JINHA


WAN - May 15, the day Kurdish literature, art and philosophy magazine Hawar started publication by linguist Celadet Ali Bedirxan and his fellows in Damascus in 1932, is celebrated as Kurdish Language Day. We talked to Van people on the occasion of Kurdish Language Day. Van women said that the state regards them as Turkish but they are Kurdish and their native language is Kurdish. Meanwhile, Van children demand education in their own language in school.

May 15, the day Kurdish literature, art and philosophy magazine Hawar started publication by linguist Celadet Ali Bedirxan and his fellows in Damascus in 1932, is celebrated as Kurdish Language Day. As the Kurdish Language Day will be celebrated on May 15, the demands of women and children are still to use their native language in their life freely and have education in their own language. One of Van women Halime Kurt (74) stated that Kurds are a people and they have a history. She said that the only purpose of assimilation and genocide imposed on Kurdish people for 40 years is to delete the Kurds from the pages of history and to convince the Kurdish people that they don't have a native language.

"I am a Kurd, my native language is Kurdish. I'll teach my children Kurdish until I die. I have eight children. As a mother, I have taken on the role as a trainer in my children development. They'll learn what I teach them." said Halime.

Kadriye Orhan (51) is another mother in Van. She stated that most of people in their neighborhood are Kurdish; however, there isn't any school gives education in their language in the neighborhood. Kadriye said, "The state regards us as Turkish. However, I am not a Turkish. I have my own identity. I am Kurdish and my native language is Kurdish. I cannot go to hospital by myself. The doctors don't speak Kurdish and I don't speak Turkish. I want to be treated by a doctor who knows my language. Mothers should teach their own language to their children. Thus, the children will keep the language alive."

Beritan Çınar is nine years old. She stated that she want to have education in her native language. She speaks in Kurdish with her parents and friends. She said, "I really have difficulty in school. They try to give me education in a language I don't understand. I am bored in school due to I don't understand the language."

13-year- old Azad Gülen, meanwhile, pointed out that all his friends in school speak in Kurdish between each other. "The teachers get angry at us when they hear we speak in Kurdish. My mother and father speak in Kurdish at home. Why do the teachers get angry at me when I speak Kurdish in school ?" Azad stated that he wants to have education in Kurdish.

(htk-hk/dc/mg/gd)