NEWS CENTER – Beritan, a Kurdish woman from Romania who lives in the UK, raised a pair of shoes identified with the guerrilla during a protest action held in London on April 20 to protest against the collaborator Masrour Barzani, at a time when the genocidal Turkish state put its army on the field again for occupation purposes, and shouted that this shoe is the honor of the Kurdish people.
From that moment on, the shoe became the symbol of all actions against the invasion attacks and the line of betrayal. If we remember, when ISIS attacked Shengal, Mexmûr and then Kobanê for genocidal purposes, the mekap was again on the agenda. ISIS called the PKK guerrillas ‘the ones with yellow shoes’ and expressed its fear through this nomenclature. But was there a story behind the moccap shoe? When the Mekap shoe company was founded in 1972 and started producing shoes, was writing a story among its priorities? Even if a story was envisioned; it would probably have been more in the name of profit and gain. So, what was the story that brought Mekap shoes to these days and made it synonymous with the values of resistance, struggle and freedom?
The search for shoes resistant to the harsh conditions of the mountain
The ground on which the guerrilla struggle in Kurdistan is based is mountainous and characterized by harsh natural conditions. Over time, the need for a type of footwear that could withstand these harsh mountain conditions and would not hinder the guerrilla’s mobility emerged. Many different shoe models that were tried and tested did not meet the mandatory need. And finally, in the course of time, it was decided on the mekap brand as a shoe that facilitated the guerrilla’s march as it was both robust and flexible. When thousands of PKK guerrillas, men and women, put on yellow-orange mekap shoes under their khaki dresses, they are ready to fight and act. In addition to the facilitating function they added to the guerrilla struggle, they also looked great stylistically under the khaki guerrilla dress. The yellow-orange color fit perfectly next to the guerrilla’s resistant and invincible stance. The Mekap became synonymous with the guerrilla in the eyes of the Kurdish people. This association had a meaning and value far beyond a shoe brand. They became worn and valued as a way of loving the guerrilla and being a part of their struggle. It was now a privilege and an attitude to wear the yellow-orange mekap.
Shoes should bear the whole burden
Mekap shoes were a commodity produced for profit, according to the capitalist perspective with the dream of getting rich. Its value was measured and accepted according to the rate at which it was marketed and brought profit. Because in capitalism, value = money. The value of something was its material return. It was good that it contributed to human walking and running as an auxiliary element. In addition to its softness and flexibility, it was also admired for its yellow-orange color. While it was designed with its construction material, quality, color and comfort, it probably did not have an idea and meaning beyond its material value. But it seems that over time, the mekap has become valued beyond being a shoe. In the freedom struggle and the PKK guerrilla, value met its true meaning. Value was never money. It could not be a commodity to be bought, sold and consumed. While this was the case spiritually, materially value could not be money: It was possible to buy and use the substance one needed and to compensate for it in different ways, and this could very well be done. The surplus was unnecessary. The absolute monetization or material acceptance of everything is the root of all evil. In guerrillaism, then, it is enough that the shoe has a facilitating role. It was enough to help you hold on, walk and move on the mountain, on the slopes, on the rough and impassable cliffs. Anyway, in the guerrilla, adequacy is only as much as is necessary, anything more is unnecessary, a burden, a nuisance. Feet must be comfortable in the guerrilla. Your shoes should help you hold on to the stone on the cliff sides. They should propel you forward with the flexibility of a spring as you run. They should never hurt, tire or squeeze. When you walk for days and even months, when your legs, sometimes wet and often weak, send distress signals, the shoes should bear the entire burden. “The wheels must be solid”, reassuring, not letting you down. The road was long, the road was tiring, the road was difficult and complicated. The burden was heavy, the value of what he carried was high. The Mekap was the most suitable vehicle to carry this value.
The Mekap guerrillas were the sons of a poor people
It wasn’t just the beautiful color, the flexibility, the comfort and the help in guerrilla marching. The quality of the first production had already been destroyed over time, perhaps deliberately. When it became known that it was also used by the guerrilla, it was very consciously made harder and more painful over time. Its main feature, its robust structure, was also destroyed. In the early days, its durability and the fact that it was useful enough to be worn for a whole year made the mekab preferable. Kurdistan, with its abundant underground riches, had been invaded and occupied by the colonialists. The Kurdish people were left bereft of these riches. The Mekap guerrillas were the sons of this poor people and this exploited country. Financially, it was necessary to be content with little. It was difficult to find material means in the guerrilla, and when it was found, carrying, fetching and transporting them could sometimes lead to martyrdom. Food was necessary to live, shoes were indispensable for walking as much as necessary. When a need was found and brought to the field, it had to be provided in the most adequate and useful way. This was partly what guerrilla work was all about; it had no luxuries or extras. It was a disease of capitalism to acquire and consume more than one needed.
The guerrilla’s pillow is stone, his quilt is the sky and his mattress is the earth.
In short, it is not the mechab itself, but the guerrilla struggle that wears it, that makes it valuable to the Kurdish people. Guerrilla is the name of fighting for the freedom of your people for free. The guerrilla is the main and decisive actor in the fiftieth year of the freedom struggle. His pillow is stone, his quilt is the sky and his mattress is the earth. The load in his backpack is enough rations to fight, enough defense equipment to protect himself and fight, a layer of clothes (often torn and patched) and a pair of shoes to help him walk. This is all he has, nothing more. Before the Kurdish guerrilla, there was a history of resistance and struggle on behalf of the Kurds. There were struggles in the name of beylik, mirlik, tribalism or national values. But unfortunately the resistance against the genocidal attacks remained fragmented. It lacked a revolutionary character and a guerrilla resistance perspective, and therefore was not successful. The new struggle should prioritize the freedom of the Kurdish people, analyze the historical background in depth and learn lessons. It should have centered on the most oppressed and aimed for a country where peoples could live together freely. The ideal of living together was to make the land you lived on habitable. The way to achieve this was to rely on the people’s own power and resources, without being guided by any other power.
The guerrilla is the most disinterested and pure expression of the people
Fighting, resistance was necessary to make the country livable. The guerrilla is the most disinterested, pure and gratuitous form and expression of the Kurdish people who organized and fought in the light of historical lessons. The guerrilla has no expectations and demands beyond the free life of its people. Mekap and khaki-colored dress were both loved and valued because they were parts of the guerrilla’s simple life devoted to the freedom of the Kurdish people. Just as the boots worn by the occupying soldier became a symbol of invasion, exploitation and sovereignty, the yellow-orange mekap worn under the shalwar became a symbol of those who fought against occupation and slavery in Kurdistan without any interest.
Fatma Adır
Source: Newaya Jin
