According to statements from Ankara, 5,103 petitions have been handed in for 
instruction in Kurdish at 17 different universities... Official circles are saying that the actions have been planned by the PKK, which is seeking to turn into a political force. 

There are a great many in detention. And eleven formal arrests... 
Kurdish! 

I had once marked a place in the beautiful book "Yilmaz", by Muhsin Kizilkaya, in which he describes Yilmaz Erdogan [Kurdish poet, actor, and film director]: 

"When he came to Hakkari, he missed Ankara; when he went to Ankara, he longed for Hakkari. 

"He grew up as a bilingual child. At home in Hakkari, mostly Kurdish was 
spoken. At home in Ankara, on the other hand, mostly Turkish... In Hakkari, 
everyone in the streets spoke in Kurdish, and in Ankara everyone in Turkish... 

"He spoke Kurdish with his mother, and Turkish with his father's mother... One form of Turkish was spoken in Hakkari, and another form in Ankara... Hakkari's Turkish was a Turkish close to Kurdish, while the Turkish of Ankara was a grammatical Turkish... 

"That was the reason that, when he went from Ankara to Hakkari, he forgot 
everything that he had learned in Ankara, and when he went from Hakkari to 
Ankara, he forgot all that he had learned in Hakkari... 

"It was as if he went around with two cassettes in his head; when he arrived in 
Hakkari, he took out the Ankara cassette and put in the one from Hakkari, and then when he went to Ankara 
he took out the cassette from Hakkari and... 

"When he came to Hakkari, they made fun of his grammatical Turkish. And just when he thought that he had straightened out his language and that no one would laugh at him any more, he had to go off to Ankara, and there the people teased him for his funny Turkish." (Sel Publications, page 79)

Yes, just what will become of this Kurdish language?.. 

Yilmaz Erdogan's native language is Kurdish. But when he goes out onto the stage, he is able to entertain and excite millions
with his Turkish. 

What are you going to do with Kurdish?.. 

Kurdish is the native language of millions of our fellow citizens. To speak it is free. To write in Kurdish is free. To publish aKurdish newspaper is free. You can also publish magazines and books. 

You can produce Kurdish music cassettes and sell them. All of these things can be done freely. 

But there are still two prohibitions: 

Kurdish radio and television, and education... 

You can do all of the things above, but when it comes to putting Kurdish news or music onto the radio or television, it's prohibited. All of these things are free, but then for example if you set up somewhere a course or a classroom to teach the Kurdish language, that is forbidden. 

Today, on the televisions, there are television channels broadcasting in Kurdish 
from outside of Turkey. In the Southeast, in particular, the broadcasts of the PKK can be followed by means of disk antennas. And television channels broadcasting programs in Kurdish from Northern Iraq, Iran, and Armenia are not lacking. And on all of these, the Kurdish language as well is being taught. 

So what are we to do? 
It is said in Ankara that: 

"If Kurdish radio and television were to be allowed, and if the Kurdish language were to be taught and permission given for education in Kurdish, then Kurdish nationalism would develop, and this would strengthen the idea of separatism." 

There is indeed an element of truth in this. 
But let us look at it from the opposite angle: 

If we continue to deny the Kurdish language and the Kurdish identity, and if we keep up these prohibitions 
within the borders of the Republic of Turkey, will the Kurdish language disappear? No. Will Kurdish 
nationalism disappear? No. 

In a number of regional countries that border on Turkey, and in a number of 
European countries, the Kurdish language is being developed, and is being taught. There is education in Kurdish in a great many places. The Kurdish identity is being investigated in institutes, and efforts are underway for its development. And naturally, in all these environments, Kurdish nationalism is making itself felt. 

Since the Kurds do not live only in Turkey, what are we to do? What is the logic of continuing the prohibitions that have come down to us today? 

This is somewhat of an ostrich-like attitude! 

Isn't it? 

We will not get anywhere by burying our heads in the sand. It is long past overdue for this official mentality to be re-examinedand changed. It would be useful to allow first radio and television, and then later to revise the issue 
of education. 

Should the state do this? 

Should it be left to the private sector? 

It may be that the second, that is, for the matter to be arranged within the framework of individual rights, would be more appropriate. 

In any case, for respect and sensitivity to be shown to the native languages and the identities of citizens of the Turkish Republicwould not only strengthen peace and prosperity in this country, but would strengthen the foundations of the state at the same time.