Remazan Bakur: Language and the Intellectual

Rastinews — Throughout history, intellectuals around the world have done their work in their own language: they created and published their writings. They first won recognition among their own people, and only afterward did their names spread across the world, their work translated into many languages. Intellectuals who did not work in their own language are as few as the fingers on one hand.

There are reasons why some intellectuals did not work in their own language. Either they emigrated in childhood and learned a foreign tongue, or their parents were emigrants, so they received no education in their own language and never learned it. As a result, they created their work in the language of the country and the nation among whom they spent their lives. Let me give a few examples of intellectuals who produced their work not in their own language, but in a foreign one.

Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese Arab intellectual by origin. He emigrated to France because of Lebanon's civil war. He spent his life in France and wrote and published his work in French. Joseph Conrad was a Polish intellectual by origin. He spent his life in emigration and at sea, and wrote and published his work in English. Milan Kundera was a Czech intellectual by origin. He fled Czechoslovakia to escape communist oppression and tyranny. He lived out his life in France and wrote and published his work in French.

A few more examples could be added, but there are not many more. Anyone who wishes to do intellectual work must do it in their own language — first becoming an intellectual of their own country, then of the world. Our elders have said: one who is of no use to themselves is of no use to anyone. In the same spirit, our elders have said: for oneself first, then for one's own people, then for one's nation. Unfortunately, we see today that more than half of Kurdish intellectuals write their work in the language of their country's occupiers. If a Kurdish intellectual or a Kurdish politician does not work in their own language, that is a grave misfortune — one brought upon their own house by their own hand.

Once, in March 2012, a conference on the Kurdish language was held in Amed. At the time I had begun writing my own work and was looking for a publisher to print it. I went to Amed. I wanted to attend the conference on the Kurdish language. It was held at the building of the Amed metropolitan municipality. When I arrived, I found a number of people and young students from Dicle University preparing for the conference. A few young people sat at each table. All of them — the students and the organizers alike — were speaking Turkish. I looked at the posters and flyers; they too were all written in Turkish. I was suffocated, and I grew upset. I left the Amed metropolitan municipality building and did not attend the conference.

A week after the conference, I looked at the Nefel website. Journalist Sami Ergoşî had written a piece about the conference. He spoke of the city of Amed and the Kurdish patriotism of the people of Bakur. What stood out in his piece was his remark that in Bakur there exists a Kurdish patriotism conducted in Turkish — that Kurds in Bakur practice their Kurdishness in Turkish. I was very pleased with his critique.

Today we see that the situation remains the same. Intellectuals publish their work in Turkish, journalism is conducted in Turkish, people carry out their work on social media in Turkish, and politicians practice politics in Turkish. Mothers of this generation speak to their children in Turkish at home. Seeing this, one cannot help but fear for the future of the Kurdish language.

In recent days I attended the book fair in the city of Wan. The intellectuals and politicians there delivered their talks in Turkish, so I did not take part in their discussions. I told many of the intellectuals: if you do not hold your discussions in Kurdish in these two great cities of Kurdistan — Amed and Wan — then where and when will you ever do so?

For these reasons, this is my call, and my hope: that everyone take this matter and this grave problem seriously. If not, the future of the Kurdish language in Bakur will truly fall into grave danger.

Let me repeat: I do not draw out my writings so as not to tire my readers, though I may often make unintended mistakes while writing. I ask readers' forgiveness for any errors or mistakes.