bianet starts Kurdish publication.
bianet is adding Kurdish to its online publishing which it runs in Turkish and English as of 2001. Just as in the English section, selected articles from bianet’s daily news and the reports it publishes are now accessible in Kurdish.
Yeni Hayat Bilişim General Director Murat Demirten providing substructure and software support since 2007 worked with designer Can Toron and bianet design advisor Ali Seçkin Karayol. Mimar Sinan University, Fine Arts Faculty (MSGSÜ) Graphic Design Department academic member Emre Senan designed the logo of BİA Kurdî. bianet IT expert Korcan Uğur undertook the coordination of content and substructure development process.
Others who contributed to BİA Kurdî going online evaluated these steps bianet have taken:
Diken: Not excluding each other’s cultures, languages
Şeyhmus Diken, writer: It is very important for me that a news channel like bianet which has reached its maturity in objective and independent journalism in Turkish, has added Kurdish in addition to English which it has been doing for a while and include Kurdish readers into its widespread web of audience. Why? Because I am both a follower of bianet since its founding, and a writer of it within a certain period. On this wise, I know that bianet has a distinguished audience and this brings distinguished journalism as well. It is very valuable that such distinguished and selective web of audience meets Kurdish readers.
If we defend that it is not only Turks but many different peoples are living in a country in which suffering, oppression, and other things that shouldn’t be seen in 21st century, and mention an understanding that defend that these peoples should develop without hurting each other, excluding each other’s languages, cultures, then we should promote websites like bianet that opens its own site to languages other than Turkish.
Of course Kurds are making their own news sites, Kurdish news. However, this is another aspect of the matter. What bianet does is to create opportunity for Kurdish alongside its own doings. This is what is supposed to be done. bianet has to be appreciated, but appreciation also is not sufficient, a thank is needed too.
Gönül: BİA Kurdî in perspective of peace journalism
Evren Gönül, BİA Projects Coordinator: We are in a political climate in which sources, especially sources in Kurdish staying out of mainstream are being censored. We are witnessing a fair peace becoming our social horizon line which we can only imagine to reach. Thus, I qualify BİA Kurdî section as a new space to breathe in which bianet will green in its right based reporting and peace journalism; and as a new public sphere whose discourse and pain is trying to be devalued.
We invited the audience to become a part of this process, keeping their eyes open about our lacks and mistakes, and act in solidarity at the base of the production as usual.
Bayram: A “virus” is becoming Kurdish
Murat Bayram, BİA Kurdish editor: I had heard this striking sentence “idea is the strongest virus” for the first time in the movie “Inception”. After the alternative journalism workshop to which bianet has contributed too, firstly the terms such as “woman oriented journalism”, “child oriented journalism”, “peace journalism” have become “viruses” that have been constantly poking a side of my mind.
A virus is becoming Kurdish. bianet will now tell the respect for human in Kurdish in both writing and reading a news. bianet will greet its Kurdish audience with the values that make us human rather than momentary values that are lost in rush of daily life. News class of life school has begun its Kurdish courses…
Önal: A small window free press tradition
Yusuf Önal, BİA Kurdish editor: In a country like Turkey in which media redesigns society, facts are manipulated by system owners as they wish, bianet’s undertaking such a project is an important step.
Kurdish, which is still being talked by Kurdish people despite all the censors and assimilation programs of the state that is continuing for almost 100 years, indeed has its journalism tradition. However, in a reality where so many wars and killings take place, BİA Kurdî’s work based on bianet’s right, woman, and peace oriented journalism is very valuable.
It is very valuable for me to practice journalism in the same language as ranging from Celadet Eli Bedirxan toMusa Anter'e, from Deniz Fırat to Rohat Aktaş who made journalism at the risk of their lives against assimilation imposed on Kurdish people. (ÇT/HK/TK)
