In Berlin, a graphic novel titled ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’, which narrates the life of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, was launched on Thursday.
🔴 Graphic Novel 'Freedom Shall Prevail – The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People' by Sean Michael Wilson (@SeanMichaelWord) and artist Keko launched in Berlin.#FreeOcalan4PoliticalSolution | #Berlin
🔗 https://t.co/hrg4lE8MVz pic.twitter.com/2i3hmr6n8E
— MedyaNews (@medyanews_) April 5, 2024
The event, which began with traditional Kurdish dances, was adorned with photographs of Öcalan and excerpts from the book. Scottish author Sean Michael Wilson and Kurdish artist Keko collaborated on this work, which is available in Kurdish, German and Turkish editions.
Reimar Heider, a member of the international initiative ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan—Peace in Kurdistan’, spoke at the opening, mentioning that work is underway for Arabic and Syriac versions of the graphic novel.
Kurdish politician Hatip Dicle also spoke, celebrating Öcalan’s 75th birthday and highlighting the recognition of Öcalan’s theses by philosophers and scientists worldwide. Dicle emphasised that Öcalan’s ideas represent liberation for the peoples of the Middle East. Sean Michael Wilson, the graphic novel’s author, expressed his interest in Öcalan as linked to his own culture and stressed the significance of democratic confederalism not just for Kurdistan and the Middle East, but as a vital alternative for the entire world.
Jörn Essig Gutschmidt, representing Unrast Publishing House which published the German version of the graphic novel, spoke on the importance of Öcalan’s paradigm and expressed satisfaction with publishing Öcalan’s biography. The event highlighted the collective effort behind the graphic novel and its aim to present Öcalan’s life and ideals to a global audience.
Authored by the Scottish award-winning graphic novelist Sean Michael Wilson, who resides in Japan, and illustrated by Keko, a Kurdish graphic artist based in Spain, the book promises a compelling portrayal of its subject.
Preorders for the English edition of Wilson’s latest graphic novel are now available in both paperback and e-book formats.