“The General’s Last Battle” — Iraqi Parliament’s Cultural Forum Becomes a Tribute to the Immortal Barzani
ARK News.. In a moment where literature met national memory, the Cultural Forum held at the Iraqi Parliament in Baghdad turned into an open platform to commemorate the legacy of Mullah Mustafa Barzani, the immortal Kurdish leader, through the novel “The General’s Last Battle” by Kurdish writer Jan Dost — a moving literary chronicle capturing the heroic struggle that helped shape modern Kurdistan.
The event, organized under the patronage of Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Dr. Shakhawan Abdullah, and jointly hosted by the Kurdistan Chronicle Foundation and the Barzani Charity Foundation, brought together a distinguished gathering of intellectuals, writers, artists, and politicians from Iraq and abroad — a vivid testament to the enduring cultural presence of the Kurds in Iraq’s collective identity.
In her address, Dr. Nahla al-Afandi, speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Tourism, Antiquities, and Media, described the forum as “not merely a literary event, but a bridge between history and conscience, between struggle and humanity.” She noted that the novel represents “an epic that reflects the conscience of a nation that resisted oppression, the Anfal campaign, and tyranny in pursuit of freedom and dignity.”
The discussions varied between literary interpretations and philosophical reflections on Barzani’s symbolism.
Dr. Abdul Hussein Shaaban stated, “General Barzani was not only a political leader but also a moral symbol and a universal human value beyond geography.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohammad al-Yaseen emphasized that despite marginalization and challenges, “the Kurds have made significant cultural and intellectual contributions that form an essential part of Iraq’s modern identity.”
The event concluded with the distribution of President Masoud Barzani’s book “For History” to participants — a symbolic gesture underscoring the living memory of the Kurdish struggle and reaffirming that culture remains the truest weapon to preserve history from oblivion.
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