Iraq: Monument inaugurated in Erbil in memory of Mirella Galletti

A monument in memory of compatriot Mirella Galletti, journalist and academic, great connoisseur and friend of the Kurdish people, was inaugurated in Erbil, on the main avenue of Sami Abdulrhaman Park, the most famous public park in the regional capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The initiative was desired by the governor of Erbil Omed Khoshnaw, in collaboration and on the proposal of the Italian Consulate General. The bronze bust depicting Professor Galletti was created by the Kurdish-Iranian artist Hadi Ziaoddini.

Together with Khoshnaw and the Italian consul Michele Camerota, the event was attended by the head of international relations of the regional government Safeen Dizayee, the Minister of Municipalities Sasan Awmi and the Deputy Minister of Culture Arian Salahaddin, who expressed words of deep appreciation for a friend of the Kurds who told their story, the sacrifices and sufferings of the past, but also their habits, customs and cuisine. The Minister of Telecommunications Ano Abdoka also promulgated a stamp dedicated to the illustrious compatriot. For the occasion, Andrea and Serena, grandchildren of Professor Galletti, who had no children and who said of herself that she had embraced the Kurdish cause, came from Italy.

Born in 1949 in Anzola dell’Emilia, a small town in the province of Bologna, in 1974 Mirella Galletti obtained a doctorate from the prestigious University of Bologna with a thesis on “The political structure and cultural values ​​of Kurdish society”. From that moment, until her premature death in 2012, she continued this line of studies, traveled far and wide in the region, dedicating all her research and her personal life to the Kurds and the Islamic world. She wrote dozens of books, hundreds of articles and in-depth research on the most diverse topics, including the question of Christian communities in the Middle East. She taught at the Universities of Bologna, Trieste, Venice, Milan and Naples. She worked at the Kurdish Institute of Paris since its foundation in 1983 and many of her writings and her personal library are kept there.

Consul Camerota thanked the regional authorities for having accepted the proposal without hesitation and stressed that he was impressed by the unanimous enthusiasm that the initiative had received, with moving expressions of gratitude from the Kurds that confirm the hospitality and gratitude of which they are capable. He then added that “the life and academic work of Mirella Galletti are distinguished by a rare humility, a profound sense of justice and extreme generosity towards others. Personalities like her have undoubtedly contributed to strengthening the feelings of friendship that bind the Kurds to Italy”. Finally, Camerota extended the greetings of the Ambassador of Iraq in Rome, Saywan Barzani, who was a great friend of Mirella Galletti and among the last to see her alive a few hours before her death, which occurred on September 4, twelve years ago. A message of appreciation arrived from Dr. Rezan Kader, Representative of the Kurdish regional government in Italy.