BERJÎN KARA

Mahkmur- Kurdish people have been preserving their culture and language through art for centuries. Preserving their culture, history and language, the Kurdish people pass down their culture, traditions, history and language by singing and telling stories that they learn from their mothers. Poetry, which has an important role in Kurdish literature and life, has become a form of communication.

Kurdish culture and history are important for the people living in the Mahkmur refugee camp. They are involved in all forms of art to preserve their culture and history. Especially the women living in the camp take part in cultural and artistic activities and generate themselves by making music, painting, making old pottery and writing poems. One of these women, Rojbîn Utun expresses her feelings by writing poems.

‘The martyrdom of my uncles affected me a lot’

Indicating that she was very affected by the murder of her two uncles and started writing poems at a young age, Rojbîn Utun said, “I was eight when I wrote my first poem. In 2016, my two uncles were killed and their killing affected me. Then, I wrote poems for them and about them. Most of my poems are about guerrillas and our martyrs. Until now, I have written five long poems.”

‘My grandfather supported me’

Underling that her grandfather always supported her in writing poems, Rojbîn Utun said, “When I decided to write poems, I told my grandfather about my decision. My grandfather always supported me. My teacher Sofî Sîdar also supported me on how to write poems. Whenever I write a poem, I think of writing another one. My love for poetry grows every day.”

‘People should do what they love’

“When people love something and when they are interested in something, they can write poems. Writing poems is not a one-day wonder,” she said, adding, “People should do what they love. I write poems because I love poems.”

‘Young women should be interested in art’

Emphasizing that women should be involved in art more, she said, “As a young women being involved in art in the Makhmur refugee camp, I call on women to develop their art and culture without bowing down to the oppression of the state. I started writing poems when I was very young. Young women should be more interested in art to preserve their culture.”