Ece Temelkuran cited to the meeting held in Ankara, in her column in Milliyet in 18th of April 2007 on Wednesday. We are not going to discuss this meeting as you guess. The subject of this article is the words that used by Temelkuran in order to describe the people who joined the meeting: “A country, which was established through a struggle against “72 and a half nations” and whose land consists of the bodies of the young people who died for a more enlightened, egalitarian and equitable country through generations, has this right: Living without a shame and fear. This meeting was the meeting of the people who wanted to express this.” We do not have any objection against the general meaning of these words! But unfortunately, the words of “against 72 and a half nations” which were used by Temelkuran while talking about our National Independence War, extremely went beyond the intention.
Obviously, “the half” of 72,5 nations has always been referred to Gypsies. Temelkuran used these words in quotation marks. If only she preferred to correct this extremely wrong expression through using the expression of 73 nations like some folk poets do in their poems. But even if she did this, the mistake would not disappear. Because Temelkuran widened the common expressions like “we made wars against seven states in National Struggle” or “we established this country thereby fighting with 72 nations” through using the words of “72 and a half nations”. So a meaning arises as if the Gypsies were one of the nations that were been fought against.
Some of us may think that there is no need to stress on a simple slip of the tongue. No, we have to stress on the words if the subject is the expression of “72,5 nations”, especially it is used in a way of pushing us to the other side in the independence struggle of this country. There are two big mistakes. First of them is the use of a wrong expression which shows the Gypsies as half persons, who are actually ordinary people without a lack or ascendancy, normalizes and transfers this consideration to new generations even it is used in quotation marks. Secondly, it shows the Gypsies as one of the occupying nations. We have some words against both of them.
Language is a reflection of the world of thinking. All the accumulation of the societies reflects on their languages with their positive and negative sides. Unfortunately, in all societies including ours, there is not only tolerance, fraternity and sensibility. There might be also discriminating feelings and thoughts which cause antagonism. The reflections of these kinds of approaches, which are harmful to social integrity, on language actualizes through proverbs and phrases like the expression of “72,5 Nations”. Every new generation learns the prejudices and antagonism against various social groups when they learn these proverbs and phrases. Every time we repeat the words of “72,5 nations”, we conduce to consolidation of prejudices which insult the Gypsy society. Especially, the harm will be bigger if a writer who has many readers uses these words.
Another mistake which can not be forgiven is that this expression is used as a means to push us to the front line of enemies in Independence War. Gypsies struggled against the enemies in the front lines with the other parts of the society. Many memories which inherited us tell the sacrifices in the period of Çanakkale War and National Struggle. Gypsies shared the pain of the war and effervescence of the triumph with the general of the society. We heard this from our dads. Our elders who told the stories of the cruelties of the occupying armies explained how they acted with solidarity with the neighbors and resisted. Gypsies did not see themselves separated from the general of the nation. They consubstantiated their destiny with the destiny of the nation.
We always say: Gypsies proudly carry the citizenship identity in every country they live in. Gypsies has a destiny partnership with the community of the country they live in. Yes, our neighbors usually do not understand us, insults and discriminates us! Yes, our neighbors might see the words of “half nation” suitable to us. But we know that the broken arm remains inside the sleeve. In other words, we solve the problems on our own and make peace! We put away all these things and do everything essential in unity with our neighbor, if it is necessary.
Thus, this is the story of Gypsies. If only Mrs. Temelkuran who is known with her sensibility to social problems behaved more sensitively. We know that you are not malevolent; nevertheless you have aggrieved us, Mrs. Temelkuran.
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