To be honest, I know three things about Mustafa Barzani. First off, he was a massively respected leader of the Kurds in their fight for independence; secondly, he died in late 1970’s; and thirdly, his words hang on a placard beneath his painted portrait above Mayor Krmanj Ezzat’s desk in Soran City: "Who is in charge ought to be in the service of his people,” it says.
And if that is the way this man is remembered 40 years later, then I don’t need to know much more to conclude that he was the sort of fella we’d all like to have around. And, Iet me tell you, Mayor Krmanj is made up of the very same stuff—he’s the mayor of 125,000 people, of which a vast majority of them have his personal cell phone number. At any point when you are with him, he might very well take ten calls because his people need him. And yet, at no point do you ever feel he doesn’t have time for you.
Indeed, these two men remind me much of a leader I admire and love who said he did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life in exchange many.
I so look forward to sharing more as I venture to put the last months into writing. Thank you to all those I've met and been loved by thus far—I am indebted.