Can the Voice of Peace Be Silenced? (Tr: Barışın Sesi Susturulabilir mi?)


"Cyprus is too important to be left to the initiative of the Cypriots.”

I don’t think I will be able to get this sentence out of my mind for a long time.

And other sentences that say ‘Cyprus does not belong to the Cypriots’ like this one.

For example, someone told me, “Did you think you would determine the future of Cyprus just because we allow you Cypriots to express your thoughts?”

According to them, the land where I was born, grew up, and live is no different from a piece of property or a product, and determining its fate shouldn’t be in my hands anyway.

In Cyprus, the voice and belief of the Cypriots should be considered worthless.

Being a Cypriot is a crime, wanting peace in Cyprus is an even bigger crime (!), they said, so I should be lynched.

What happened to almost all the Cypriot intellectuals eventually happened to me too.

It’s strange that eight months ago, a documentary I made in another country has surfaced today.

It’s even stranger that it happened just two days after the first concrete step was taken in an area where I have been fighting in Cyprus.

Is it a coincidence? I don’t know; but I can’t help but question ‘why’...

Why would they want to attack or harm me, to intimidate me?

I’m just doing activism in my own way, both for my rights and for peace in my country.

I am expressing my belief and sharing my thoughts about Cyprus.

I’m just a young university student, nothing more.

Of course, no one has to share the same thoughts as me,

But is it that hard to respect freedom of expression?

(Published in Özgür Gazete on 30.01.2024)

https://ozgurgazetekibris.com/kibris/132810-dogan-onlara-gore-dogdugum-buyudugum-topraklarin-bir-mal-ya-da-urunden-farki-yok.html

***

Turkish:


“Kıbrıs, Kıbrıslıların inisiyatifine bırakılmayacak kadar önemlidir.”

Bu cümleyi uzun bir zaman aklımdan çıkaramayacağım sanırım.

Ve bunun gibi ‘Kıbrıs’ın Kıbrıslılara ait olmadığını’ söyleyen diğer cümleleri.

Örneğin biri bana, “siz Kıbrıslılara düşüncelerini beyan etmelerine izin veriyoruz diye Kıbrıs’ın geleceğini siz mi belirleyeceksiniz sandınız,” dedi.

Onlara göre doğduğum, büyüdüğüm ve yaşadığım toprakların bir mal ya da üründen farkı yok, kaderini belirlemek de benim elimde olmamalıymış zaten

Kıbrıs’ta Kıbrıslıların sözü ve inancı, değersiz sayılmalıymış.

Kıbrıslı olmak suç, Kıbrıs’ta barış istemek daha da büyük bir suçmuş (!), bu yüzden linç edilmeliymişim dediler.

Neredeyse tüm Kıbrıslı aydınların başına gelen şey, sonunda benim de başıma gelmişti işte.

Hoş ki, sekiz ay önce, başka bir ülkede yayınlanan belgeselimin, bugün ortaya çıkması da bir garip.

Hele de iki gün önce, Kıbrıs’ta mücadelesini verdiğim bir alanda atılan ilk somut adımdan sonra olması, daha da garip.

Tesadüf mü bilmiyorum; ama ‘neden’ diye de sorgulamadan edemiyorum…

Neden bana saldırmak ya da zarar vermek, beni korkutmak istesinler ki?

Sadece kendi çapımda, hem haklarım hem de ülkemde barış için aktivizm yapıyorum.

Kendi inancımı dile getiriyor, Kıbrıs'a dair düşüncelerimi paylaşıyorum.

Üniversite öğrencisi genç bir kızım sadece, fazlası değil.

Tabi ki benimle ayni düşünceyi paylaşmak zorunda değil hiç kimse,

Ama ifade özgürlüğüne saygı duymak bu kadar mı zor?

(30.01.2024 tarihinde Özgür Gazete'de yayınlanmıştır.)


Yorumlar

Yorum Gönder

Bu blogdaki popüler yayınlar

Can Federal Cyprus, Be An 'Intermediate Formula' To Unitary Cyprus? (Tr: Federal Kıbrıs, Üniter Kıbrıs’a Giden Bir ‘Ara Formül’ Olabilir mi?)

 Because I attend the University of Nicosia, I had the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds. I met people who identify themselves as "Greeks of Cyprus" and others who identify as "Cypriots." Among them, there is a political science professor who identifies himself as a "patriot" and "Cypriot." Recently, I came across an article he wrote in a newspaper, titled "The Federalization of the Republic of Cyprus." I was surprised because, in my mind, "patriotism and statism" had always been associated with a "unitary Cyprus." I reached out to him to ask the questions on my mind. The response I received led me to look at the Cyprus issue from a more realistic perspective. An ideal Cyprus where the unitary and Cypriot identity is paramount can indeed be an ideal Cyprus. But in reality, we must realize that we are currently far from this ideal. Compared to the past, the pressure from Turkey in the northern part...
Devamı

We Are Moving Away from Solving the Mixed Marriage Problem! (Tr: Karma Evlilik Sorununa Çözüm Bulmaktan Uzaklaşıyoruz!)

 With the movement we started approximately 2.5 years ago, the mixed marriage problem has occupied the agenda both in the north and south of Cyprus. Earlier this year, although it did not satisfy most Turkish Cypriots, the 14-point package announced by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Hristodoulides, for Turkish Cypriots included the mixed marriage problem as well. From my perspective, this was a significant move because it showed that the government of the Republic of Cyprus was not indifferent to this issue and was open to working with us. But unfortunately, we could not and still cannot make good use of this "invitation." Some politicians in the north of our island have little knowledge about this issue, and sometimes, for their political interests, they use incorrect arguments , making us appear quite unsympathetic in the eyes of the public in the Republic of Cyprus. We now know that the resolution of citizenship issues lies in the hands of the Republic ...
Devamı

Sea Areas, Turkey, 'Blue Homeland,' and Cyprus (1) (Tr: Deniz Alanları, Türkiye, ‘Mavi Vatan’ ve Kıbrıs (1))

Resim
Sea Areas, Turkey, 'Blue Homeland,' and Cyprus (1) In my articles, I try to focus on issues that impact or will impact Cyprus and Cypriots in the future, beyond the echo chamber of the northern part of the island. I believe that discussing and debating different issues from various perspectives can invigorate the stagnant status quo we currently experience. I have long wanted to write about the 'blue homeland,' as discussing maritime law has always fascinated me. Recently, the 'blue homeland' has been a hot topic in Turkey. In fact, it has even been added to the school curriculum, from kindergarten to high school, in Turkey. This shows how important it is to the current government in Turkey, doesn't it? While reading Phileleftheros yesterday, I came across an article about the 'blue homeland,' which gave me the push to write this today: CHP Istanbul MP Namık Tan faced backlash from both the ruling party and some members of his own party after calling...
Devamı