MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed -21 February was declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNESCO in 1999. It has been observed throughout the world since 21 February 2000. Today is very important for the Kurdish people who have been struggling against the oppression and bans against their language for years. The Kurdish language, which has been banned or recorded as an 'unknown language' in many institutions such as schools, prisons, official institutions, and parliaments since the 1990s, is still the mother language of 40 million Kurds today. Last year, the independent Kurdish Language Platform applied to UNESCO to have Kurdish as the language of education.

“Families should speak Kurdish at home”

The Kurdish language, which is a rich language for having many dialects and being spoken in more than one region, is now resisting policies of assimilation. Stating that the lives of people find meaning with the mother language, Roza Metina said that she passes down her mother language to the next generation by using it in literature. Emphasizing that the Kurdish language is now spoken by million despite oppression, Roza Metina said, “The Kurdish people have been struggling in the social sphere as well as in every part of life. They have been struggling for their language, culture, and history.”

“The mother language is protected by struggling”

Pointing out that if people don’t protect their mother language, they will not be able to protect their own existence, she said, “The policies of assimilation have been carried out against many languages. The Kurdish language is one of the languages being subjected to the policies of assimilation. But despite all the difficulties and pressures, the Kurdish language still exists both in the world and in society. Today, it exists thanks to years of struggle. The Kurdish mothers have been struggling more to protect their language. The Kurdish mothers have passed the culture of Dengbej down to the next generations. The mother language is protected by struggling.”

“Kurdish is spoken less compared to previous years”

Emphasizing that the mother language should be protected by families, Roza Metina called on families to speak Kurdish with their children. Stating that the Kurdish language is learned first at home and then spread to the streets, Roza Metina said that the biggest problem today is that Kurdish is not spoken at home anymore. “The Kurdish language is spoken less at home compared to previous years. The power system gradually attacks everything that is good and beautiful for people. Since language is also a shelter in life, the system attacks it. Currently, the Kurdish language is prohibited in courts, official institutions, and in the parliament. State officials attack the Kurdish language by insulting it. This attack is actually against the identity and existence of the Kurdish people.”

They will organize events and activities on February 21

“When the status of the Kurdish language is accepted, the will and identity of the Kurdish people are also recognized,” Roza Metina said that they will organize events and activities on International Mother Language Day. “We, as an association, will organize events and activities to mark the International Mother Language Day. The best thing is that the people will speak Kurdish at the events and activities. We will go out and speak Kurdish with people to be role models for them. Parents and families should speak Kurdish with their children. Children who do not know or speak Kurdish cannot progress in their lives because their mother language shapes their lives. You start living and thinking in the language you speak. Those who speak their mother language have stronger self-confidence and will.”