MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Dersim- The 22nd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival will kick off in Dersim tomorrow with the motto, “We will not allow our nature and our will to be usurped”. Many events and activities such as panels, concerts and seminars will be organized during the 4-day festival organized by about 40 organizations. Many issues such as beliefs, mother tongue, women's issues, democratic politics, Jineology will be discussed at the panels and seminars. On the second day of the festival defined as a “return to essence” by the people of Dersim, women will hold a march. In addition to the march to be held by women, a march called “I defend my will” will be held against the appointment of the trustee to the municipality in Hakkari. Preparations for the festival, which will be attended by many politicians, artists, poets, writers and representatives of faith communities, have been completed.

 ‘Our festival expresses a return to essence’

“The festival attracts attention with its program against both assimilation and special war policies,” Dersim Co-mayor Birsen Orhan told NuJINHA, stressing that the program of the festival was prepared together with the dynamics of the city.

“All people, including women, young people and children will find activities for themselves at the festival. We call on all people to participate in the festival,” she said, adding, “The festival was sometimes held by distorting its purpose due to various interferences in the name of tourism although the organizing committee made great efforts to prepare its programs against the policy of corruption and assimilation. As the municipality in Dersim, we have prepared a program for the festival in cooperation with about 40 organizations. Dersim is one of the cities where special war policies are felt intensely.”

‘We will say no to state-appointed mayor and assimilation’

We have prepared a festival program to say “no” to the state-appointed mayor and the policy of assimilation, Birsen Orhan emphasized. “The 4-day program includes many activities, panels and marches. We will hold a march called, ‘I defend my will’ to voice our reactions to the state-appointed mayor. For three periods, the elected-mayors of (Kurdish) cities have been replaced with state-appointed trustees. We will say that we do not accept such policies ignoring the will of people. We call on all people to participate in the march.”

The municipality of Dersim faced obstacles from the governor's office while making preparations for the festival. “Every means available was used for the moto-fest held in the city a few days ago; however, many of our requests for the Munzur festival were rejected. We requested to use the Atatürk Stadium and the museum garden in the city for the festival; however, our request was rejected by state institutions on the grounds of ‘repair’,” Birsen Orhan told us. “The people who will attend the festival are the people of this city. We condemn all steps aiming at marginalizing. We call on all people to attend the festival to have a say. What we need most is cooperation and solving our problems together.”