The People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party is among the parties advocating the most comprehensive language policy. According to the DEM Party, education in the mother language is a fundamental right and this right is a matter of equal citizenship. Among the party’s most central demands is education in all languages under threat of extinction, primarily Kurdish.

 

The DEM Party also advocates multilingualism in local administrations. The political tradition from which the DEM Party emerges began implementing the policies it defends one by one after 2009. Within the scope of the goal of multilingual municipalism, Kurdish was added to the signs on municipal buildings. Announcements, posters and notices began to be made sometimes in two, sometimes in 3–4 languages, taking into account the city’s demography.

 

This work continued in the following period:

 

* Theater, concert and literary events

* Language courses as well as kindergartens and workshops for children

* Publication of tales, books and magazines

* Naming of parks, streets and cultural centers

 

With the appointment of trustees to municipalities in 2016, this process was interrupted. Trustees removed Kurdish signs in many places, shut down units providing services in Kurdish, rendered courses and kindergartens inactive, and ended Kurdish publications.

 

ELECTION PROMISES

 

After the local elections held in 2024, there was renewed movement in this field. Many related items were also included in the party’s election declaration:

 

* Full-day service will be provided through multilingual kindergartens.

* Kindergartens, courses and libraries using multilingual storybooks, children’s games and illustrated dictionaries will be established; multilingual cultural projects will be revived.

* Municipal correspondence, announcements and press statements will continue to be made in multiple languages.

* Directorates for the Protection and Development of Languages will be established; work will be carried out to protect and develop Kurdish, Syriac, Armenian, Arabic and different local languages.

* The multilingual naming of cities, neighborhoods, villages, streets and avenues will continue. Boards and signs in public spaces will be made multilingual.

* The construction of cultural venues such as Dengbêj Houses will continue.

 

KURDISH REPORT CARD OF 62 MUNICIPALITIES

 

The DEM Party won a total of 78 municipalities in the elections, including 3 metropolitan and 7 provincial municipalities. While 1 town and 2 district co-mayors resigned, 3 co-mayors were expelled for various reasons. Trustees were appointed to 10 municipalities.

 

The DEM Party currently holds a total of 62 municipalities. We examined the work carried out by these municipalities over approximately two years in the fields of multilingualism and Kurdish.

 

We asked the municipalities how many languages they use in their statements/announcements, whether multilingual kindergartens for children have been opened, in which language municipal employees establish contact with the public, and which of the promises included in the election declaration have been fulfilled.

 

The municipalities of Îdir center and Qers/Dîgor did not respond. The data shared by other municipalities revealed that many promises made before the elections have not been fulfilled.

 

45 MUNICIPAL WEBSITES ARE MONOLINGUAL

 

Although nearly two years have passed since the elections, many municipal websites are still monolingual. There are 45 municipalities whose websites are only in Turkish:

 

Semsûr/Pınarbaşı, Agirî/Bazîd (Doğubayazıt), Amed/Pîran (Dicle), Erzirom/Qereçoban (Karaçoban), Erzirom/Tekman, Colemêrg/Gever (Yüksekova), Îdir, Îdir/Xelfelî (Halfeli), Qers/Dîgor (Digor), Qers/Bazarcix (Dağpınar), Mêrdîn/Şemrex (Mazıdağı), Mûş, Mûş/Milazgir (Malazgirt), Mûş/Gimgim (Varto), Sêrt/Misirc (Kurtalan), Şirnex/Gundikê Melê (Balveren), Şirnex/Deştadarê (Sırtköy), Riha/Serêkaniyê (Ceylanpınar), Riha/Curnê Reş (Hilvan), Riha/Wêranşar (Viranşehir), Wan/Elbak (Başkale), Wan/Ebex (Çaldıran), Wan/Artêmêt (Edremit), Wan/Şax (Çatak), Wan/Qelqelî (Özalp), Agirî/Merkez, Bedlîs/Tetwan, Amed/Bismil, Amed/Erxenî (Ergani), Amed/Hani, Amed/Kocaköy, Amed/Rezan (Bağlar), Elezîz/Dep, Mêrdîn/Artûklu, Mêrdîn/Kerboran, Mêrdîn/Dêrik, Mûş/Bulanık, Şirnex/Cizîr (Cizre), Riha/Hewag (Bozova), Riha/Pirsûs, Wan/Erdîş (Erciş), Wan/Westan (Gevaş), Wan/Payîzava (Gürpınar), Wan/Serav (Saray), Agirî/Giyadîn (Diyadin).

 

Two municipalities’ websites return errors: Amed/Licê (Lice) and Mêrdîn/Nisêbîn (Nusaybin).

 

Municipalities without websites: Bedlîs/Ovakışla Town Municipality, Erzirom/Qereyazî (Karayazı), Mûş/Altınova Town Municipality, Mûş/Elmakaya Town Municipality and Sêrt/Veyselkarani.

 

10 MUNICIPALITIES ARE MULTILINGUAL

 

Municipalities with multilingual websites are mainly concentrated in Amed and Wan. They are as follows:

 

Amed Metropolitan Municipality: Kurdish in Kurmancî and Kirmanckî dialects / Turkish / English

 

Amed/Peyas (Kayapınar): Kurdish / Turkish

 

Amed/Sur: Kurdish / Turkish / English

 

Amed/Pasûr (Kulp): Kurdish / Turkish / English / Arabic (Many contents display a “under construction” warning)

 

Amed/Farqîn (Silvan): Kurdish / Turkish

 

Amed/Yenişehir: Kurdish / Turkish

 

Amed/Xana Axpar (Çınar): Kurdish / Turkish (Kurdish is not very active)

 

Wan/Rêya Armûşê (İpekyolu): Kurdish / Turkish

 

Wan/Bêgirî (Muradiye): Kurdish / Turkish

 

Wan/Tûşba: Kurdish / Turkish

 

STATEMENTS GENERALLY MULTILINGUAL

 

The multilingual performance of municipalities on social media is better compared to their websites. Many municipalities generally make social media posts in Turkish and Kurdish.

 

However, there are also municipalities that make their statements in a single language (Turkish).

 

3 municipalities make statements/posts only in Turkish. 5 municipalities make some statements/posts in Kurdish. 2 municipalities make statements/posts in more than 2 languages.

 

Some municipalities (especially towns) do not have active social media accounts.

 

Municipalities whose posts and statements are monolingual: Agirî/Giyadîn (Diyadin), Amed/Licê (Lice) and Erzirom/Qereyazî (Karayazı).

 

Those predominantly monolingual: Agirî/Merkez, Elezîz/Dep, Şirnex/Cizîr (Cizre), Riha/Hewag (Bozova), Mêrdîn/Nisêbîn.

 

Municipalities making statements in more than two languages: Mêrdîn/Artûklu (Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac), Amed Metropolitan Municipality (Turkish, Kurdish and English).

 

ONLY 2 MUNICIPALITIES TOOK STEPS: 4 KINDERGARTENS OPENED

 

The DEM Party’s biggest goal regarding Kurdish was to open multilingual kindergartens in every city. This goal was also reflected in the latest election declaration.

 

However, the current picture has fallen behind even previous periods.

 

Only 2 municipalities have taken steps in this regard.

 

Amed Metropolitan Municipality opened Zarokistan 450 Evler and Zarokistan Bağcılar Day Care Centers.

 

Peyas Municipality also opened Zarokistan Xalxalok and Zarokistan Perperik.

 

GÜNEŞ: 600 FAMILIES APPLIED

 

Yılmaz Güneş, Deputy Mayor of Peyas Municipality, whom we interviewed on the issue, pointed out that the history of the multilingual kindergartens opened under the name Zarokistan dates back to 2014.

 

Recalling that nearly 20 Zarokistan were opened in Amed, Mêrdîn, Colemêrg and many other cities, Güneş said, “Until 2016, 36 kindergartens were opened. However, in 2016, with the trustees, there was an attack on language institutions. The kindergartens were also closed and educators were dismissed. In 2019 and 2023, language work was restarted. Nearly 170 children receive multilingual education in Xalxalok and Perperik. However, demand is higher. 600 families had applied.”

 

PEYAS TO OPEN 2 MORE KINDERGARTENS

 

Stating that they aim to open 2 more kindergartens this year in response to rising demand, Güneş said, “Apart from this, 32 hours of multilingual education are provided weekly. We established a Language Council. We aim to increase work in the field of language and culture. Calls are not enough; we must further accelerate and strengthen our work. There is great public demand. The fact that municipalities still fail to meet this demand is a matter of self-criticism.”

 

Licê Municipality and Pasûr Municipality stated that they applied to open study centers but encountered obstacles from the district governor’s office.

 

THOSE ORGANIZING KURDISH WORKSHOPS

 

Some municipalities that did not open kindergartens reported that they organized Kurdish workshops.

 

Municipalities organizing periodic workshops are: Serav, Mûş, Gimgim, Bulanık, Payîzava, Xana Axpar, Pîran, Pasûr, Licê, Farqîn, Yenişehir, Rezan.

 

Meanwhile, Amed Metropolitan Municipality organizes Kurdish, Armenian and Syriac courses; Rêya Armûşê organizes Kurdish and Persian; Peyas Municipality organizes Kurdish and English workshops.

 

ONLY ONE DIRECTORATE ESTABLISHED

 

Of the 62 municipalities, only Amed Metropolitan Municipality established a Directorate for the Protection and Development of Language.

 

While Rêya Armûşê established a Commission on Living Languages, Peyas Municipality and Rezan Municipality established language councils.

 

Some municipalities conduct language work under their Directorates of Culture and Social Affairs.

 

SIGNS IN THE CITY GENERALLY MONOLINGUAL

 

During the trustee period, Kurdish had been removed from the signs of some municipalities. The first task of the municipalities was to make these signs multilingual again. However, many of the signs belonging to municipalities within the cities are still monolingual.

 

THEY SEE A DIALECT OF KURDISH AS A SEPARATE LANGUAGE

 

Another striking point in the responses from municipalities was that the Kirmanckî dialect of Kurdish is regarded as a separate language. In the responses of many municipalities, it was stated that signs were in 3 languages, with Kirmanckî shown as separate and Kurmancî as separate languages.

 

NO DENGBÊJ HOUSE IN SERHAT

 

No step has been taken regarding the construction of cultural venues such as Dengbêj Houses. Apart from the Dengbêj House established in previous years in Amed, there is no known venue.

 

In the Serhat Region, where the dengbêj tradition is strong, not a single step has been taken so far in this regard.

 

Only some cultural houses within municipalities and venues affiliated with cultural directorates organize dengbêj recitals.

 

NAME GIVEN TO PARK TO BE BUILT IN AMED: NATURAPARK

 

New parks and boulevards were built in many cities. The names given to parks, which are frequent gathering places for the public, were generally in Turkish or English.

 

Amed Metropolitan Municipality recently announced two parks. It was stated that one of these parks would be named Mesopotamia City Park.

 

For the park announced as “Amed’s largest ecological park on the way,” it was stated that the name Naturapark would be given.

 

There were also municipalities that gave parks names in two languages. Agirî Municipality built two parks named Jin (Woman) and Aştî (Peace).

 

The names given by 62 municipalities to places such as intersections, parks and libraries were generally in Turkish. In addition, the names of Kurdish intellectuals and writers were also given to these places.

 

AWARENESS ACTIVITIES

 

Municipalities in this period mostly focused on awareness activities. The majority of events such as theater, cinema and concerts were multilingual.

 

Through talks and workshops, emphasis was placed on language activities. Advertisements and billboard works were also made in two languages.

 

Pictures of Kurdish intellectuals and writers were engraved in different parts of cities, couplets of Kurdish poets were hung as signs on main streets. Kurdish sales labels were distributed in markets.

 

Tomorrow: The situation of Syriac

 

MA / Azad Altay