these IDcards cannot be used at thebanks like a Visa card.” Hesays that they are planningto connect their systemwith the banking systemin the region, but for thisthey need the approval ofthe government.Abdulqadir Othman, Dirurector General of Kurdistutan Commercial Banks,states that they are currurently facing a number ofissues such as low levelof funds due to the factthat a lot of people don’thave personal bank accucounts. “Banks depend onthe money in the personalbank accounts,” explainedOthman in an interviewwith the Globe. “If peopleown a bank account, thenthey will withdraw moneyaccording to their dailyneeds and keep their saviuings in the bank ratherthan at home.”This, according to Othmuman, has a twofold benefit:The savings of the peoplewill be in a safe place anddoes not create problemfor them. Also, banks willhave enough liquidity togive out loans and gainfrom this while the fundsgo into the economy andhelp expedite growth anddevelopment.Shirin Ahmad, Directorof the Federal Bank, saysthat they have to pay thesalaries of 5,500 retiredpeople, 257 Peshmargas,as well as 7,000 employeuees every month, whichcreates a huge crowd andheadache both for the bankstaff and visitors.“Our main problem issatisfying the retired peopuple,” argues Ahmad. “Ithink government shouldseek an immediate solutution for this issue.”Sabiha Mahmoud, 65,who just received the200,000 IQD retirementsalary of her dead husbuband, says that she is alwuways exhausted by thetime she leaves the bank,but “we don’t have anyother choice.”