Kurdish cultural and linguistic organisations launched a series of events across southeast Turkey calling for official status and education rights for the Kurdish language, as part of the run-up to Kurdish Language Day on 15 May, Mezopotamya Agency reported on Tuesday.
The month-long campaign, running from 4 May to 1 June, includes marches, conferences and panels across several cities, aiming to confront state policies of linguistic assimilation and revive endangered dialects like Kirmanckî (also known as Zazaki, distinct from Kurmanji). The campaign is spearheaded by civil society groups, political parties, and legal associations under the slogan: “We must defend and sustain our language in every field.”
Speaking at a press conference in Diyarbakır (Amed), Bahar Peker of the Free Women’s Movement (TJA) urged families to enrol their children on Kurdish courses. “Kirmanckî is on the verge of extinction. We must own our language as a form of resistance to assimilation,” she said.
Emine Caynak, another TJA activist, emphasised the role of women in language preservation. “A people are known by their language. We will do whatever it takes for Kurdish to become a language of education,” she said.
Gülbahar Ateş, co-spokesperson for the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD) in Diyarbakır, stressed the importance of speaking Kurdish in daily life. “Language is identity. Whether in the market or on the street, we must speak Kurdish,” she said.
Linguist Sami Tan called Kurdish “the key to Kurdish freedom” and urged all generations to speak, read, and live in their mother tongue.
Cemile Turhallı Balsak, a representative from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, stated, “A language without official status cannot be protected. The Kurdish people have been fighting for linguistic rights across Kurdistan for over 40 years.”
Kurdish citizen Mine Karakaş and others echoed these concerns, calling mother tongue preservation vital to cultural survival. “If language is lost, everything is lost,” she said.
