Women meet at Sakine Cansız Festival in Basel
NEWS DESK (DİHA) - Kurdish women living in Switzerland met at the first Sakine Cansız Festival and gave the message of constructing a better world with a new system against capitalism.
A festival was organised by the Movement of Kurdish Women in Switzerland to commemoration Sakine Cansız, a founding member of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) who was killed in an attack in Paris with Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez last year. The festival was organised in a public space in the Kaserne Klybeckstrasse district of Basel in Switzerland. Women attended the festival wearing their regional dress. Posters of the 3 revolutionary women murdered in Paris and posters of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan were hung up in the festival area.
Massive and colourful participation
The festival started with the participation of people coming from different cities in Switzerland. Tents were set up and a panel was organised at which the history of Kurdish women and the life of Sakine Cansız was discussed. A deputy of the Socialist Party of Switzerland, Yvonne Ferri, the deputy of the Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) Gülser Yıldırım and Fidan Doğan’s father Hasan Doğan also took part in the festival. After the panel, the festival continued with a one- minute silence in memory of the 3 women murdered in Paris and the other people who have lost their lives in the revolutionary struggle.
MP Ferri: Point that Kurdish women attained is significant for all women in world
The first speech was made by Socialist Party deputy Yvonne Ferri, who emphasised that the point that Kurdish women have attained is highly significant for all women in the world. Ferri, criticising the discriminatory policies of the Swiss government over refugees, stated that these policies are creating negative effects, especially on migrant women.
Fidan Doğan’s father: Expose the real murderers
After Ferri’s spech, Fidan Doğan’s father Hasan Doğan made a short speech and explained the court process. He said that “those really responsible for the death of my daughter and her comrades is, as president Apo said, the people who imprisoned Mister Öcalan. I want to call on everybody, primarily the French government: expose the real murderers.” After Doğan’s speech, artist Silbüs u Tari performed a concert and entertained the audience.
HDP MP Gülser Yıldırım mentioned the crucial progress of Kurdish women enriched by giving examples from the struggle of Sakine Cansız and her comrades. She also emphasised the importance of the People’s Democracy Party (HDP) and the process started by Mister Öcalan. Messages sent by YJA (Union of Free Women) and by the Socialist Women’s Movement (SKP) were read out by Kurdish woman politician Özgür Amed. After the speeches and reading of messages, the festival ended with the songs of the choir of the Basel Ronahi Women, Koma Denge Xwezaye and Nuarin and with dancing into the late hours of the night.
(nt)
