Atakan was the embodiment of a resistance identity that brought essence, word, and action together in a single moment, one that remembered the pains of the past and the helplessness of all time with pride. His one true place was his language and his heart. Without words, there was no action; without words and action, freedom would remain orphaned.
“Friends, we are patriots; this must be emphasized clearly. To be defined only as a fighter means leaving an identity stranded somewhere in between. Let us set aside the inviolability of the overarching identity or the oppression of the sub-identity, we have been touched by both.
When we walk these mountains, we carry all these traits with us just like the daily necessities in our packs and the weapon on our shoulder. We carry this weight to protect our national identity. Therefore, we must be conscious of this burden. We must reach the source of that consciousness. We must grasp the meaning of the war.
Of course, it is also true that we have drawn inspiration from revolutionary war experiences. Comrade Hayri’s cry in Amed (Diyarbakir) Prison, ‘Kurdistan is becoming Vietnam,’ was not uttered by chance. Among the revolutionary histories of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the experience it feels closest to is the Vietnamese revolution.
Ho Chi Minh, within the framework of the Third International, recognized the flaws of real socialism and adapted the Marxist-Leninist ideal to the conditions of Vietnam. He accurately understood Vietnamese sociology and led the revolutionary people’s war to success in line with these principles. The harmony between revolutionary ideology and the homeland was analyzed, and through a people’s war against the Japanese, the French, and the United States, Vietnam determined its own destiny. In this way, it liberated itself from the classic Marxist framework.
President Öcalan’s decision in 1976, taken after a meeting in the Dikimevi neighborhood of Ankara, to embark on the “Kurdistan Expedition” was the first analysis and mobilization of patriotism and party-building.
– Roni: “Comrade Fuat used to say that the expedition was the ‘ideological conquest of Kurdistan.’”
– “That is correct. It was also said that what was conquered was the hearts and minds, instilling in them the love for a free life. Let us continue from here.”
It should be noted that the first destination of the Kurdistan expedition was the Serhat provinces. The initial meetings were held in Qers (Kars) and Agirî (Ağrı). These were followed by gatherings in Çewlîg (Bingöl), Qerekocan (Karakoçan), Dersim (Tunceli), Xarpêt (Elazığ), Amed, Riha (Urfa), and finally Antep. The expedition had achieved its goal.
This was, in the truest sense, an ideological conquest, an effort to take patriotism out of the pages of history books and embed it in consciousness, marking the first steps of a struggle for existence in the Marxist-Leninist line.
In other revolutions, the adaptation of ideology did not develop after such thorough processes. Either there was no opportunity for it, or the revolutionary groups and leaders were unable to create the conditions to reach such maturity. Revolutionary breakthroughs often emerged during periods of crisis.
In a way, the same can be said of the First Soviet Revolution of 1905, because it followed that pattern, no decisive result was achieved. The October Revolution was built upon its foundations.
Another point is the experience of war tunnels. Friends have heard of the tunnels in Vietnam. President Öcalan said, “Build tunnel cities.” The foundations were laid in Zap, but due to the current conditions of the war, there has been little progress. I think we will understand how necessary this is in the future. A people’s war should resemble that of Vietnam.
The strongest defense of patriotism comes through the popularization of the revolution. Moreover, every moment the people are distant from the revolution, we lose ground. Social decay exists wherever the hand of power reaches.
Pay attention: go down to the center of Dêrsim (Tunceli), and you will see it on the verge of losing its essence. Outwardly there is loyalty to ’38, but young people are becoming increasingly detached from social truth and the core of collective memory. They are not concerned with social issues.
As a result, their ties with revolutionary groups are weakening. It is necessary to restore consciousness. This repetition delays the revolution. This situation applies to all of Kurdistan.
At the foundation of freedom lies patriotism. For the reconstruction of patriotism, this is crucial. Resistance is rooted in this culture and transforms into the construction of its own system. In this respect, one of the most fundamental and powerful identities is patriotism. National consciousness and the right to self-determination are built around this identity.’’
He was the voice of the mountain and the earth
He paused his speech here. Every word he spoke was etched into our minds… Perhaps the most beautiful sons and daughters of the people he spoke of were sitting side by side, listening to Atakan. With his gentle heart reflected in his words, he warmed our hearts and refreshed our consciousness.
Like sunlight falling upon the mountains, our bond of awareness brightened and blossomed. Atakan’s voice, in harmony with the rhythm of the wind and the mountain, was like the voice of the mountain and the earth.
Sipping his tea, leaning his mountain-scented body against the ground, he looked toward the active unit as if signaling the atmosphere of action, and his eyes sparkled. Every moment was a word, an action.
We had no right to despair
The words to be spoken for action had not yet been said. Atakan was a seyid, a dervish, and a warrior walking in the footsteps of 1938. All the comrades under his command shared these traits. Beside him, it felt as though none of us had the right to be weak or to despair. Boredom was considered a crime. Low morale was an insult to the mountain, to the stones, and to Atakan himself.
Self-awareness resembled a march. We walked knowing our limits and moved toward our goal. His words were not yet finished, but it was time for action. Words were the soul of action. Do not think Atakan only spoke, he was action-spirited, full of life. He was the bridge where the bond between word and life was built. One step, a thousand meanings…
We learned the love of the homeland from Atakan
His word was time. Atakan was time, and time was freedom…
He was both a teacher and a student of the Mountain Academy. His bond with the mountains was itself a lesson. He learned from the mountains, and he taught the people of the mountains. We learned the love of the homeland from Atakan. Together with him, we walked, lit candles in the resting places of the seyids, and searched for the key to the mountains.
Everyone experiences moments, but there are very few who live and comprehend time in its entirety. There are only a few rare people who know the language of time and whose hearts flow like a spring at all times. Atakan was the embodiment of a resistance identity that brought essence, word, and action into a single moment, one that remembered the pains of the past and the helplessness of all times with pride.
Atakan’s one true place was his language and his heart. Without words, there was no action. Without word and action, freedom would remain orphaned.
Atakan is gone, the word has ended, time has come, and Dêrsim is orphaned. Dêrsim is without Atakan…
Atakan Mahir (İbrahim Çoban) fell as a martyr in Dêrsim, on August 11, 2018.