Eyşana Beravî in conversation with Mustafa Can
Up until the early 90s, it was illegal to speak Kurdish in public spaces in Turkey. Even the word “Kurd” was banned, and Kurds were denied recognition as a people. Kurdish politicians were imprisoned or killed, and the use of the Kurdish letters W, Q, and X could up until 2010 lead to fines or land you in jail. Today, the official ban on the language is lifted, yet Kurds still feel barred from using the language freely. Kurdish is systematically neglected by the public funding, and as a result, Kurdish is becoming an endangered language.
In spite of this, some authors have attained recognition, despite their Kurdish identity and writing language. The author Eyşana Beravî (born 1990) has published two books in the Kurdish dialect Kurmānjī: The collection of poetry Ya Ba Ye Ya Baran E (“Either wind or rain”) in 2019 and the novel Bihuşta Xezalan (“Paradise of Gazelles”) in 2021. Here, questions of social justice, Kurdish culture and womanhood are woven together with motifs from nature and elements from long-standing lyrical traditions.
In conversation with Beravî is the Swedish-Kurdish author and journalist Mustafa Can. He will meet Beravî in a talk about her written works, Kurdistan, and being an author with a forbidden language.
The conversation will be in Kurmānjī, and interpreted to Norwegian.
Beravî’s visit comes as part of “Literature Beyond Borders”, a collaborative project between literature houses in Oslo (Litteraturhuset), Berlin (FCB), Istanbul (Kıraathane) and Diyarbakir (Wêjegeh Amed).
Litteraturhuset Berner-kjelleren https://litteraturhuset.ticketco.events/no/nb/e/forfatter_med_forbudt_spraak_eyana_berav_i_samtale_med_mustafa_can