Tree Woman: If am a Provocateur, Then I am a Provocateur of Nature
Today is the 19th day of “Water and Conscience Watch” against the destruction of nature in Ida Mountains. While listening to the story of guitarist Kardelen, who visited the watch yesterday, we also talked to “Tree Woman” targeted by pro-government media.
While the Canada-based Alamos Gold company keeps on destructing the nature in Ida Mountains in Çanakkale, the ones standing "Water and Conscience Watch" in the mountains continue protesting by walking to the mining site twice a day, namely at dawn and at dusk.
Today is August 13, 2019. As of today, the local people and environmental rights defenders have been standing watch in Ida Mountains for 19 days. On its 18th day yesterday (August 12), forums were held again and new decisions were taken as to the communal life here.
Labor Party of Turkey (TİP) Chair and Aydın MP Erkan Baş and Patika Ecology Collective visited the watch and walked to the mining site.
We talked to the "Tree Woman", who was accused of being a provocateur and targeted by the pro-government ATV channel.
"I have been here since the seventh day. I don't know how many days have passed since then, I don't have the notion of time here. I am very hopeful for the watch, I think we will make it", Tree Woman told us and added:
"We don't have any other solution than embracing the nature, because we have killed the earth. The earth doesn't need us, but we need it.
"Nature always keeps on living, but the way things stand, we can neither breathe nor drink water in the future. We don't know what we eat anyway.
"That is why we need to stand together... So that we can live, so that we can breathe and find a tree to rest under its shadow."
'It is not a crime to try to protect nature'
To our question "They call you Tree Woman, what do you think about that?", she gave the following answer:
"Whoever comes here, I greeted them at the door saying 'Welcome', I waved them goodbye when they left, I thanked them. I think it has only something to do with me carrying parts of nature on me."
Regarding the ATV channel, which targeted her and accused her of 'being a provocateur', Tree Woman said,
"I didn't want to do something like that, but I will take a legal action.
"I was targeted, the exact opposite of what I do is brought against me as a crime.
"It is not a crime to love nature, to protect nature. I am not the provocateur of anyone. Well, if I am a provocateur, then I am a provocateur of nature and that is why I have come here."
Guitarist Kardelen: I spent my childhood here
World-renowned for his fingerstyle guitar playing, Ali Deniz Kardelen gave a concert yesterday to stand up against the destruction of nature in Ida Mountains and to support the ones keeping watch here.
Ending his concert with "Gypsy Song", Kardelen thanked everyone standing watch for Ida Mountains.
We talked to Kardelen after his concert. He explained why he came to the watch in following words:
"First of all, I am from Çanakkale, this region is where I spent my childhood.
"I have a sharp line when it comes to nature and I have come here to support them, carrying the responsibility of an artist.
"I also think that environmentally sensitive activities are generally effective.
"These activities bring some circles into line, I think that they also make a difference by urging the discussion of solutions in the media."
Emphasizing that there is a risk posed by several other mines in the region, Kardelen added, "We need to prevent it." (PT/SD)
bianet dış haberler ve iklim krizi editörü. Habertürk ve Vatan gazetelerinde muhabirlik ve politika editörlüğü yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Radyo, TV ve Sinema Bölümü mezunu....
bianet dış haberler ve iklim krizi editörü. Habertürk ve Vatan gazetelerinde muhabirlik ve politika editörlüğü yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Radyo, TV ve Sinema Bölümü mezunu.
Kurds celebrate Newroz in Diyarbakır with massive attendance
Every Newroz has been a bittersweet time for us, a time we’ve wished for peace. Today, we renew that hope. We want to live in freedom and democratic peace,” says one participant.
Thousands have gathered for Newroz celebration in the Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır province, held under the theme “A Democratic Society for Freedom."
A new stage was installed at the site, replacing the old concrete platform. Banners bearing the Kurdish slogan jin, jiyan, azadî (Women, life, freedom) and other Newroz-related slogans were hung across the stage. Security was tight, with police setting up six separate checkpoints at the venue. Attendees arriving from early morning passed through five layers of screening before being allowed entry.
Police announced that no party flags or banners, including those of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, the largest pro-Kurdish party in Turkey and main organizer of the event, would be permitted within the celebration area.
Öcalan's message missing
Large posters of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), flanked both sides of the venue. The posters featured photos taken during his Feb 27 call involving the İmralı Delegation. Youths in the crowd also held up additional posters of Öcalan.
As the symbolic Newroz fire was lit, chants of “Bijî Serok Apo” (“Long live Leader Apo”) rang out from the crowd, reflecting ongoing support for the PKK leader.
However, a message from Öcalan could not be conveyed to the celebrations as the authorities left an application by DEM members to meet him before the celebrations unanswered.
In a statement, the DEM Party’s explained, “Contrary to expectations, the İmralı Delegation was not granted access, so Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s message did not arrive for this year’s Newroz. Instead, his most recent photos and audio were shown on the stage screen. With the slogans shouted in the square, the people once again demonstrated their support for the call he made on Feb 27.”
Many prominent Kurdish politicians have attended the celebrations, including DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, and Sebahat Tuncel.
Leaders from Iraq's Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, president of the regional government, Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), as well as Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), send messages to convey their greetings.
Newroz is the traditional New Year celebration observed by various cultures in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Persians and Kurds. For Kurds, it holds particular significance as a symbol of freedom and resistance, rooted in the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith, who is said to have led a revolt against a tyrannical ruler, liberating the people.
'We are the Kurdish people'
Among the attendees was 55-year-old Sakine Y., who wore a traditional dress despite rainy conditions and helped tie a yellow-green-red scarf around her friend’s head. “Today, we see the photos of Kemal [Kurkut, killed by police during 2017 Newroz], Selahattin Demirtaş, and most importantly the İmralı Delegation on display. These are our realities. We’re not just here to celebrate. Newroz is joy, it’s resistance, it’s fire,” she said. “It might rain and we’ll be covered in mud, but we’re here in our traditional clothes. We are the Kurdish people, we forget neither our past nor our present.”
Ahmet T., a 22-year-old student, attended with friends and emphasized the emotional significance of the day. “Every Newroz has been a bittersweet time for us, a time we’ve wished for peace. Today, we renew that hope. We want to live in freedom and democratic peace,” he said. “To my friends resisting in İstanbul, I say: don’t be afraid. Peace is for all of us, not just the Kurds. Together, we will overcome this oppressive order.”
Barzani calls for Öcalan’s freedom
KDP leader Masoud Barzani expressed support for Turkey’s new peace process and called for Öcalan’s release.
“I hope Abdullah Öcalan will be freed soon. We support the peace and resolution process in Turkey. Peace is the only path to solving these issues. I also hope the suffering of Kurds in Syria ends quickly,” Barzani said.
YNK leader Bafel Talabani's message read, “On this Kurdish Newroz, which coincides with the resistance in Kirkuk, the Jerusalem of Kurdistan,I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the people of Kurdistan, wishing everyone peace, comfort, and happiness. Newroz is a message of renewal, unity, solidarity, and fraternity in the Kurdish struggle for freedom and independence.
"May this Newroz inspire peace, organization, and support for the Kurdish cause everywhere. The Kurdish people are a people who deserve an honorable life. Let us join hands for lasting peace and work toward the victory of Kurdistan. May your Newroz be blessed, joyful, and proud.”
Özel: ‘No tyrant could ever break our unity’
In his message, CHP leader Özgür Özel emphasized unity and shared struggle: “Dear people of Diyarbakır, my beloved brothers and sisters. As we celebrate Newroz, the harbinger of spring, we continue to resist the tyrants of our time, like the legendary Dehak. These ancient lands are a cradle of coexistence, where different cultures, languages, and faiths thrive together in solidarity and hope. No oppressor, no Dehak, has ever broken our brotherhood, and none ever will.
"We are committed to building a country where no one feels excluded, where everyone lives with equal rights in peace. Guided by our belief in democracy, justice, and freedom, we will together create a Turkey where all are equal citizens. May the warmth of Newroz, like today’s fire, illuminate our hearts and strengthen our hopes for the future. With these sentiments, I wish all my brothers and sisters in Diyarbakır a happy Newroz. Newroz pîroz be!” (ED/TY/VK)
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok...
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok platformda haberleriyle yer aldı. Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği'nde (DFG) medya ve basın sorumlusu olarak görev aldı. Bağımsız gazetecilik anlayışını benimseyen Evrim Deniz, kadın emeği, insan hakları ve toplumsal adalet gibi konulara odaklanmaktadır. Şu anda Bianet’in Diyarbakır muhabiri olarak görev yapmaktadır.
The mother sat next to two empty bowls, bereft of life, not moving in the small area of green encircled by flats. A place we call paradise in this concrete jungle.
I went down and tried to comfort her, though separated by species, she knew what I meant. But it wasn’t always like this…
As winter moved in at the tail end of last year, the dog now lying below me with only 3 paws, the other blown off by hateful zealots, was brought to our patch, followed by her three puppies.
Each day they would dance in the field and in our hearts. People in the area came to life, in minutes a home was built for them, so good one half expected it to have central heating.
The father was brought from the village and we had our family, completed now with a half-sister puppy.
They loved each other and we loved them. And then, someone passed by, foreign to these parts. Looked out of their car window, phoned, and in the morning, they were gone.
Everyone’s faces were bowed down, the children glanced over with tears in their eyes. “Where have they gone?”
As the weeks passed the grass grew over “their patch.”
Until one day at the dead of night a lorry opened and the pitter patter of paws could be heard once again. (DM/VK)
David R. Mellor is from Liverpool, England. He spent his late teens homeless on Merseyside. He is currently writing and performing in Turkey. His work...
David R. Mellor is from Liverpool, England. He spent his late teens homeless on Merseyside. He is currently writing and performing in Turkey. His work has been featured by the BBC and the Tate, and his published collections of poetry are What a Catch (2013), Some Body (2013), Express Nothing (2019) and So This Is It (2020). His collection of stories An Englishman in Turkey – Türkiye’de Bir İngiliz is recently published in Turkish.
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