This year, people in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan celebrated February 21, International Mother Language Day, in new and different ways. During events held in different cities and campaigns organized on social media, "messages of love for the Turkish language" were shared.
The most notable campaign related to International Mother Language Day was the distribution of Turkish-language books. Turkish activists distributed Turkish-language books, especially among children and adolescents, in some cities and villages.
One of the videos shared on social media shows activists from Urmia visiting kindergartens and gifting children Turkish-language books.
Social media users expressed their love for the Turkish language by sharing photos, videos, poems, and messages of themselves and their children on networks like Telegram, while also demanding that education in their mother tongue be provided in Iran.
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| The latest issue of the Turkish-Persian student magazine 'Anlam' is dedicated to Mother Language Day. |
One of the widely shared poems on social media tells the story of a student who was beaten by their teacher for not knowing Persian well. The poem’s author is poet Rasul Qurbani:
Mədrəsədə müəllim / Yenə döydü əlimdən
Bacarmadım farscanı / İrad tutdu dilimdən
Dedim ağa müəllim / Vurma göynədi əlim
Nədir axı günahim / Türkcədir mənim dilim
...
Qoy böyüyüm bir özüm / Olacağam müəllim
Onda çox iş görəcək / Bu gün göynəyən əlim
Kilasımdan gələcək / Elimizin öz səsi
Olacaqdır o zaman / Türkün də mədrəsəsi
Translation:
In the school, the teacher / Again struck my hand
I couldn’t speak Persian well / He reprimanded my tongue
I said, “Sir, teacher / Don’t strike, my hand aches”
What is my fault / Turkish is my language
...
When I grow up / I will become a teacher
Then It will do much work / This hand that aches today
The voice of our people / Will come from my classroom.
At that time, there will also be a school for the Turks.
After UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 1999, Turks living in Iranian Azerbaijan, as well as in regions like Tehran, began organizing events to mark the occasion.
Over the past decade, hundreds of Turkish activists participating in International Mother Language Day events in Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran have been monitored and faced imprisonment.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Dünya Ana Dili Günü - İran Azərbaycanında türkcə sevgisi