Kurdish language

The situation of the Kurdish language is a key issue in relation to the Kurdish question in Turkey. Kurds have been assimilated by force into the Turkish culture and language since the creation of the Republic of Turkey. This process has intensified since the 1950s by systematic use of education: especially in boarding schools. Kurdish children are continuously supervised to ensure they use only the Turkish language. Because of this practice, many educated Kurds have forgotten their mother language and become unvoluntarily speakers of only one language, Turkish.

Language is related to identity in many ways. The national awakening process of Kurds in Turkey started to rescue both national identities – Kurds and Turks.

Under pressure from the EU, Turkey has made some formal changes to the legal status of the Kurdish language, but these changes are insufficient. Many people to whom I spoke during the journey said that the changes were one step in the right direction, but this was only the beginning. I see the language policy within the Turkish state as a test of the minimum level which the EU will accept. Despite the changes in law, the mentality of the state remains the same as earlier. There is an absence of any reform spirit to encourage Kurds to develop their language.

"Earlier the state denied the existence of Kurds. Now it admits that there are Kurds in Turkey, but they have no rights."

Language is a multi-dimensional question. Here are some aspects which show that the issue is very widespread and it is not solved by opening a few private language schools.

There are Kurdish language schools in Diyarbakir, Van, Istanbul, Urfa and Batman. All these schools have a very weak financial base, and they have gone through a very long and difficult bureaucratic process before getting permission, from the local authorities, to open their language courses. For example, in Diyarbakir the permission was denied for a long time, because the doors in the building were 5 cm too narrow. Some participants join the courses, but many are afraid to do so due to the intensive police interest in attendance at the schools: police photograph people who go to the school buildings. During the opening ceremonies in some Kurdish schools most of the people who participated in these occasions were local policemen.

I visited schcools in Van and Diyarbakir. In both places people were commenting to me that five small shcools was not enough for mother language education for millions of people. In Van, the school had been recently opened. There were six teachers who did not take any salary for their work. Students numbered 73, some of whom were foreigners who needed the Kurdish language in their work. People with whom I spoke felt that it was impossible to learn a language by participating in 2-3 courses. The language of education of Kurdish children in primary and secondary government schools should be Kurdish, so that all subjects were taught in Kurdish and Turkish was considered a foreign language.

In Van the participant fee for a two months evening course is 100 million Tl (54 Euro) which makes it impossible for most people to participate. The average salary in this area is 300 million Tl per month - and the unemployment level is very high. Often there is only one working person taking care of a big family.

The first Kurdish language newspaper in Turkey - Azadiya Welat - has stabilised its position after many difficult years and moved its headquarters from Istanbul to Diyarbakir. Now it is legal to publish newspapers and magazines in the Kurdish language, but it cannot be used in financial matters. So Kurdish newspapers cannot publish advertisements which hampers their economy. It is also forbidden that shops have names in Kurdish language. (Azadiya Welat 2004.)

The constitution was changed in Turkey in August 2002 so that it was possible to make TV programmes in the Kurdish language. In practice programmes started only two years later and only on a very limited scale. People said to me that despite parliament having made changes in the constitution, the censorship office RTUK continues its control practices in the same way as earlier.

Only the state TV can air Kurdish programmes other than music. It is showing Kurdish language programmes for 30 minutes once a week (from 10 a.m.) and in addition the state radio airs 30 minutes of Kurdish programme daily (from 6 a.m.). People complained to me about their dissatisfaction with these programmes: they are aired at such a time that many people are unable to listen to them. People do not like the inhalt content of the programmes and the Kurdish dialect used is not good. Journalists who make Kurdish programmes are not permitted to wear Kurdish clothes. The state TV also requires journalists to conform to a criterium which is impossible to fill: they should have a certificate that they know good Kurdish. But foreign certificates are not accepted and in Turkey no institute is giving such papers.

In Diyarbakir there is local commercial TV channel, Gün, which broadcasts Kurdish music videos. Local security authorities are controlling strictly its programmes. For example, it is forbidden to play two Kurdish language music videos next to each other, every Kurdish song must be followed by a Turkish song. Some Kurdish music videos which get permission from RTUK in Ankara for nationwide distribution are not accepted by Diyarbakir authoritites to be shown in Gün TV. A recent example is Aynur's album "Kece kurdan". It can be shown on national channels, but not on Gün TV. The album is available in music shops in Diyarbakir. The staff in Gün TV told me that there are 263 Kurdish music albums and cassettes which they are not permitted to show on Gün TV. On the 1.11.2004 Gün TV got a reply from RTUK for its application to air programs in Kurdish language other than music. The answer was negative: only the state TV can air such programs. It took RTUK eight months to make its desicion. (Gün TV 2004.)

Despite the problems and limitations people were happy in Diyarbakir that they had Gün TV. Some people told me that there would be big demonstrations for the support of the TV if the authorities tried to close it.

Registration of Kurdish names is still difficult. Many Kurdish parents register their child with a Turkish name, but use a Kurdish name at home. Many children face psychological problems, when they grow up with two names, two languages, two cultures and two identities. (Van Women Association 2004.

However, I did see also some positive developments. For example in Diyarbakir, where the mayor is Osman Baydemir, from Dehap, the municipality is publishing a weekly bulletin "Diyarbakir Belediye Bülteni" where one page is in Kurdish language.