Saturday marked the 39th anniversary of the death of Kurdish filmmaker Yılmaz Güney, who lived in political exile in Paris.
Güney, who left an indelible mark on both the world of cinema and politics, died at the age of 47. His last speech at the 1984 Newroz celebration, organised by the Kurdish Institute of Paris in the French capital, has resurfaced and gained renewed attention on his anniversary.
In this famous speech, known for the sentence “We will definitely win”, Güney, who was also a founding member of the Kurdish Institute of Paris, addressed the demands and the Kurdish struggle for freedom and a united, independent, and free Kurdistan. He passed away seven months after delivering this speech.
The full footage of his speech was first released in 2021 from Hasan Deniz’s archive. Here is the full English translation of his speech.
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Dear friends, fellow travellers and honoured guests…
Welcome. I greet you all.
As you know, Newroz is a symbol of resistance against tyranny and oppression for the Kurdish people; it is a symbol of defiance against despair and submission; it represents the struggle for freedom and independence, unity and solidarity. I know that the hearts of all the friends gathered here today beat for these sentiments. The hearts of our children will also beat for these sentiments, for the struggle against oppression and enslavement, for freedom and independence, for the transformation of disorder into unity.
Many sacrifices have been made to this day and more will be made. We know that there can be no victory without sacrifice. We must be ready to risk, to bleed and to cry.
We ask – can you silence a heart filled with such determination and belief? Is it possible to intimidate and subdue such a determined and selfless people? Never!
Friends! Pain, oppression, poverty, blood and tears are not the fate of the Kurdish people. We do not accept this fate. We do not want to be the children of a colony occupied from all sides, we want to be the children of an independent, democratic and united Kurdish country. We want to sing songs of love and freedom on our own land and in our own language. We want to shape and rebuild our own world and our own country with our own hands. We want to live freely and independently in our own country under our own flag. Nor do we forget that the interests of the Kurdish, Turkish, Arab and Persian workers and labourers lie in the formation of strong states. We know that this is only a dream without the conditions for voluntary unity. There is only one way forward. It is a very intensive struggle both from within and from without.
Today, those who are fighting tooth and nail against the oppression and tyranny of the colonialists in different parts of Kurdistan, in the mountains, in the plains and in the fascist prisons have the same goal. We salute them with all our hearts. All our fallen comrades in this cause will live on in our hearts and in our struggle. Blessed are those who died in resistance. They became the torchbearers of independence. Blessed be.
Friends, you may remember that last year, at the celebration of the foundation of the Kurdish Institute, I mentioned that the Institute is not in the service of this or that group, but it is a scientific institution in the service of the whole Kurdish nation. One year of work and practice is a confirmation of my words. Everyone should know that the Kurdish Institute will always maintain its independent and autonomous character and democratic structure. It will never fall into the trap of petty political disputes and polemics. You should also protect the Institute as if it were your own, closely monitor its work and support it. The Institute is a product of the Kurdish nation’s struggle that has been waged until today and is a germination of the seeds of independence. The further development and strengthening of the Institute depends on your efforts. We will rally around the Institute, contribute to the fulfilment of the tasks it has set for us to the best of our ability and know that the struggle for independence is a whole. There are times when a two-line article that expresses the truth, a folk song that moves the heart, a strummed saz (traditional stringed instrument), or a powerful novel is more powerful than an atomic bomb. That is why we have to be good fighters in every aspect of life, successful fighters, and we have to train them.
We must play our saz well, very well…
We must sing good songs, very good songs…
We must create good paintings…
We must write good stories, good poems, powerful novels…
We must train strong scientists, diplomats and technicians.
Our hands must be able to handle the pen, the machine and the weapon. We know well that if we use the best songs and the right words in the right way, they speak like a bullet. Our mountains, plains and rivers are waiting for us. We do not want to spend our lives abroad singing songs of exile. We are a people whose bravery has created epics, and we have the determination and strength to overcome all the difficulties before us. Turkish, Persian and Arab revolutionary democrats are part of this struggle and are fighting against the common enemy as staunch supporters of the Kurdish nation’s right to self-determination. The solidarity of the oppressed classes is one of the most powerful weapons we have. Let friend and enemy alike know that we will win, we will definitely win…
It is better to die as a freedom fighter than to live as a slave. Long live the independent, united and democratic Kurdistan… Long live the brotherhood and solidarity of the Kurdish, Turkish, Persian and Arab peoples…
And long live the Kurdish Institute!
