Ademy in Van hosted a well-attended panel titled Language and Nation. Organized on the occasion of World Mother Language Day, the event took place at the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VAN TSO).

The panel was presented by Macît Orhan. At the opening, the Akademy’s co-chairs, Gulseren Kiraz and Abdurrahim Orhan, welcomed participants and spoke about the significance of the day.

Gulseren Kiraz focused on the foundations of language and how languages come into being. She emphasized that a language does not disappear merely because the number of its speakers declines; rather, it is lost when speakers themselves abandon their language and stop using it in daily life.

Abdurrahim Orhan addressed the century-long pressure and restrictions imposed on the Kurdish language. He stated that for justice and equality to be achieved, the same opportunities that have existed for Turkish for a hundred years must also be provided for Kurdish. However, he noted that the state remains far from such an approach. Pointing out that there are around 750,000 institutions in Turkey providing services in Turkish, he argued that for Kurdish to survive, the approximately six million Kurdish households should each function as a “language institution,” building and sustaining life in Kurdish within their homes.

Following the opening remarks, the panel began under the moderation of Ruzerin Sumer, a member of the Akademy. The first panelist, Ilyas Suvagci, delivered a presentation titled “The Future of Kurdish: Strategies for Linguistic Sustainability.” He focused on practical ways to protect Kurdish and discussed how the language can be kept alive not only within households but also across broader social spheres.

The second panelist, poet and academic Sidiq Gorican, spoke about Standard Kurdish. He examined why speaking it can be more challenging and tiring compared to regional or original dialects, and explored ways to bring these two forms closer together. After the presentations, participants asked questions and shared their views on these topics.

At the conclusion of the panel, plaques were presented to the panelists by writer and intellectual Xalid Sadini, Abdullah Aras, head of MUSIAD, and Murat Atabay, head of the local branch of Egitim-Sen.

As part of the program, -the traditional Kurdish singer- Dengbej Taha took the stage and performed traditional songs. The evening concluded with the distribution of certificates to students who completed Kurdish language courses. An announcement was also made inviting applications for elective courses in schools, and application forms were distributed to the participants.