The European Assembly of People in Exile (ASM) paid tribute to Kurdish director and actor Yılmaz Güney at his resting place in Paris on Saturday.
During the event, participants recalled Güney’s last speech in 1984, when he was in political exile in Paris where he eventually lost his battle with cancer. Güney had delivered his final speech during the Newroz celebrations organised by the Kurdish Institute of Paris.
An ASM spokesman, who addressed the gathering, said: “Standing at his grave, we can feel the unwavering determination with which Yılmaz Güney delivered the speech that resonated deeply with all of us: We will definitely win.”
ASM members also noted that the famous Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya, who also died in exile, was buried in the same cemetery. They pledged to honour the memory of every progressive, intellectual, revolutionary or socialist who had died in exile, using Yılmaz Güney as an enduring symbol.
The complete recording of Yılmaz Güney’s famous final speech at the 1984 Newroz was released in 2021. In this speech, Güney talked about the demands and the struggle for freedom of the Kurds, expressing their fight for a united, independent, and free Kurdistan, and he declared, “We will definitely win.” Güney passed away seven months after delivering this speech at the age of 47.
