French Cultural Director Leaving Kurdistan
Amelie Banzet is wrapping up her three-year stint as Director of French Cultural Center in Erbil, where she has been praised for building cultural bridges between Kurdistan and France and addressing women’s rights.
The French Cultural Center is run out of the French consulate in Erbil. Its cultural activities have made the consulate the most active among the 30 foreign consulates in the Kurdish capital. Dr. Muhsin Ahmed Omar, the head of the French Department at Salahaddin University in Erbil, attributed this success to Banzet.
“Since her arrival in Kurdistan she has been working very hard and in one month she was able to understand some of the social and cultural problems of Kurdistan,” he said.
Banzet said during her tenure as director of the center, she has noticed major cultural developments in Kurdistan, particularly with regard to women.
“Kurdistan has witnessed a lot of progress,” she said. “Cultural and educational levels have risen and women have got a lot of opportunities.”
Banzet also said she hopes domestic violence will one day be eradicated, welcoming the law by Kurdistan’s parliament last month that criminalizes domestic violence.
“That was a big step and I was surprised that it passed,” Banzet said. “A lot of people think it’s a good law, but passing that law is not easy and maybe in this culture not many people are ready for that kind of law.”
Sahar is a Kurdish woman who works with Banzet at the French Consulate. She said that Banzet has been particularly helpful to Kurdish women and students whenever they have come by.
“Sometimes she’s even better than our Kurdish collogues,” Sahar said. “She’s a very brave and simple woman. She heavily emphasizes women’s rights and she helps Kurdish students who come to the consulate.”
Sahar added that out of respect for the Kurdish culture, Banzet always wears traditional Kurdish dresses to ceremonies.
Banzet said during her time in Kurdistan she has met many “strong” women who play leading roles in the Kurdish society. She also believes that Kurdish women can become prime ministers, but she doesn’t think it will happen any time soon.
For Banzet, the cultural differences between Kurdistan and France were educational.
“The culture and lifestyle of Kurdistan is very different from culture and life in my country,” she said. “I learned a lot of things from Kurdish culture and when you learn about another culture it helps you to understand more about your own.”
One aspect of the Kurdish culture that stood out for Banzet during her time in Kurdistan is the way people stand by each other.
“The aspect of helping among the Kurds is one thing that I will never forget,” she said.
Banzet admires the strong family ties in Kurdistan and believes it is one major difference between Kurdish and French societies.
“When you go to the parks on Thursday evenings [the start of the weekend in Kurdistan] all members of the family are there, sitting together from grandfathers to the smallest kids,” she said. “But we in Europe are losing this… I love this Kurdish tradition that you know all your neighbors and relatives.”
In her work, Banzet also relied on the support of Frederic Tissot, the French consul general in Erbil. Tissot was a doctor in Kurdistan’s villages in the 1980s and enjoys strong relations with the Kurdish people and leaders.
Banzet is unsure what the future holds back in France, but she is certain her ties to Kurdistan are unbreakable.
“Maybe I will stay with the government job or work in a private company,” she said. “But I will be back to Kurdistan.”
Tagged in: Amelie Banzet, Erbil, Erbil consulates, Frederic Tissot, French Cultural Center, Iraqi Kurdistan, KRG, Kurdish culture, Kurdish democracy, Kurdistan, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Salahaddin University
