Artists mark Kurdish Language Day: 'Every Kurdish word uttered is resistance'

"Let us keep Kurdish alive not just in songs, but at home, on the street, and in every area of life. Kurdish must be the language of education and the street" said ten artists' joint message.

Aren Yıldırım

TRTürkçesini Oku

Aren Yıldırım

TRTürkçesini Oku

Kurdish Language Day is observed today, May 15, marking an event celebrated annually since 2007.

The day commemorates May 15, 1932, when Kurdish intellectuals and linguists led by Celadet Ali Bedirxan and Rewşan Bedirxan began publishing Hawar (The Cry) in Damascus, which, as the first Kurdish magazine to use the Latin alphabet, played a central role in the standardization of written Kurdish.

Various events are organized every year on May 15 to draw attention to the obstacles and bans regarding Kurdish language. These events call for necessary regulations to ensure Kurdish becomes a language of education and commerce.

Message from artists

Kurdish musicians Rotinda, Tara Mamedova, Kasım Taşdoğan, Helin Kılıçarslan, Serdar Canan, Ruken Yılmaz, Pîroz, and Eylül Nazlıer, along with theater actor Erdal Kaya and dance artist Serhat Kural, issued a call for May 15 Kurdish Language Day.

The message, read out in parts by the artists, called for Kurdish to be integrated more into daily life.

"Assimilation policies targeting Kurdish have been carried out in Turkey for years. Let us read in Kurdish, write in Kurdish, and live in Kurdish. Let us keep Kurdish alive not just in songs, but at home, on the street, and in every area of life. Kurdish must be the language of education, the street, and the market. Our language is not just a tool for communication; it is our identity, our honor, and our memory. Let us say together: Our language is our existence, our language is our identity!"

What is May 15 Kurdish Language Day?

May 15 Kurdish Language Day is a day dedicated each year to the recognition of Kurdish as a literary and cultural language. The occasion is celebrated with various events in many parts of the world.

It has been 94 years since Celadet Ali Bedirxan and his colleagues published the first issue of the Kurdish magazine Hawar in Damascus on May 15, 1932. The start of Hawar's publication, as the first Kurdish magazine printed in the Latin alphabet, is regarded as a major turning point in the development and standardization of the Kurdish language.

Due to the magazine’s contributions to Kurdish, which has faced systematic assimilation, pressure, and bans particularly over the last century, May 15 has been recognized and celebrated as Kurdish Language Day since 2006.

Hawar magazine is at the center of Kurdish language and cultural studies from the last century, leading a great transformation in many fields, particularly language, culture, identity, and literature. Providing an environment for the development of great Kurdish writers such as Osman Sabri, Nurettin Zaza, and Cegerxwîn, the magazine is considered a symbol of Kurdish language and literature.

May 15 Kurdish Language Day holds a significant place in the cultural and social lives of Kurds as an important occasion to emphasize the value of the Kurdish language and culture. During this holiday, works of Kurdish literature and art are shared, and efforts to protect and develop the language are celebrated.

May 15 Kurdish Language Day is important for reminding people that the Kurdish language possesses a rich historical and cultural heritage. It emphasizes that Kurdish is more than just a means of communication, but a carrier of identity and culture. It also serves to raise awareness for the protection and development of the language and encourages the struggle for the recognition of Kurdish as an official language.

(AY/VK)

Origin

Istanbul

Kurdish right to mother tongue

Aren Yıldırım

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bianet editörü. Dilbilimci-Çevirmen. NLP(Doğal Dil İşleme) Data Bilimcisi. Kürtçe (Soranca) Konuşma Klavuzu ve Bo Bîyanîyan Kitêbî Fêrbûnî Kurdî kitaplarının yazarı