When Rêber Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) was still at the PKK Party Academy in Damascus, he always engaged in discussions with the revolutionaries there, who had joined the revolution in Kurdistan from various regions of the world. This is the dialogue between Rêber Apo and Sawra, an Arab woman and internationalist.
Rêber Apo: What is your name?
Sawra: Sawra, Serokê min (referring to “Rêber Apo”).
Rêber Apo: Sa is an Arabic word. It means „revolution“. Do you have Arab roots?
Sawra: Yes, Serokê min.
Rêber Apo: From distant Arabia, you made it all the way to Istanbul. And from there, you set out to come here – even crossing the mountains of Kurdistan on foot. How do you feel now?
Sawra: Serokê min, as with every single person in this context, we are also recreating ourselves. As long as we do not recreate ourselves, merge together, and become a force, we will never truly develop into human beings. That’s what we’ve realized here. Here, the struggle is being waged to find, at least a little more, the path to becoming human. That is what is necessary here. Even though recreating ourselves is tied to hardship, we also experience the emotion and excitement that come with it.
Rêber Apo: So you, too, see it as a great opportunity to save yourself both from the dusty, feudal life and from the degenerating life in Istanbul. You have said goodbye to the deeply rooted Arab feudalism and the completely superficial, simple petty-bourgeois life of Turkey, and you have set out on a selfless path toward freedom. You have chosen the right path. As I said earlier, all of this requires great fighting spirit. You probably possess the necessary determination and have decided to fully meet the accompanying demands. That’s why you are happy.
Sawra: I am happy, Serokê min.
Rêber Apo: You are on Zîlan’s path, aren’t you?
Sawra: That’s right, Serokê min. We have no other choice.
Rêber Apo: There are other options, but they are beneath you. Even if they offered you a world that a petty-bourgeois dreams of, gave you a wealthy husband, and all sorts of luxury – that, too, is an option – but I don’t believe you would accept that, would you?
Sawra: No, Serokê min.
Rêber Apo: Based on Zîlan’s faith and reasoning, it is possible to choose humanity and thereby make a great difference.
Sawra: Serokê min, my presence here already expresses my rejection of all that. But we must acquire the tools to recreate ourselves. That requires strength.
Rêber Apo: And that comes through a very arduous struggle. That is precisely your task. The Party can only provide the framework for it. You yourself must make full use of this framework. You are young. Your thoughts and your heart belong to you alone. Use them to their fullest. Then you will also experience success, won’t you?
Sawra: That’s right, Serokê min.
Rêber Apo: Of course, as a person with Arab roots, you must develop yourself, make your voice heard in the Middle East, rise higher. All of this will be very good.