content tagged with kurdish language

Kurdish road markings restored by local officials in Elazığ

Kurdish road markings restored by local officials in Elazığ

It remains unclear whether they were removed by authorities or civilians.

24 September 2024

'Kurdish children's literature needs encouragement'

'Kurdish children's literature needs encouragement'

Mem Bawer, the founder of Morî Publishing House, says, "While the Ministry of Culture makes book purchases twice a year for every book published by all publishing houses, for some reason, books from Kurdish publishing houses are not purchased."

21 February 2024

Aram Publishing House releases nine new children's classics in Kurdish

Aram Publishing House releases nine new children's classics in Kurdish

The publishing house emphasizes that the widespread use of Kurdish is achievable through reading and writing, and this should be fostered from an early age.

5 February 2024

Actions for Kurdish language rights banned for a week in Kocaeli

Actions for Kurdish language rights banned for a week in Kocaeli

The Kocaeli Governorate announced that all demonstrations and events in the city have been banned for a week, following a post by the Kurdish Language Movement Association about marching from Kocaeli to Ankara.

31 October 2023

'Civil disobedience': Author Mahmut Alınak offers Kurdish education at his house

'Civil disobedience': Author Mahmut Alınak offers Kurdish education at his house

Having turned his garage into a classroom, Alınak says the intellectuals have the duty to make the state take action for mother tongue education.

Imprisoned Kurdish singer Nudem Durak: I want to be free before I lose my voice

A SONG FROM PRISON

Imprisoned Kurdish singer Nudem Durak: I want to be free before I lose my voice

Durak called for solidarity by singing the song “Çiyayên me” during a conversation on a phone from prison

Aynur Doğan continues her Turkey tour

Aynur Doğan continues her Turkey tour

Despite the bans against her concerts, Kurdish-Alevi singer Aynur Doğan continues performing across Turkey.

Survey: 31 percent of Kurdish families don't speak to their children in Kurdish

Survey: 31 percent of Kurdish families don't speak to their children in Kurdish

According to a new survey, the speaking of the Kurdish language decreases in the houses with children. Families do not prefer to speak in their mother tongue because they don’t want their children to face difficulties in school life.

Study: Kurds want education, municipal services in mother tongue

Study: Kurds want education, municipal services in mother tongue

The Kurds' demands regarding their mother tongue are the ones that receive the least negative reactions from the public in Turkey, according to a new study.

Ban on Kurdish theater play brought to Parliamentary agenda

Ban on Kurdish theater play brought to Parliamentary agenda

HDP MP Dündar has recalled that the ban on meetings and demonstrations imposed once every 15 days in the province has been cited by the Mardin Governor’s Office as the reason for the ban on the “Tartuffe” theater play to be staged in Kurdish.

7 December 2021

Kurds to protest for education in Kurdish

Kurds to protest for education in Kurdish

A series of rallies will be held in Turkey’s three Kurdish-majority eastern provinces with the slogans “Make Kurdish language the official and education language in Turkey” and “May the 21st century be the century of Kurdish language.”

Kurdish Language Platform: Our language is our existence

Kurdish Language Platform: Our language is our existence

The Kurdish Language Platform slams Minister of National Education Selçuk, who answered a Parliamentary question by saying, “No language other than Turkish shall be taught as a mother tongue to Turkish citizens at any institution of education."

Medium of instruction in Kurdish language department changed to Turkish

Medium of instruction in Kurdish language department changed to Turkish

The change has been made on the grounds that permission by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) is required to change the medium of instruction to another language than Turkish.

Trustee appointed to Batman, road signs in Kurdish removed from province

Trustee appointed to Batman, road signs in Kurdish removed from province

Appointed a trustee by the Ministry of Interior, the Municipality of Batman has renewed the traffic icons in the province. The road signs of “pedestrians first” are no longer in Turkish-Kurdish language pair, but now solely in Turkish.

HDP: Happy Kurdish Language Day

HDP: Happy Kurdish Language Day

"On the Kurdish Language Day, reiterate our call for the removal of oppression on the Kurdish language," the HDP has said.

Study: In Kurdish Provinces, People Speak in Kurdish at Home, Turkish at State Agencies

Study: In Kurdish Provinces, People Speak in Kurdish at Home, Turkish at State Agencies

While almost 70 percent of the participants said they speak in Kurdish at home, official agencies are the places where speaking in Kurdish is least common, according to the study.

10 February 2020 Evrim Kepenek

Institute of Living Languages to be Shut Down Due to 'Savings Measures'

Institute of Living Languages to be Shut Down Due to 'Savings Measures'

The Senate of Mardin Artuklu University has decided to close the institution which has departments of Kurdish, Syriac and Arabic languages.

15 August 2019 Ferid Demirel

Children's Channel in Kurdish To Air on March 21

Children's Channel in Kurdish To Air on March 21

A children's channel in Kurdish language’s Kurmanji, Zazaki and Sorani subdivisions will start airing on March 21 - the Newroz Day.

“Education in Mother Tongue Not Political, But Universal Right”

“Education in Mother Tongue Not Political, But Universal Right”

Ahmet Özmen from Diyarbakır Bar Association told bianet that the reservations that Turkey put Convention on the Rights of the Child were related to Kurdish children’s rights. “The removal of these reservations will also alleviate the government,” he said.

20 November 2014 Yüce Yöney

Kurdish Dictionary Available on Cell Phones

Kurdish Dictionary Available on Cell Phones

A joint project initiated by KURDÎ-DER and TMMOB created a Kurdish technical term dictionary into cell phones.

3 November 2014 Salih Tekin

18 Days of Hunger Strike Only Helps 18 Kurdish Teachers

18 Days of Hunger Strike Only Helps 18 Kurdish Teachers

Waiting for an assignment for 2 years, Kurdish-language teachers have reacted against the education ministry’s opening of only 18 permanent positions.

12 September 2014 Nilay Vardar

Assignment-Seeking Kurdish Teachers on Strike

Assignment-Seeking Kurdish Teachers on Strike

Graduated from Kurdish Language Department, primary Kurdish teachers started an alternate hunger strike. “PM didn’t fulfill his promise. We are in the peace process and the promises should be fulfilled,” Yunus Aslan said.

27 August 2014 Nilay Vardar

Turkey Convicted of Banning Kurdish in Prison

Turkey Convicted of Banning Kurdish in Prison

The European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of violating “right to respect for private and family life and correspondence”, ordering the Turkish state to pay non-pecuniary damages to the applicants.

29 April 2014 Ayça Söylemez

Cem TV Suspends Show After Argument on Kurdish Songs

Cem TV Suspends Show After Argument on Kurdish Songs

Cem TV suspended “Gonca Elmas and 7 Colors” show after an argument on Ahmet Kaya and Kurdish songs.

17 April 2014 Elif Akgül

BDP: Kurdish Must Obtain Legal Status

BDP: Kurdish Must Obtain Legal Status

BDP Istanbul Headquarters held a press conference this morning, saying that the Kurdish language must obtain a legal status in Turkey. “Kurdish as second language in public schools is unacceptable,” the statement said.

10 September 2013 Batuhan Kurtaran,Rafşan Yağmur Çelik

Diyarbakır Welcomes Its First “Kürdistan” Sign

Diyarbakır Welcomes Its First “Kürdistan” Sign

Kurdistan Youth Movement Association, the first association including the word “Kurdistan”, has been established in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Kurdish Speaking University to Open in Diyarbakır

Kurdish Speaking University to Open in Diyarbakır

Diyarbakır province is preparing to house the first Kurdish speaking university by 2016 - a trilingual institution that is mainly expected to address Mesopotamian people.

21 May 2013 Nilay Vardar

"KCK Case A Peculiar Example on Language Rights"

"KCK Case A Peculiar Example on Language Rights"

The case where more than 2 thousand Kurdish politicians and rights activists are on trial stays stuck as the court refuse to allow the use of Kurdish, the defendants' mother tongue. Lawyer Cinmen criticizes the government.

11 August 2011 Ekin Karaca

Kurdish Town of Cizre Becomes Bilingual

KURDISH QUESTION

Kurdish Town of Cizre Becomes Bilingual

The departments in the southeast Cizre municipality building, controlled by the pro-Kurdish BDP are titled in both Turkish and Kurdish. Inspite that Turkey officially recognizes only the Turkish language locals mother tongue Kurdish, will be openly used in public institutions. says deputy mayor Gölçe.

29 December 2010

The Language Wound - Bilingualism with Kurdish

EDUCATION

The Language Wound - Bilingualism with Kurdish

"The Language Wound: The use of the mother tongue in education and experiences of Kurdish students", a study from the Political and Social Research Institute of Diyarybakır, suggests bilingual and multi-lingual education models and courses to support the literacy of Kurdish-speaking parents.

3 November 2010 Nadire Mater

5 Children Arrested for School Boycott Campaign

MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION

5 Children Arrested for School Boycott Campaign

BDP District Mayor Demirel and 5 children were arrested in the town of Tutak when they distributed leaflets on the school boycott for the right to education in their mother tongue. BDP Provincial Chair Akyol was also interrogated in the context of the boycott.

24 September 2010 Semra Pelek

School Boycott for Education in Mother Tongue

KURDISH LANGUAGE

School Boycott for Education in Mother Tongue

The education union Eğitim-Sen and pro-Kurdish organizations called for a one-week school boycott in the Kurdish-majority South-East to claim the right to education in their mother tongue. President Gül criticized the boycott as the "enlisting of children for a political cause".

21 September 2010 Semra Pelek

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