Saturday, June 06, 2015

A Syriac newspaper (in Turkish)

MODERN ARAMAIC WATCH (SORT OF): First Syriac newspaper seeks to explain community to society at large (Cihan).
Sabro, which means hope in Aramaic, is the first newspaper representing the Süryani, or the Arameans (the Syriac community) of Turkey, in the history of the republic. Editor-in-Chief Tuma Çelik notes that since the past is marked by unpleasant events for the Aramean community, they no longer wish to live tied to this past. They want to look forward.

[...]

What sort of goals are you trying to achieve with Sabro?

We have two basic goals. The first is to see ourselves properly represented and have our voices heard. This is important because there is so much incorrect information out there about Arameans. And this is not just a problem that implicates one side; many of the mistakes are ours. After all, how much have we shared so that others may learn who we are? Perhaps we wanted to but were never able to. And the second goal is to get to know those around us better with this newspaper because we live with so many people of other colors on these lands.

[...]

Why do you write in Turkish and not Aramaic?

I know how to speak Aramaic, but not how to read or write it. In fact, I know as little Aramaic as I do German. I write in Turkish and a friend of mine translates into Aramaic. But the main column in the paper is in Turkish. I do not write enough in Aramaic to write my own column.

[...]
If I'm reading that last paragraph correctly, it sounds as though Sabro publishes articles in both Turkish and Aramaic, which would make sense given its goals and intended audiences.