İZMİR - Cahit Günay, who is 70 years old in İzmir and has been celebrating Newroz since the age of 13, stated that Newroz is hope, resistance and the future, and said that the fire will continue to grow until freedom comes to the country.

 

While the preparations for the Newroz celebrations that will be held in Gündoğdu Square on March 19 this year by the Izmir Newroz Organizing Committee with the slogan "Everywhere is Newroz, everytime is freedom" continue, thousands of people will be in Gündoğdu Square this year. The celebrations that started in the neighborhoods in the 1980s in İzmir became the scene of mass celebrations after Rahşan Demirel's body was set on fire in 1992. After that date, the celebrations held in the neighborhoods spilled over to the city squares. The Newroz fire, which was lit by tens of people, grew over the years with the participation of tens of thousands.

 

Cahit Günay is one of the participants in all of these celebrations. Gunay, who is 70 years old, was one of those who lit the Newroz fire from the age of 13-14. Günay, who lived in Erzurum Qereyazî (Karayazı) district at that time, participated in all the celebrations in his village until he moved to İzmir Buca district in 1987. Günay, who never missed a Newroz here after coming to İzmir, lit the first Newroz fire with a group of friends in Buca Kuruçeşme Neighborhood, where he lived, in 1991. Saying that there were about a hundred people that year, Günay attended the first mass celebration organized by the People's Labor Party (HEP) in 1993. Günay, who went to all the Newroz celebrations that took place afterwards, is getting ready for the celebration to be held in Gündoğdu Square this year as well.

 

'THE FIRE NEWROZ WILL GROW'

 

We talked to Cahit Günay about Newroz events in the city. Stating that the Newroz fire he lit in his own neighborhood spread to the city squares with other neighborhoods, Günay said: "I took part in the Newroz Organizing Committees for years. 1993 Newroz was one of the unforgettable moments. As a result of the application made to the governorship in 1993, a place was given to Gaziemir. DEP MP Mehmet Sincar and Zübeyir Aydar attended that celebration. In his speech, Mehmet Sincar said, 'The fire of Newroz was lit in İzmir, the heart of the Aegean. From now on, this fire will only get bigger.' I will never forget that conversation. That fire has grown since that day and will continue to grow. Over the years, we have seen winter conditions, cold, rainy days; however, we filled those fields. People couldn't fit into the squares, the streets were filling up."

 

PEOPLE HAVE OWNED NEWROZ

 

Emphasizing that the Kurdish people took responsibility by making sacrifices at the beginning of Newroz in the city, Günay said: "All peoples participated in the celebrations in the following years. Newroz was introduced to the people and carried to the present day. This was not easy. There have been detentions and attacks in every period. But the people have never taken a step back and we have celebrated this day of resistance until today. We will continue to celebrate. They pressed us on one of the streets during a banned celebration. A young man came out and said, "I am neither a Kurd nor a member of the DEP. But I am against injustice.' All the peoples have united in this humanitarian understanding. The peoples saw and embraced their liberation and resistance at Newroz. There is not one Dehak of our time, but many. But There are also Kawas. In this respect, Newroz has a great meaning and importance. The fire of Newroz was inflamed with the blood of the peoples and always grew."

 

'RESISTANCE IS HOPE'

 

Stating that they started the celebration with ten people, but then they found hundreds of thousands, Günay said: "We achieved this with resistance. The resistance is sacred and that victory will be achieved by resisting. When Mazlum Doğan set himself on fire. Resistance is to live. In this century, you have no chance to survive if you do not resist. The resistance paved the way for us in all areas. It was forbidden. But we took the square by resisting. People who go to Gündoğdu do not go there to dance halay or have picnics. They go to shout out resistance, freedom, brotherhood, to protect the future of the country and the children. Newroz is the resurrection of the peoples, it is hope. Until beauty comes to this country, this fire will continue to grow.”

 

'I WILL GO AS LONG AS I LIVE'

 

Expressing that he went to Newroz at the age of 13, Günay said: "I am going to Newroz for the future of my children, the people's future and the brotherhood of peoples. I will go to Newroz as long as I can because I see humanity there.

In there, thousands of people who have never known each other come together, dance halay and demand freedom. People are fascinated by this painting. We have good days ahead. There is never room for pessimism. Freedom fighters should think big. Together we can get rid of this fascist system. Let's go to Newroz this year too,  Let's shout 'I do not accept the oppression, injustice, oppression' in the square. We do not deserve tyranny, injustice, or earthquakes. We are waiting for all the people at the celebration to be held in Gündoğdu again. Come for your future, your country."

 

MA / Tolga Güney