In its message, the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) Culture and Arts Commission recalled Yaşar Kemal’s views on peace, cultural diversity, the protection of the mother tongue and the unity of the poor.
Yaşar Kemal had written:
“One, let it not be the killer who reads my books, but the enemy of war.
Two, oppose human exploitation of people; nobody can insult anyone; nobody can assimilate anyone … States and governments that are eager to assimilate people should not be allowed to do so.
Those who read my books should know that those who destroy a culture have lost their own culture and humanity.
Those who read my books may be united with the poor; poverty is the shame of humanity. Those who read my books, should stay away from evil sentences.”
Reminding that Yaşar Kemal, who left this will to its readers, used to say about himself: “I am a Kurd but not a Kurdish writer”, the HDK added: “Obviously for this reason, and from his books and speeches that oppose exploitation, humiliation and assimilation, he got into trouble with the state many times over the years. He was investigated and tried many times. All this did not stop him from writing as he thought.”
The message continued: “The ideas of the narrative master Yaşar Kemal, his contributions to the tradition of struggle, set out from the lines of Ince Memed (Memed, my hawk) and embraced us like a rebellious wind.”
On 28 February 2015, it was not just his readers and admirers who sent off Yaşar Kemal to his last journey. On the day he died, Taurus Mountains, Binbogalar and Mount Ararat bid farewell to him. Cukurova hot and swamps, Anavarza Plain and cotton fields ran one after another.
And rivers flowing enthusiastically welcomed the great master…
The statement said: “Let us not forget that we are human beings with the bird hovering above us, the tree where we take shelter, the river whose shore we walk, the sea in whose salty waters we swim.
Society and socialist writer Yaşar Kemal has no book in which he does not call people to fight against exploitation and corruption. He has no character who doesn’t resist the desperation and plight of oppression, cruelty and corruption.”
Here the link to our youtube video of Yasar Kemal: