A conference focusing on “Cultural resistance against occupation and genocide” was held in Heilbronn, Germany.
Kurdish artists attended the conference which was held at the Democratic Kurdish Community Centre (DTKM). Hozan Temeli, Hasan Sağlam, Hûnermend Seyidxan, Cewat Merwanî, Amele, Hozam Sîmar and Hozan Cömert were among the members of the cultural movement TEV-ÇAND who joined the conference.
“Our language is our identity, our identity is our history”
At the conference, where presentations focused on the preservation of Kurdish culture and language, artist Amele stated that Kurdish youth have been resisting the assimilation policies directed against Kurdish culture and language for years.
The latest operations against the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) were also criticized in the conference. On 25 September, arrest warrants were issued for more than 80 politicians and activists in Turkey, including many current and former members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
Kurdish politician İmam Canpolat commented about the pressure over HDP and said:
“The real cause of the pressure over the HDP is to stop Kurds from resisting”.
Focusing on the history of Kurdish resistance, artist Hasan Sağlam stated: “Kurds have a deep history full of resistance and no one can erase Kurds easily”.
During the conference, where the relations between language, identity and history were discussed, the importance of being able to speak in one’s native language was emphasized.
