With thousands attending the International Kurdish Culture Festival which opened in Frankfurt on Saturday, young internationalist women shared the reasons why they joined the long march to demand freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and what the importance of the cultural festival is to them.

This year, the theme of the festival was “Let’s break the isolation and occupation, let’s free Leader Öcalan”.

Alba, Italy

“I joined the long march because Öcalan is an inspiration for all of us, for all the youth of the world, and especially for young women because of his ideology of liberation of women”, Alba said.

Alba spoke about how the march “really showed the spirit of the youth in facing difficulties and building a response and resistance together.”

“Now, we are at the cultural festival in Frankfurt, meeting so many friends and hearing their stories and keeping the spirit of internationalism alive,” she added.

Martina, Italy

Martina, another young woman from Italy, spoke about the importance of Öcalan for people not just in Kurdistan but around the world.

“Reber Apo (Öcalan) is empowering a lot of people around the world. People that fight for a future in which everyone can be free.”

“This is why it’s important to fight for the liberation of Abdullah Öcalan, because it means fighting for everyone,” Martina added, highlighting the reasoning behind the long march for Öcalan’s freedom and the theme of the Kurdish Culture Festival.

Martina also spoke positively over the wide diversity at the festival. “I see a lot of colours and energies at the festival,” she said, adding “It is important that people express their identity and can sing and dance together.”

Nour, Morocco

“I joined the long march to fight for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan,” Nour, from Morocco, said.

“For me, the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is not only the physical freedom of one person but of the idea and alternative that he is representing.”

Explaining her reasoning behind this view, Nour added, “His freedom is especially important to me as a young woman because of his paradigm of women liberation.”

Nour’s view is one shared by many women around the world. Ayten Dersim, a leading figure within the Kurdistan Free Women’s Party (PAJK), issued a call earlier in September for international support to end the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan. In a detailed statement, Dersim argued that Öcalan’s freedom is crucial not only for Kurdish women but also for women’s liberation worldwide.

“Öcalan’s philosophy has empowered and organised women, enabling them to recognise themselves, assert their existence and organise effectively,” she said.