SORGÜL ŞÊXO

 Amûdê – Kurdish folk sayings have been passed down for years by women; however, many have been forgotten in time. Şehnaz Çolî, who lives in the town of Amûdê, Jazira Canton of North and East Syria, thinks that Kurdish folk sayings must be documented so as not to be forgotten.

Pointing to sexist sayings about women, Şehnaz Çolî said, “There are some sexist sayings about women. These sexist sayings reflect women as weak. But we changed them.” She also said that there were very few books and written documents about Kurdish folk saying. “We learn these sayings from our grandparents and parents. I pass down these sayings to my grandchildren and they use them in their daily lives. Thus, I preserve our folk sayings.”

 ‘Our stories and sayings are our hidden treasures’

Şehnaz Çolî called on Kurdish writers to document Kurdish oral history and folk sayings. “We should allow our history and sayings to disappear. Our stories and sayings are our hidden treasures. The houses where our grandparents lived are a hidden treasure having hundreds of stories. Children should learn their history and folk sayings from their grandparents and parents. Our oral history and folk sayings must be passed down to the next generations.”