Filmmaker Lisa Çalan told ANF that the demand for peace is the result of a long, exhausting process filled with sacrifices. Çalan said that pain can transform into experience, adding that even while chanting slogans, she tries not to lean on her pain, as doing so is not solution-oriented.
Çalan was severely injured in the bombing of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) election rally held in Amed (Diyarbakır) on June 5, 2015. Due to severe tissue loss, she first lost one leg, and later the other because of increasing infection. Living for the past ten years with the wounds left by war, Çalan has never lost her hope for peace and has become a source of inspiration and strength for thousands of people. Despite everything, she emphasized that peace is not an individual demand but a collective one that must be embraced under all circumstances, stating that the greatest evidence of the evil created by war is preserved in their collective memory.
Peace demand is not new
Lisa Çalan reiterated her call for social peace and said: “This is not only the issue of the Kurds but a common matter for all peoples in Turkey. Everyone pays the price of war. Demanding peace is our most natural right. The historical processes experienced by the Kurdish community are not limited to the last forty to forty-five years; they are the product of centuries of repression and resistance. These lands have passed through bloody periods and massacres. Therefore, our demand for peace is not new; it is the outcome of a long, exhausting process full of sacrifices.”
We cannot demand the continuation of war by leaning on suffering
Çalan pointed to the destructive effects of war not only on people but also on nature and culture and said: “A flower, a village, a tree, even a street cat or dog are victims of this war. For us, the issue is not only an armed conflict but a cultural genocide. The theft of culture is an attempt to erase people. I speak today as a woman who has lost both her legs. My brother likewise lost both of his legs. In Kurdistan, nearly eight out of every ten families have suffered a loss, but it is not possible to call for the continuation of the war by leaning on these pains. On the contrary, these pains should be a reason to hold on to peace even more tightly.”
The demand for peace must become social
Çalan said that pain can transform into experience and continued: “Even when chanting slogans, I try not to lean on my pain. It pulls a person backward; it is not solution-oriented. At this point, the demand for peace should not be seen merely as a Kurdish–Turkish issue. This war has affected not only the Kurds but all communities in Turkey—Armenians, Assyrians, Circassians… Therefore, the demand for peace must become social. Artists, writers, and those who speak their minds without hesitation have great responsibility in this regard.”
The call must also be voiced in the Black Sea region
Lisa Çalan emphasized that “demanding peace is everyone’s most natural right” and underlined the need to express the call for peace with courage. As someone who has experienced the deepest form of destruction, she said she can also be a messenger of this call: “My story does not belong only to me; it is the story of my family, of my people. We must all take responsibility for this process. It is easy to speak of peace in Diyarbakır, but we must be able to say it with the same courage in the Black Sea region and in Konya. The press, art, and literature. Each of these are realms that can heal this rupture. We must write again, speak again, and tell our stories anew.”
Stories differ, but the demands are the same
Çalan noted that society has largely been disciplined through fear and poverty, making it difficult to revive faith and courage. Çalan added: “We must support this through art, literature, social media, and education. The stories may differ, but the demands are the same and so are the pains. There must be meaning and consequence for all this suffering. The commissions established in Parliament have a major responsibility, but as a society, we too must be the driving force of this process. We must voice our demands loudly to ensure that the shortcomings before 2015 are not repeated. Everyone must take responsibility for peace and take brave steps forward.”