NEWS CENTER – This is my witness to how many passengers left. How they connected us to freedom with the memories and stories that each of them left behind. Are there departures in other lands that increase such devotion? Is there anyone who strengthens the power with the memories they leave? I don’t know if there is another land, but these lands that I have witnessed, like Martyr Ahmet Rûbar, sprout with the hope left by the freedom guerrillas. The memories they left are growing one by one…
Year 2017, we are in the Çemço area of Zap. We went on a long journey to see Leader Apo, see guerrilla friends who stayed at the education academy in Damascus, and leave their memories in history. You know, we see and know many people, but there are very few people who leave deep traces in the hearts and are not forgotten. In fact, there is no need to share much, in order to love and respect people. And when it comes to those who set out for freedom and walk on the path of truth, even the glance and smile of those people leaves meaningful memories. The freedom guerrilla who left that mark on me was Ahmet Rûbar, one of his valiant commanders.
CZECH BARI, KEEP IT IN HISTORY
At first he avoided my gaze. I know that if I didn’t have a camera in my hand, he would actually open his heart… He was not convinced… says. I’m smiling! I say no, stubbornly, because you will be a part of this history. Because I say you and people like you should be seen, read and known. He smiles again and says, “Well, let it be history at least. Maybe it will remain as a memory in the future.” In an instant, he plunged into the slightly yellowed leaf lying on the ground. I never wanted to spoil that moment, because I felt that good things would follow. His eyes were smiling and he started to speak with great excitement: “It was 1997… I was in the leadership field for training purposes. It would be fair to say that it was one of the most meaningful time periods for me.”
THE LEADING LOVED PEOPLE
He started talking before the program even started. At that moment, I was archiving his words to my heart… I listen with great attention without losing my eyes. While Ahmet Rûbar, standing in front of me, was talking about Leader Apo, he felt as if his heart was going to burst. What kind of devotion, what kind of love is this, I ask myself. Even though I have never seen it, I admire the wisdom that guerrilla Ahmet has seen through his narration.
He continues: “When I first saw the leadership, it was the naturalness that impressed me the most. With the atmosphere it created, it gathered people from all walks of life, organized and connected it. This naturally developed. The leadership loved the people. He loved to take care of people and educate them. Because the Leadership cared; anything about humans. So when he saw a person, he would never forget him. Even years later, if he met that person, he would look into his eyes and say his name. When he looked into a person’s eyes, he dreamed of a life about him. A free life…”
HE WAS TOLERANT IN ISOLATION
Dreaming of a free life! In fact, Martyr Ahmet Rûbar was expressing his own dream and hope while saying this. He set out with this dream in the noble lands of Agirî. He had planted the dream of freedom in his own life. He reflected the joy of being a warrior of such a meaningful life so well that it was impossible not to be impressed. He was referring to the isolation on Leader Apo. He said how much it affected him at every moment and that this was the biggest reason for war: “The leadership is a person who lives at the top of the truth and has achieved this in a place like Imrali. Regardless, the physical freedom of the Leader should be a great reason for war for us. It is a situation that we cannot tolerate for a free person to be in a place full of torture. That is why I will fight this claim until the last moment of my struggle.”
SUCH SHOULD BE A COMMANDER
After the program is over, we chat with the young guerrilla friends in that environment. During the conversation, one of the guerrillas tells us about their commander, Ahmet Rûbar, and says, “This is how a commander should be. Always acting, sharing, laughing, making people laugh and creating motivation with their fighters… In other words, one should be like Heval Ahmet. He is a natural and serious war commander as he is natural.” As he said this, the warriors beside him nodded in support. I witnessed how Commander Ahmet Rûbar influenced his warriors and left a mark on their hearts. In fact, he had clearly adopted the quality of valuing the human, which he learned from the wise man, not just against his warriors. His sensitivity towards us, his behavior showed that he was interested in people.
LOVE FOR MOUNT GOVENDÊ
While we were drinking tea in the arbor together for a while, he started to tell our team about Mount Govende. Actually, our topic was on writing. I asked, do you ever write, do you share what you write? He said, “I didn’t write much, actually, but I wrote a lot about Govende. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Govende, but it’s a must-see. Govende is the trace of people who have witnessed the stories of Cîlo and Çarçela! Govendê is a mother. A mother who has kept the guerrilla in her bosom for years and embraced it! I wish you could see it.”
After Martyr Ahmet told about Govendê, I felt so sincerely the love of a guerrilla for the mountain. Then I did research on Govende. He really had as much as he mentioned. It evokes a feeling as if the heart of the guerrilla living there is written on each rock. Maybe that’s why the guerrilla looks so much like the mountains. Noble like mountains, embrace like mountains and never turn their backs and never surrender.
LAST INTERVIEW
“Heval, the war is getting deeper and deeper. Now you take your cameras and come to shoot the places where the real truth is, those who fight for the truth,” he says and smiles. In fact, he was telling us; Pull, pull so people never give up hope. Make sure that no one forgets the brave children of these mountains. Because, Bilge said, forgetting is betrayal.”
As we embark on an endless path, we leave martyr Ahmet Rûbar behind us and plant his memories in our hearts. His memories will live on in our hearts…
