SUMER :The Journal of Saddam College of Medicine
Then SUMER saw the light, the name was taken from the ancient Mesopotamian civilisation in the southern of Iraq, it was the place where the first human civilisation was built 7000 years ago. To read more about Sumer and the Sumerian click here. The journal was first published as separated papers attached to a board, those papers were hand-written by three students only!...soon one board was not enough as more students found the courage to participate. The subjects were mostly cultural and social ones sometimes scientific subjects were discussed but no political subjects were to be discussed or even hinted to. This was the policy of Sumer since the beginning although politics was (as it is always) a very attractive subject but in our world it became a forbidden subject at least for those who can deal with it!.This is the cover of the second issue of Sumer. Notice the reference to the second classical music concert. This was a photocopy of the original issue which was photocopied as well. It was so difficult to obtain it after 1999.
In 1995 Sumer was printed for the first time, despite the next to impossible conditions of Iraq in this year and in the years of embargo in general. Sumer was printed despite the shortage of papers, printing ink, printers and above all the absence of administrative support. Only the efforts, determination and devotion of the founders were behind this miraculous achievement.You may wonder while reading those words, I don’t blame you at all, but it was a miraculous because the political situation in Iraq, because of the economical sanctions that stopped even the papers and pens from entering this country, because of the psychological destruction we all had after the war.To give the reader an idea about this situation it is enough to say that well educated people could not afford to buy books they need to thrive, they used bad photocopies which were not available to all! Printing books was stopped and daily newspapers decresaed their distribution and their sizez to less than a half. Therefore, Sumer meant a new beginning, exactly as the Sumerian civilisation was (see Noah Kramer great book, History begins at Sumer)..Sumer was a challenge, a challenge to all the evil forces that conspired to destroy the spirits of invention, love, imagination and faith.
It was a prove as
well, a prove that weaker force can become the stronger at the decisive point,
at the devotion point at the determination point and above all at the faith.
After few months Sumer started a new era in the Saddam College of Medicine (by
now it is part of Saddam University), it was a new era in the Iraqi Universities
as well. For the first time since the foundation of Baghdad University school of
Medicine by the British in 1927, The Iraqi National Symphonic Orchestra plays
classical music in the University. This was a new era for three
reasons:
1.Gathering all the students, professors, and high-ranking administrative figures in one occasion, at this hard time in the history of Iraq.
2.Breaking the intellectual sanctions.
3.Using the high spiritual value of classical music to revive the traumatised soul after the wounds of wars, sanctions and prosecution. This was a new experience to prove that there is another way to stand after falling, another way than religious extremism.
Crowned with all this success, conspiracies found their way to attack Sumer, once through the student Union Organisation, through the religious extremists or through the administrative figures. However, The "Sumerian team" that is how we used to call ourselves, survived all those attacks and grew stronger after all the struggle to survive we had. In 1996 and more exactly on 14 March 1996, Sumer became a well-known students journal in all Iraq and in the world for those who wants to know. In this day a newly printed issue was available and the occasion of the Second Symphonic Concerto at Saddam College of Medicine was used to tell the media, the students from different Iraqi Universities, and the high-ranking administrative figures about Sumer. Among the attendants were the Minster of Health Mr.Omid Medhat Mubark, President of Saddam University Prfo.Mahmod Hiawi Hamash, represntatives of Iraqi Presidential Diwan, the French Ambassdor in Baghdad Monsieure Dupont, Iraqi Student Union represntative and many professors, students and intellectuals.
Sumer was now one of the best magazines in Iraq, the last issue was more than 40 pages, in two languages, Arabic and English, with variety of subjects, written by students in Saddam University, professors and contributors from other universities. Although, distributed to all the Ministries and the branches of Iraqi Student Union, Sumer remained confined to the low levels of distribution. Sumer could not obtain the legalisation from the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and propaganda to be a more public magazine. Worse than this was yet to come. The support to Sumer was abruptly severed, after endless negotiations Sumer was to stop.!!!
It was hard to see
a new Sumerian dream burns before our eyes while we stand totally paralysed and
intimidated by different threats. However, Sumer will not die by a decision
because guns cannot assassinate the spirit.
