Kurdish language institutions announced the program for the actions and events to be held on the occasion of 15 May Kurdish Language Day with a press statement at Koşuyolu Park in the Yenişehir district of Amed. Under the slogan 'Status for Kurdish, Education in Kurdish', actions and events will take place from May 4 to June 1.

The press text was read in the Kirmanckî dialect by Şükran Yakut, co-chair of the Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER), and in the Kurmancî dialect by Heval Dilbahar, co-spokesperson of the Language, Culture, and Arts Commission of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

Kurdish language continues to be suppressed

The statement emphasized that the Kurdish nation is one of the most ancient peoples of humanity and said: "The Kurdish language is also one of the most fundamental and indispensable values of the Kurdish nation and all humanity. Unfortunately, due to the century-long denial of the Kurdish people, Kurdish culture and language, like many other languages and cultures, have been subject to attempts of brutal destruction. However, these efforts failed due to the Kurdish national struggle. Still, we see efforts to revive practices aimed at the suppression of the Kurdish language. Kurdish is still not recognized by bureaucracy; it continues to be ignored, banned, surrounded, and suppressed through various methods. The goal of making Turkish dominant across all of Kurdistan and wherever Kurds live is to assimilate Kurds and eventually erase the Kurdish language. This is a crime against humanity."

Those who can’t defend their language cannot defend humanity

The statement highlighted that a mother tongue is a people’s existence, identity, and soul: “Our language is the source and foundation of our national unity and the key to our liberation in every aspect. Kurdish is our red line. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan particularly states: ‘To protect and develop one’s language and culture is a requirement of being human. Those who can’t protect their language can’t protect anything. Those who can’t protect their language can’t protect humanity. Those who don’t know or develop their mother tongue remain incomplete human beings. If you don’t learn your mother tongue and receive education in it, you can’t think correctly or beautifully, and you can’t produce anything; you feel as if your brain is dead. The mother tongue is as important as bread and water. For the past 50 years, we have waged a great struggle because our language and culture were banned. Protecting our language and culture is everyone’s duty.’”

Support for the 27 February Call

The statement continued: "Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s 'Call for Peace and a Democratic Society' has strengthened the debate over the freedom of the Kurdish language. We fully support this historic call. We say clearly that the Kurdish nation’s linguistic, cultural, political, legal, and autonomy rights are not up for negotiation, and all barriers to exercising these rights must be removed. To build a free, democratic, and peaceful society, the Kurdish language must be granted official status and made a language of education.

Of course, for this to happen, Mr. Abdullah Öcalan must be able to act freely and work for the establishment of peace and a democratic society. The necessary conditions must be created; the identity, values, and rights of the Kurdish nation, especially the Kurdish language and the right to self-governance, must be recognized politically and legally, and guaranteed through the constitution and laws."

We are launching a new phase in the Kurdish language struggle

The statement added: "We know very well that the isolation of Mr. Öcalan is directly linked to the isolation of all values of the Kurdish nation, particularly the Kurdish language. That’s why we will grow and expand our struggle to protect and develop the Kurdish language more than ever before.
To this end, all Kurdish language institutions, political parties, organizations, sectors, and various Kurdish and democratic circles — including ourselves — are launching a new phase in the Kurdish language struggle with the slogan: Status for Kurdish, Education in Kurdish."

Planned Actions and Events

The statement underlined that "15 May, Kurdish Language Day, will be celebrated throughout all regions of Kurdistan and Turkey. We will organize various struggles, efforts, programs, and activities within society. Our actions will be organized across every district, village, neighborhood, street, home, to youth, children, universities, tradespeople, and all other areas.

These will include marches, mass announcements, leaflet campaigns, banners and billboards in Kurdish, meetings with the public and institutions, forums, public platforms, tents, theater plays, Kurdish book fairs, panels, symposiums, workshops, conferences, concerts, and digital events.

There will also be collaborative programs with local governments/municipalities, parliamentary and diplomatic efforts, all covered under a comprehensive and complete plan.

We will especially intensify the struggle to achieve legal and practical recognition for Kurdish, status for Kurdish as a language of education, restoration of Kurdish place names and reversal of Turkified terms. Additionally, we will spread awareness on organizing and teaching Kurdish language institutions across all parts of Kurdistan and wherever Kurds live."