Molly Dhlamini: We support the Kurds as they fight for the release of Abdullah Öcalan

Molly Dhlamini, Central Committee Member and International Secretary of the 15th Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP), who attended the 32nd International Kurdish Culture Festival in Frankfurt on 21 September, stated that they support the struggle of the Kurdish people.

Speaking to ANF, Molly Dhlamini said she attended the Kurdish Culture Festival to “support this very important event”. She stated: “It is very important to be here because we also come from the same struggle for self-determination. We support the Kurds as they fight for the recognition of their culture and the release of Abdullah Öcalan. He has been arrested for 25 years, and it is very important for him to be released. 25 years of isolation is too many years. As you would recall, even Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for that many years, but he was not in the kind of isolation that Abdullah Öcalan finds himself in. At least, he had some people with him. But the isolation in an island prison is a violation of human rights. South Africa stands strongly in support of human rights. We would like to see the release of Abdullah Öcalan and for this case to be solved once and for all, and for the recognition of their culture, the traditions of the Kurds. It is a human right for anyone to be recognized in terms of their culture and religion. In South Africa, that is what we fought for. So, that is why we support the struggle of the Kurds and this festival, which wants to maintain the culture and traditions and reminds that they are a people with their own culture.”

Commenting on the denial of the rights of the Kurdish people, Molly Dhlamini said: “I think it is very problematic. Every country, every nation has a right to practice their culture, their language and I don’t think it is too much to ask. So, it is a violation of human rights to deny them or even to execute them. It is very unfortunate that at this time and age, at this era, we still have to deal with such things when we would have expected universal human rights to be respected. It is very backward for anyone not to allow people to express themselves, to execute people because they want to practice their culture. It is very unfortunate. We call on all peace-loving people and all those who believe in human rights to support the cause of the Kurds so they can be able to practice their own culture, religion, traditions, their own language, their own clothes. Culture is identity.”

Referring to their struggle for their identity, Molly Dhlamini remarked that: “In South Africa, the month of September is the month of heritage, and we understand the importance of heritage, culture, language because of the apartheid system that we come from. In South Africa, people fought against the use of Africans in schools because they were forced to use a language that is not theirs. So, we understand very much the importance of being able to fight to use a language that you prefer and to preserve your own language because your language is your identity.”

Molly Dhlamini concluded: “My message to the Kurdish people is that they must not lose hope. We also did not lose our hope as South Africans. We fought against Apartheid and against colonialization. They thought that it was not going to end, but there was an end. We therefore encourage the Kurdish people not to lose hope but to continue fighting for their human rights and also advocating for the release of Abdullah Öcalan.”