Which is more important to Kurds HasanKeyf or Gezi

[Anthea]

Rivers Unite, Dams Divide: Notes from the Tigris

This was the banner that I held last week during a blockade of the Ilisu Dam construction site on the upper Tigris River in eastern Turkey – the first action of its kind in this long-running campaign. Standing beside local dam-threatened people, as well as representatives from indigenous groups such as the Kayapó of the Amazon, the Mapuche of Patagonia, and the Turkana of Kenya, it felt like this sister river in Mesopotamia had truly united the widespread, global movement to defend the flowing lifelines of our planet.

The campaign to stop the Ilisu Dam – to save the irreplaceable cultural and ecological sites that would be flooded upstream and to preserve the life-giving Tigris River – has been waged for over a decade. The dam is a divisive, wedge issue in the geopolitics between Turkey, Kurdish autonomous movements, and Iraq. It is emblematic of mega-dams in the modern era: they are too often used as weapons to consolidate the political and economic power of elites, not as neutral infrastructure designed to distribute electrical power to the people.

While my trip to the region was brief, the time spent was densely packed and impeccably organized by Birdlife-Turkey (Doga Dernegi). Our blockade at the Ilisu Dam site served as an opportunity for the Turkish and European media to report on the global solidarity and the unity of our movement with the people from the upper Tigris. From there, our delegation traveled to the ancient city of Hasankeyf, an awe-inspiring town that was reminiscent of the canyon lands and ancient architecture in the southwest of the U.S. (think of the Anasazi cities built into mesas or the cliff dwellings along the Gila River). This town was where the Silk Road crossed the Tigris, and the remnants of that bridge still remain. In the setting sun and the rising moon, the place was aglow with a magnificent energy, as the Tigris River gently swept past. It is heartbreaking to imagine the ancient caves flooded and the minaret peaking out above a stagnant reservoir.

The greatest gift of Hasankeyf is the spirit of its people – defenders of their world heritage homeland who welcomed us with energetic, traditional songs as we paraded through the old marketplace to a vantage point overlooking the river. The songs turned to a chorus that we all sang: nadan nadan Hasankeyf, nadan nadan Tigris, nadan nadan Amazon, nadan nadan Omo, nadan nadan Patagonia. Hasankeyf, we won’t give it up; The Tigris, we won’t give it up; the Amazon, we won’t give it up…

http://www.internationalrivers.org/blog ... the-tigris

[Anthea]

The eyes of the world are on Turkey NOW is the time for KURDS to show what is REALLY important to them HASANKYF

NOW is the time to win support for Kurdish heritage

Ask yourselves what you grandchildren will need - will it be a few trees in a small park in the centre of Istanbul - or will it be heritage sites such as Hasankyf that have survived many THOUSANDS of years

[Anthea]

It is time for Kurds to stand up and UNITE to save this fantastic part of living history and Kurdish heritage for their grandchildren

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[Anthea]

I decided to turn this topic into a question and hope that this poll actually works

[Aslan]

both r important to different people for different reasons

[Anthea]

Perhaps I should change the title of this questionnaire to something that is of far more importance to the Kurds of North Kurdistan- perhaps something along the lines of:


Which is more important to Kurds - saving Hasankeyf or watching Turkish TV