JINHA

AMED - Women don't leave the Sur district of Diyarbakır despite ongoing siege imposed for five months. Women said, "We don't leave Sur and our language" said women while talking on the occasion of Kurdish Language Day. 66-year-old Zeynep has been told to learn "Turkish" she said, "I have already second language and it is Zazaki. The people told me, "You cannot leave here without learning Turkish." I have lived for 66 years without learning Turkish."

As Kurdish Language Day will be celebrated on May 15 under destruction and genocidal attacks under the name of "curfew", women those who have lived in the besieged town of Sur for five months, called on all Kurdish people, who resist against the massacre, to protect their language for their lands.

66 year-old Zeynep Demircan, who lives in the Alipaşa Neighborhood of Diyarbakır's Sur district, hasn't learned Turkish. She has spoken in Kurdish since childhood. She has spoken to her children, grandchildren and everybodies in Kurdish. She said, "Everyone told me, "You should learn Trukish. You cannot live without speaking in Turkish." I have lived for 66 years without speaking Turkish.

"They have forced us to speak Turkish in hospitals, buses and everywhere outside. Why do we have to learn Turkish? Why do they learn Kurdish?"

56-year-old Leisa Okat lived in Cemal Yılmaz Neighborhood before the curfew declared in Sur. She had to move to Alipaşa Neighborhood after the curfew declared. She said, "The state took our home. However, we haven't left the Sur. They have tried to take our language from us for century. However, we haven't left our language. My language is my country. I express myself with this language. I cannot live in this world without my language. I love to speak Kurdish and I will speak Kurdish to the end."

Mevlüde Kaya is another woman who live in Sur. She said, "I can speak in Turkish, however, I prefer to speak Kurdish. I am a Kurdish, why do I speak Turkish instead of Kurdish. Is there a beautiful language as Kurdish on these lands? They try to take our lands and language. However, we won't leave our lands and our language."

(mm/gc/gd)