See the event page in Kurmancî
German-Kurdish Voices in Turkey’s Peace Process
October 30th 18:00 – November 1th 14:00
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
Heinrich Böll Stiftung
in Berlin
Lasting peace needs peace builders outside of armies, parliaments and government offices. The solution of a protracted conflict like the one in the Kurdish region needs to involve also those who have been dispersed to other countries.
Germany hosts the largest Kurdish diaspora, estimated to number 1 to 1.5 million people. Their perspectives and contributions are too significant to be overlooked for the success and sustainability of peace in Turkey. Yet, new ways and spaces need to be established for Kurdish communities in Germany and its civil society organisations to contribute fully and effectively to the peace process.
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Off University invite representatives of the Kurdish community in Germany to a safe and self-organized space to critically engage with the peace process in Turkey. The aim of the two-day gathering is to formulate demands to contribute to peace advocacy and to shape political process here and elsewhere.
Public Programme
October 30th – 18:00
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
Straße der Pariser Kommune 8A, 10243 Berlin
Friedensprozess in der Türkei – Wie Weiter?
Kurdische Perspektiven im Deutschen Kontext
Public panel discussion with insights on the current situation of Peace Process in Turkey and the role of the Kurdish diaspora (in German and Turkish)
Prof. Mithat Sancar
MP, DEM Party, Imrali Delegation member
Dr. Rosa Burç
Sociologist, DeZIM Institute Berlin & Center on Social Movement Studies Florence (COSMOS)
Berîvan Aymaz
MdL, Vice President of the State Parliament of NRW and Spokesperson for Europe, International Affairs, and One World for the Green Parliamentary Group
Followed by a get-together with the Kurdish organizations and reception with Loma Reqs.
October 31th – 20:00
Heinrich Böll Stiftung
Schumann Straße 8, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Selection of Short Films and Discussion:
Traces: Cinema, Memory and Peace
Curated by Nilgün Yelpaze and Leyla Toprak
(Turkish and English)
This evening brings together five short films and an open conversation about the role culture and art can play in the current peace process in Turkey. What does it mean to make films for peace? How can cinema help us confront past injustices, keep memory alive and imagine a shared future? The films touch on questions at the heart of today’s debates: prisoners, mother tongue and education, identity and belonging, and the traces left by war. Together we want to explore how cinema and other forms of artistic expression can bring people together throughout this process.
Destmala Sor (Red Handkerchief) (2016)
Leyla Toprak
Duration: 16 min.
Red Handkerchief tells the story about Kurds that were sentenced with long imprisonments in their twenties. Today free, they tell about how they survived abuse and torture through the Kurdish collective folk dance, “Govend”. The dance that gave them courage and kept their spirits up and that made them organize.
Zimanê Çîya (The Language of Mountains) (2016)
Lisa Çalan
Duration: 15 min.
Xemgin is six. In class his name is “Hengin”, the Turkish version of “Xemgin”, while out of school they call him “Pîzot”, Kurdish for rascal. He does not talk much at school, but outside he lives up to his Kurdish nickname.
The Address (2022)
Aram Dildar
Duration: 15 min.
Edip is appointed to his hometown as a teacher just after graduating from university. When he goes to the government office to start work, he learns that the village he was assigned to is not in the records. Edip, who is looking for Yeşilköy in Diyarbakır, will find himself in one of Turkey’s biggest political problems.
Fingerprint (2021)
Zanyar Mihemmedînikû
Duration: 12 min.
Zara is a kurdish worker, who lost all her documents. Upon going to a civil registry office she finds out she has also lost her fingerprints. A drama evolves where Zara is confronted with the injustice of her own system.
Dûr e? (Distant) (2015)
Leyla Toprak
Duration: 16 min.
The film observes the influence of the Kobanê war on people and nature, and the rebellion of women against an approach which for years has ignored women’s historical values in dominant social descriptions.
