Archiving of Oral Children's Literature Works That Tend To Disappear
August - December 2023
ŞIRNAK
Recent research shows that only about 10% of Kurdish parents consistently speak Kurdish with their children (Language Map Project; Center for Kurdish Studies, FES, Rawest Research, 2022). For this reason, oral Kurdish children's fairy tales, which are passed on orally from one generation to the other, are facing extinction. If you add the impact of social media and TV channels onto this along with the technological developments, the resistance power of Kurdish oral literature decreases considerably. Since there is no support from an official institution protecting this literature, these works are not archived, and many fairy tales/stories that could be transformed into animations, cartoons, television series, or children's songs perhaps with the current technology, disappear along with the memories of those who know them. It is obvious that at such a critical point, studies that will ensure the preservation of this oral culture and its transfer to future generations are very valuable. With the Archiving of Oral Children's Literature Works That Tend To Disappear project, some of the children's stories and tales that are still alive in Şırnak Center and the towns of Balveren, Şenoba and Kumçatı have been archived.
The tales that were the subject of the project were recorded in audio and video and initially screened in Şırnak city center with the participation of hundreds of people. These tales were later made available to a wide audience via the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com@CandaKevnar. Thanks to these tales that were met with great interest, the YouTube channel reached 2500 subscribers in a short time and the tales recorded within the scope of the project were watched approximately 500 thousand times.
The project continues to ensure the continuity of oral literature and culture and to raise awareness on the subject. After the end of the project, new oral stories are still being recorded and shared on the YouTube channel.