SZK revives Kurdish language, protects it from extinction through regular training courses

The Kurdish Language Institute (SZK) in the eastern part of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo continues its efforts to revive the mother tongue and enhance cultural identity, currently welcoming around 150 students of various age groups to teach them the Kurdish language through a regular and comprehensive educational program.

The launch of this educational project dates back to 2012, coinciding with the July 19 Revolution, which marked a significant turning point in the cultural and social landscape of the areas where the autonomous administration system is implemented, particularly in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. Since then, the institution has not ceased to offer courses, despite changes in locations and working conditions, dedicating its efforts to preserving the Kurdish language and passing it on to new generations.

From the alphabet to grammar: Three educational levels

According to the organizers of the institution, education is organized into three main levels, each lasting four months, with small groups formed ranging from 15 to 20 students, prepared within less than a month. The courses include individuals from various backgrounds, from university students to mothers.

Zozan Dahr, a founding member of the Kurdish language institution, explained that the educational programs do not differentiate between ages but rather focus on comprehension and meeting the linguistic needs of each learner. She added, "We trust in everyone's ability to learn, despite the language being difficult at times, especially since the majority were deprived of learning it in the early stages of their lives." Our mission today is to preserve our language from extinction.

And she emphasizes that the curricula start with the basics of reading and writing, gradually progressing to advanced grammar and language skills, within a flexible timeframe ranging from one to two hours daily, depending on the student's ability, and extending to four hours in special cases.

Learners see this step as a rare opportunity to make up for what they were previously deprived of. Mohamed Bakr, a 21-year-old young man currently enrolled in the first-level course, describes the experience as "an irreplaceable opportunity," saying, "Our language represents our culture, and those who neglect it are lost." We, especially us young people, must prioritize learning our mother tongue.

In the context of discussing the importance of language as a pillar of identity, some cite what is mentioned in the volume by leader Abdullah Ocalan titled "The Kurdish Issue and the Solution of the Democratic Nation," where he says: "Language is the identity and moral existence of society, and it is the cultural, ethical, and emotional momentum of it." "And as society progresses with its language, its life progresses."

Language courses represent a cultural resistance.

The Kurdish Language Institution seeks, through this effort, to establish the Kurdish language as an integral part of daily life and to confront the exclusionary mindsets that have denied the rights of the Kurds and other components of the diverse Syrian fabric for decades. In the Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighborhoods, small classrooms appear to be an act of cultural resistance par excellence, under the slogan: "Our language will not be erased."

T/S

ANHA