Kayapınar Municipality in Diyarbakır (Amed), Turkey, led by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has opened a new library, the Library of Women’s Works .
“We set out to create an area specific to women,” said Berivan Gülşen Sincar, co-mayor of Kayapınar Municipality, during the opening ceremony of the Library of Women’s Works on Tuesday in the Kurdish-majority city. The library aims to preserve women’s contributions.
Adalet Kaya, a DEM Party MP for Diyarbakır, described the library as “a place of historical importance, resistance and memory.” She referenced the work of journalist and activist Nagihan Akarsel, who was killed in the Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in 2022 while planning a similar project. “Bringing to life her legacy is our responsibility,” Kaya said, also echoing the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) philosophy of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan: “Our duty is to raise our voices to spread the word.”
Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak added: “In our belief and hope, women’s knowledge, truth, and reality will be built up and broadened in the Library of Women’s Works.”
Gülşen Özer, co-chair of DEM Party’s Diyarbakır branch, invited women seeking inspiration to use the library. The launch event concluded with music and traditional dancing, celebrating this milestone in women’s empowerment in the region.
